A trio of Sporting Kansas City players have been named to the MLS Team of the Matchday on Monday following the club’s resounding 3-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes at Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday night. Captain Johnny Russell and goalkeeper Tim Melia were both named to the full Team of the Matchday, while midfielder Nemanja Radoja was named to the bench.
Russell set the tone on Saturday, providing the assist on the opening goal before scoring a goal of his own to make the score 2-0 just before halftime. Russell, who soldiered on despite rolling his ankle early in the match, became just the third player in club history to reach 100 combined goals (58) and assists (42) on Saturday night, joining club icons Preki (185) and Graham Zusi (125).
Melia made his first appearance for the club since May 13 on Saturday following a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a quad injury. The veteran stopper made two saves on his way to posting his second clean sheet of the campaign and 74th of his Sporting career across all competitions. In second-half stoppage time, Melia denied Carlos Gruezo’s penalty kick for his league-leading 15th penalty save since joining the club in 2015.
Radoja also made a return from injury in the match, having missed Sporting’s three Leagues Cup games after exiting the loss in Austin on July 15. Barely missing a beat, Radoja protected Sporting’s backline from his defensive midfield position and also provided primary assists on both Russell’s and Erik Thommy’s goals in the victory.
Next up, Sporting will host cross-state foes st. louis city sc for the first time ever at Children’s Mercy Park this Saturday night with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. CT. Fans can catch all the action live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, while Sports Radio 810 WHB (English) and La Grande 1340 AM (Spanish) will carry the game locally on the radio. Tickets are available via SeatGeek.com.
