Sporting Kansas City remains at home this weekend as the team faces off against LAFC at Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday night. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT and will be available to stream in English and Spanish on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV. Tickets are available via SeatGeek.com.
1. POINTS ON THE BOARD
Sporting Kansas City claimed a much-needed first point of the season this past weekend, producing a rousing second-half comeback on their way to a 3-3 draw with Minnesota United at Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday night.
On a historic night, Sporting found themselves 3-0 down in the 46th minute before a Daniel Salloi strike, an own goal and an equalizer from Dejan Joveljic flipped the game on its head and marked the first time in the club’s 30-year existence that the team had come back from a three-goal deficit to earn a result.
With goals in the 68th, 72nd and 80th minutes, Saturday was also the fourth latest comeback from a three-goal deficit in MLS regular-season history.
Sporting is in the midst of a stretch of four home matches in five games. Starting with last Saturday’s clash with Minnesota United at Children’s Mercy Park, Sporting will also host LAFC on March 22, St. Louis on April 5 and Portland on April 13 with only a road trip to face FC Dallas sandwiched in the middle on March 29.
2. LOOKING TO SNAP WINLESS RUN vs. LAFC
Sporting Kansas City remains at home this weekend to host perennial Western Conference contenders LAFC at Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday night.
Sporting and LAFC met three times across all competitions in 2024 - twice at BMO Stadium in LA and once at Children’s Mercy Park. The most recent meeting took place at CMP in the club’s home finale on Oct. 5, 2024 with LAFC riding goals from David Martinez, Cristian Olivera and Aaron Long to secure a 3-0 victory.
Ten days earlier, Sporting had visited BMO Stadium for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final on Sept. 25, 2024. After a tightly-contested 90 minutes with the score locked at 1-1 following goals from Olivier Giroud and Erik Thommy, LAFC claimed the silverware with goals from substitutes Omar Campos and Kei Kamara in extra time to seal a 3-1 victory.
The two sides had already met at BMO Stadium in MLS play last season, as Tim Melia and Hugo Lloris dominated the match with six saves apiece on the way to a 0-0 draw.
Sporting trails the all-time regular-season series 4-7-2 against LAFC, including a 2-4-0 mark at Children’s Mercy Park while Sporting is also winless in their last seven MLS matches against LAFC dating back to 2021.
3. JOVELJIC STRIKES LATE, NAMED TO TEAM OF THE MATCHDAY
Sporting Kansas City forward Dejan Joveljic was named to the MLS Team of the Matchday on Monday as one of the top 20 players in Major League Soccer for Matchday 4 of the regular season.
Joveljic struck for the game-tying goal - his second goal in as many matches at Children’s Mercy Park - to cap off a historic comeback as Sporting rallied to earn a result after trailing by three goals for the first time in club history in Saturday’s 3-3 draw against Minnesota United.
The Designated Player unleashed a shot from 15 yards out that caromed off the far post and into the back of the net in the 80th minute, completing the fourth latest comeback from a three-goal deficit in MLS regular season history after Sporting had previously struck in the 68th and 72nd minutes.
Joveljic now has eight goals in his last eight MLS starts and has contributed goals in his last seven home games in MLS play dating back to his time with the LA Galaxy.
4. SALLOI KICKSTARTS COMEBACK
Sporting Kansas City forward Daniel Salloi provided a valuable spark off the bench this past weekend, scoring the team’s first goal to spur a remarkable comeback resulting in a 3-3 draw with Minnesota United at Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday night.
Trailing 3-0 midway through the second half, Salloi latched onto fellow substitute Tim Leibold’s pass over the top before slotting a cool finish beyond Dayne St. Clair in the Minnesota goal to make the score 3-1 in the 68th minute. The goal marked Salloi’s first since Aug. 24, 2024 when he tallied Sporting’s second goal in an eventual 3-0 win over Orlando City at Children’s Mercy Park.
Salloi now has 104 goal contributions (61 goals, 43 assists) for Sporting in all competitions, fourth most in club history, while he also has 85 goal contributions for Sporting (48 goals, 37 assists) in the regular season, breaking a tie with Chris Klein for fourth most in club history.
Salloi, who moved above Seth Sinovic for eighth in the club’s all-time charts with his 258th appearance for the club in all competitions on Saturday night, led the team with 22 goal contributions in 2023 but recorded just seven in 2024, including two goals.
5. RADOJA PROVIDES PLATFORM FOR TURNAROUND
Sporting Kansas City midfielder Nemanja Radoja produced a monstrous performance in the club’s stunning come-from-behind 3-3 draw with Minnesota United at Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday night.
Playing the full 90 minutes in the holding midfield spot, the 32-year-old veteran was a force in the middle of the park to provide a platform for the club’s comeback as he won a game-high 17 of 18 duels, including all 13 ground duels and five of six aerial duels per Opta. He also won a game-high six tackles and led all players in fouls suffered (six) while committing zero fouls himself.
Radoja joined Sporting ahead of the 2023 campaign and has gone on to tally one goal and seven assists in 65 appearances across all competitions, and has also captained the team on five occasions.
