Midfielder Gadi Kinda wasted no time endearing himself to the Sporting Kansas City faithful.
The diminutive spark plug delivered a rousing debut performance on Saturday night, helping Sporting to a 3-1 victory over Vancouver Whitecaps FC at BC Place.
The high point of Kinda's maiden match in a Sporting uniform? His exquisite curler in the 39th minute of Saturday's encounter, assisted by Luis Martins and finished with expert precision with his weaker left foot on the edge of the box.
Kinda's masterclass is one of five AT&T Goal of the Week nominees for Week 1 of the 2020 MLS season, going up against strikes from Oswaldo Alanis of the San Jose Earthquakes, Carlos Vela of LAFC, Cristian Pavon of the LA Galaxy and Emerson Hyndman of Atlanta United FC.
Fans can cast their vote for Kinda at MLSsoccer.com and the ballot will remain open until 2 a.m. CT on Thursday.
The 25-year-old Kinda caused problems for Vancouver throughout the night, recording game-highs with three shot attempts and four fouls suffered. He was joined on the Sporting scoresheet by fellow debutant Alan Pulido, whose pinpoint header gave the visitors an early lead, as well as forward Erik Hurtado, who came off the bench and bagged a lethal 95th-minute volley to put the game out of reach.
With a momentous road triumph in the books, Kinda and Sporting will now prepare for their highly anticipated Children's Mercy Park home opener on Saturday against the Houston Dynamo. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT and tickets remain available at SeatGeek.com as Sporting returns to the Blue Hell for the first time since late September of last year. The first 10,000 fans through the stadium gates on Saturday night will receive a free rally towel courtesy of match sponsor UMB Bank.
