Sporting Kansas City II forward Jamil Roberts officially signed for the club last week, but the rookie professional has already garnered national attention for his heroics at the collegiate level.
Representing Marshall University in the NCAA Division I Men's National Championship match against Indiana on May 17, Roberts bagged a dramatic game-winning goal in overtime to give the Thundering Herd its first men's soccer national title.
Impressively enough, the epic moment is one of four finalists for Best Play at the 2021 ESPYS, which will air nationally this Saturday at 7 p.m. CT on ABC. Fan voting in the Best Play category remains open as Roberts' strike goes up against two National Football League plays and an unprecedented vault move from gymnast Simone Biles.
Roberts scored decisive match-winners in the final three rounds of the tournament as Marshall upset Georgetown, North Carolina and Indiana by 1-0 scorelines to win the tournament in Cinderella fashion.
A native of England and a product of the Plymouth Argyle FC academy, Roberts recorded 19 goals and 20 assists in four seasons at Marshall from 2017-2020, making 18 appearances each season. Sporting selected the forward in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft, and although he did not sign for the MLS club, he inked his first professional contract with Sporting KC II at the USL Championship level on Thursday.
Sporting KC II (2-7-4, 10 points) will resume their 2021 USL Championship campaign on Saturday, visiting Atlanta United 2 (3-4-4, 13 points) in a 6:30 p.m. CT matchup at Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia. Supporters can watch the game live on ESPN Plus.
