Earlier today, Sporting Kansas City announced that the club has signed star forward Alan Pulido to a new Designated Player contract through 2026.
Pulido is one of the most prolific scorers in Sporting KC history, tallying 29 goals and 11 assists in 61 matches for Sporting across all competitions. He ranks first in Sporting history in goals per match (0.48), second in goals per 90 minutes (0.58), second in goal contributions per match (0.68) and third in goal contributions per 90 minutes (0.81).
League-wide, his 0.48 goals per match is the sixth-best scoring rate in MLS since the start of 2020 among players with at least 50 games played.
Following today’s news, let’s take a look back at those 29 goals and pick 10 of the best from Pulido’s career in Sporting Blue.
1. March 7, 2020 vs. Houston Dynamo FC
On his highly-anticipated home debut for the club after arriving in the offseason as a club-record transfer, Pulido didn’t disappoint. In just the 16th minute of the match, Pulido latched onto the ball on the left side of the area and stroked home a precise finish to send Sporting on their way to a 4-0 victory.
2. October 3, 2020 at Houston Dynamo FC
In a developing theme, Pulido seems to enjoy facing long-time rivals Houston Dynamo FC. In late 2020, Pulido bagged a brace to lead Sporting to a huge 2-1 victory in Houston, including a brilliant individual goal that saw him burst away from two Dynamo defenders before finding the back of the net.
3. May 22, 2021 at San Jose Earthquakes
As Pulido began battling through the knee injury that would eventually require surgery and see him miss all of the 2022 season, it didn’t slow down his form in front of goal. Early in the 2021 campaign, the Mexican international fired home Sporting’s second goal in spectacular fashion as the team ran out eventual 3-1 winners on the road in San Jose.
4. June 26, 2021 vs. Los Angeles FC
Pulido has always been up for the big occasion and showed that once again as he helped Sporting produce a rousing comeback against star-studded Los Angeles FC at Children’s Mercy Park midway through the 2021 campaign. Latching onto a loose ball on the edge of the area, Pulido slammed a shot into the bottom corner on his weaker left foot as Sporting turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 win.
5. May 7, 2023 at Seattle Sounders FC
After approximately 16 months out, Pulido began his reintegration into the team in early April 2023 and began finding his true form when a struggling Sporting visited Seattle on May 7. Sporting raced into a 2-0 lead before holding on to a 2-1 victory in the second half, with all three points coming courtesy of this clinical finish from Pulido for his first MLS goal since August 14, 2021.
6. June 3, 2023 at Vancouver Whitecaps FC
The goal that sparked Pulido to his current torrid run of form came in Vancouver, when he met Erik Thommy’s corner kick at the near post and looped a brilliant header into the far side-netting as Sporting earned a 1-1 draw on the road. Since the start of June, Pulido leads MLS with 12 goals in 12 games.
7. June 10, 2023 vs. Austin FC
Austin FC paid a visit to Children’s Mercy Park on a wet summer’s day in mid-June and Pulido added his own downpour with a pair of goals as Sporting cruised to a 4-1 victory that saw Pulido named MLS Player of the Matchday. His second strike of the night, an expertly taken touch and finish off a cross from Tim Leibold, was the pick of the goals.
8. July 8, 2023 at Houston Dynamo FC
One could say that Pulido has enjoyed facing the Dynamo through the years – he has six goals in just seven appearances against the team in orange. On the heels of being named MLS Player of the Month for June, Pulido added another pair of goals with a brace in the 2-2 draw in Houston. His first stood out as he dinked an impudent finish over Steve Clark after being found by a brilliant backheel courtesy of Gadi Kinda.
9. September 2, 2023 vs. St. Louis
In part two of the club’s newly formed rivalry with cross-state foes St. Louis, Pulido put on a masterful display with a pair of goals to lead his side to a come-from-behind 2-1 victory at Children’s Mercy Park. The game-winner arrived just before halftime as Pulido confidently fired home after being found by Jake Davis in front of a raucous capacity crowd in Kansas City.
10. September 9, 2023 at Inter Miami CF
Pulido’s most recent goal for the club unfortunately came in a tough loss at Inter Miami CF this past Saturday night, but that doesn’t take away from the quality of the approach play and finish from the 32-year-old. Pulido linked up with Erik Thommy before sneaking between a pair of Miami defenders and curling home a precise finish into the side-netting to make the final score 3-2.
