As momentum builds toward Major League Soccer’s 26th season in 2021, Sporting Kansas City players and coaches will look to lay the foundations for another successful campaign when preseason training unfolds this month in Arizona.
With newcomers joining familiar faces for the 2021 preseason presented by Children’s Mercy, SportingKC.com has launched the “Sporting Preseason Spotlight” web series to acquaint supporters with the goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and forwards who will help Sporting Kansas City compete for silverware in 2021. To read up on every player and visit the series archive as it expands, head to SportingKC.com/Spotlight.
Sporting Kansas City forward Daniel Salloi would be the first to admit that the last two seasons didn't go the way he would have wanted from a goal-scoring perspective. But the 2021 season presents an opportunity for the talented Sporting KC Academy product to start anew and reclaim the imperious form that saw him bag a team-leading 16 goals for a title-contending side in 2018.
Career Overview
Born and raised in Hungary, Salloi moved to Kansas City as an AFS exchange student in 2014 and joined Sporting's academy while attending Blue Valley Northwest High School. He inked an MLS contract as a 19-year-old in 2016 and enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2017, tallying six goals and scoring the match-winner in the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final against the New York Red Bulls at Children's Mercy Park.
Salloi hit new heights in 2018, earning Golden Boot honors for the club by scoring 14 times in MLS play and 16 times overall as one of the league's most prolific youngsters. He his productivity has cooled since then with one goal over the last two seasons.
2020 Review
Salloi started two of nine appearances in 2020, including involvement in both of Sporting's knockout round matches at the MLS is Back Tournament last July in Walt Disney World.
2021 Outlook
Salloi will look to springboard back onto the score sheet and make the 2021 campaign one of sweet reclamation. The rangy winger certainly has it in his toolkit, as evidenced by the sizzling form he was in throughout 2018.
Number Crunch
In 2018, at age 22, Salloi became the youngest Sporting player ever to finish as the club's Golden Boot winner.
He Said It
"He’s had some really good learning moments that maybe weren’t the easiest for him. And at the same time, and I say this to him all the time now, that the reason why he is doing as well as he is... is because of his attitude. There’s so much you can do in life when you have a good attitude. He has the right attitude at the moment, and if he keeps that, his trajectory is straight up."
Sporting Manager Peter Vermes remarking on Salloi's development as a player.
Did You Know?
Salloi is the fourth generation of his family to play professional soccer. His father, Istvan Salloi, scored more than 130 goals during a 16-year career playing in Hungary and Israel. He also appeared 13 times for the Hungary Men’s National Team from 1992-1995.
On Social Media
Salloi is active on Twitter at @danielsalloi and Instagram at @danielsalloi.
