Ahead of Sporting Kansas City’s 2022 MLS regular season opener against Atlanta United FC on Sunday, Sporting KC goalkeeper sat down on the Border Patrol on Sports Radio 810 with Nate Bukaty and Steven St. John.
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On The Border Patrol, Melia began the show talking about his busy offseason in which he and his wife welcomed their third kid into the world. They then dove into the offseason from the team’s perspective, discussing the team's momentum, and motivation coming into the 2022 season.
After conversing about the offseason, the Sporting KC backstop brought up the excitement around Khiry Shelton going into the season. Melia had nothing but rave reviews for the striker’s athleticism, team-first mentality, humble attitude and grit on the soccer field.
Melia then dove into the expectations for the match against Atlanta this Sunday. He talked about his experiences in the club’s only match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in which Sporting won 2-0 over Atlanta. He also mentioned facing Atlanta striker Josef Martinez who is one of the top forwards in MLS despite coming off a torn ACL.
Sporting’s starting goalkeeper since 2015, Melia has been the model for MLS goalkeepers. He has won double-digit regular season matches seven years in a row and has become one of the best penalty stoppers in the world. Fans can listen to Melia on The Border Patrol here and watch him tend the goal at Atlanta on Sunday at 2 p.m. on FS1.
