Sporting Kansas City forward Daniel Salloi has been selected to the Hungary Men’s National Team for three upcoming matches in 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying.
Salloi will join Hungary’s senior national team for the first time since 2018 as the Magyars prepare for World Cup qualifiers against England on Sept. 2, Albania on Sept. 5 and Andorra on Sept. 8. He will depart for Europe following Sporting Kansas City’s home match against the Colorado Rapids on Saturday at Children’s Mercy Park (tickets).
Hungary MNT World Cup Qualifying Schedule
- Thursday, Sept. 2 vs. England | 1:45 p.m. CT | Puskas Arena | Budapest, Hungary
- Sunday, Sept. 5 at Albania | 11 a.m. CT | Elbasan Arena | Elbasan, Albania
- Wednesday, Sept. 8 vs. Andorra | 1:45 p.m. CT | Puskas Arena | Budapest, Hungary
Currently enjoying a phenomenal 2021 campaign, Salloi has become the first Sporting KC Academy product to earn MLS All-Star recognition. The 25-year-old winger is set to compete in the 2021 MLS All-Star Game tonight at Banc of California Stadium, with kickoff at 8:30 p.m. CT and live coverage on FS1 and Univision as the MLS All-Stars battle the LIGA MX All-Stars.
Salloi previously represented Hungary in 2019 UEFA Under-21 Championship qualifying, scoring once in four appearances from November 2017 to March 2018. He earned his first selection to Hungary’s senior team in September 2018 and was an unused substitute in UEFA Nations League matches against Greece and Finland.
Led by Italian head coach Marco Rossi, Hungary began their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign in March with a draw against Poland and wins over San Marino and Andorra. The Magyars are two points behind first-place England with seven qualifiers still to play between now and Nov. 15. The first-place finisher in the six-team group will qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, while the second-place team will progress to a World Cup playoff round contested among other second-place UEFA nations in March 2022.
Seeking their first World Cup appearance since 1986, Hungary have lost just twice in 16 matches since international soccer resumed last September following a hiatus due to the pandemic. The Magyars are coming off an admirable performance at the UEFA European Championship this summer that included draws against France and Germany, each of the last two FIFA World Cup champions, as well as a late loss to 2016 Euro winner Portugal.
Salloi leads MLS with 18 combined goals (12) and assists (six) this season for a Sporting side that occupies second place in the Western Conference, three points behind leaders Seattle Sounders FC. The forward is tied for second in the MLS Golden Boot race and is tied for first in MLS with 12 non-penalty goals.
Now in his sixth season with Sporting, Salloi has started 17 of 20 MLS matches in 2021 and scored or assisted in 11 of his last 15 league appearances. With five game-winning goals and three game-winning assists, he has scored or assisted the match winner in eight of Sporting’s 11 victories this year. Among MLS forwards, he also ranks third with 29 chances created and fourth with 107 touches in the opponent’s box.
Since signing for Sporting as a Homegrown Player in 2016, Salloi has amassed 35 goals and 16 assists in 123 appearances across all competitions. A breakthrough campaign in 2017 saw him score six goals, including the winner against the New York Red Bulls in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final at Children’s Mercy Park. Salloi reached new heights in 2018, claiming golden boot honors for the club with 16 goals and seven assists—including three strikes in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
In addition to winning the 2017 U.S. Open Cup, Salloi helped Sporting to first-place finishes in the West in 2018 and 2020. He was also named the club’s Neal and Jeanne Patterson Humanitarian of the Year in 2019 for his philanthropic work with The Victory Project and across the Kansas City community.
A native of Budapest, Hungary, Salloi moved to the United States in August 2014 as an exchange student and attended Blue Valley Northwest High School in Overland Park, Kansas. He joined the Sporting Kansas City Academy U-18s for the 2014-15 season and scored a team-high 21 goals in 28 appearances, including three hat-tricks. During his time in the Academy, Salloi lived with a host family in a program currently supported by the Audi Goals Drive Progress initiative.
