Five Things presented by Children’s Mercy Kansas City: Sporting looks to make it back-to-back road results in Cincinnati | April 26, 2025

Sporting Kansas City remains on the road this weekend when the team heads east to take on FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. CT and will be available to stream on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. The game will also be broadcast locally on the radio via ESPN 94.5 FM.

1. SPORTING ENJOYS OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION

Sporting Kansas City will look to build on the club’s offensive explosion that led to a 5-3 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes at PayPal Park last weekend when the team heads east to take on table-topping FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Under the leadership of interim head coach Kerry Zavagnin, Sporting has gone 2-1-0 in their first three matches since the departure of longtime Manager Peter Vermes, scoring nine goals in the process - good for second in the league over the last three weeks.

While Sporting has found joy on the offensive side of the ball, the defense has been the main issue for Sporting, having conceded 19 goals in eight matches, tied for the highest total in MLS alongside D.C. United.

Having snapped the club’s 11-game road winless run in all competitions in San Jose, Sporting will hope to make it back-to-back road results in Cincinnati on Saturday.

2. ONE-SIDED SERIES CONTINUES IN CINCINNATI

Sporting Kansas City remains on the road this weekend as the team once again faces Cincinnati on the road for the fourth consecutive match to open the all-time series against the Ohio side.

Sporting has faced FC Cincinnati twice in the regular season and once in Leagues Cup since FCC joined MLS as an expansion team in 2019, with all three matches to date taking place in Ohio - the first two at Nippert Stadium and the Leagues Cup bout at TQL Stadium.

Sporting’s last regular-season match against FCC came on Oct. 28, 2020, with Roger Espinoza scoring early in the second half to secure a 1-0 Sporting victory in the truncated 2020 campaign.

The two sides met most recently in Leagues Cup play on July 23, 2023, playing out a wild 3-3 draw before Cincinnati won on penalty kicks. Sporting took a 2-0 and 3-2 lead through an own goal and goals from Dany Rosero and Gadi Kinda, only to be denied by a stoppage time penalty from Lucho Acosta.

Sporting is unbeaten all-time against Cincinnati, going 1-0-2 in all competitions.

3. SALLOI NAMED MLS PLAYER OF THE MATCHDAY

Sporting Kansas City forward Daniel Salloi was voted the Major League Soccer Player of the Matchday for Matchday 9 of the 2025 season, MLS announced on Monday.

The club’s longest tenured player, Salloi contributed a career-best four goal contributions with two goals and two assists in Sporting Kansas City’s 5-3 victory over San Jose at PayPal Park on Saturday. His four goal contributions match the single-game high for an MLS player this season and give Salloi 109 career goal contributions (64 goals, 45 assists) for Sporting in all competitions, which ranks fourth most in club history.

Salloi is the third player in team history to record multiple goals and multiple assists in an MLS regular season road match, and the first MLS player to do so in nearly a year. The Hungarian winger became the sixth different SKC player, and the first since 2018, to record four goal contributions in an MLS regular season match along with Mark Chung, Gerso Fernandes, Chris Henderson, Preki (four times) and Josh Wolff.

A former MLS All-Star and MLS MVP finalist, Salloi is one of only four MLS players with six or more goal contributions in each of the past five seasons (2021-2025). In addition, the Sporting KC Academy product has now scored the fifth most goals among Homegrown Players in MLS history.

4. GARCIA & THOMMY SHINE IN BIG WIN

Sporting Kansas City midfielders Manu Garcia and Erik Thommy helped drive the team to three points this past weekend, as Garcia notched his first goal of the club to go along with two assists and Thommy tallied a goal and an assist off the bench in the 5-3 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes at PayPal Park.

Garcia tallied his first goal in Sporting Blue in the 24th minute, finishing an assist from teammate Shapi Suleymanov for his first goal since Nov. 9, 2024 for Aris Thessaloniki in the Greek Super League.

Garcia and Thommy then combined to set up Daniel Salloi’s second of the night and the team’s fourth in the 73rd minute, marking Thommy’s first assist of the campaign and 21st all-time for the club.

Thommy capped off the victory with a well-taken finish in 85th minute - his second of the season and 18th for Sporting – assisted by Garcia who moved into the team-lead with his fourth assist of the 2025 campaign.

5. PULSKAMP RECORDS RARE GOALIE ASSIST

Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper John Pulskamp produced a rare feat during Saturday night’s 5-3 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes at PayPal Park, notching the first assist of his professional career on Daniel Salloi’s first goal of the night.

On his 24th birthday, Pulskamp became the sixth goalkeeper in club history to record an assist in an MLS regular season match and the first to do so in over 20 years.