With Sporting Kansas City's backs against the wall, 21-year-old homegrown forward Daniel Salloi spearheaded one of the biggest comebacks in club history on Saturday night.
Salloi cut into the Houston Dynamo's 2-0 lead with a 59th-minute strike before assisting two goals in the final five minutes as Sporting KC emerged 3-2 winners in a thrilling battle at Children's Mercy Park. Salloi's role in the fightback landed him MLSsoccer.com MLS Team of the Week honors on Monday, marking the second time the Sporting KC Academy product has earned the accolade this season.
Houston took a two-goal cushion into halftime after Mauro Manotas struck early and late in the first period. Salloi's lethal finish on the hour-mark effectively turned the momentum, however, and the Hungarian turned playmaker during a frantic finish to help Sporting KC collect all three points.
Salloi played a neat give-and-go with substitute Diego Rubio in the 85th minute, culminating with the latter's right-footed blast into the top corner to level the score. Three minutes later, Salloi surged down the left channel and squared the ball to Khiry Shelton, who slotted home from close range to ignite euphoric celebrations inside the stadium.
The commanding performance moves Salloi's 2018 MLS totals to five goals and six assists, tied for first on the team in both categories. Fellow forward Johnny Russell and midfielder Felipe Gutierrez have also bagged five goals, while midfielder Roger Espinoza has a career-high assists.
Sitting atop the Western Conference standings and two points behind Atlanta United FC in the Supporters' Shield race, Sporting KC will ride a wave of momentum into next weekend as the club ventures north of the border to face the Montreal Impact at Stade Saputo. The cross-conference clash will kick off at 6 p.m. CT Saturday on FOX Sports Kansas City and FOX Sports Midwest.
