Category: Sports

Salloi signed to new four-year contract

Sporting Kansas City announced today that the club has signed MLS All-Star forward Daniel Salloi to a new four-year contract through 2026.

Salloi, a product of the Sporting Kansas City Academy, has developed into one of the most prolific attackers in club history since signing as a homegrown player in 2016.

The 26-year-old Hungarian international ranks eighth in team history with 37 regular season goals and fifth with 47 goals in all competitions. As Sporting’s all-time leader with seven goals in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and 13 match-winning goals in the regular season, he is one of nine Kansas City players with 70 combined goals (47) and assists (23) across all competitions.

“I feel lucky to be at this club and I am very excited for my future here in Kansas City,” Salloi said. “My professional journey has been so rewarding because we’re an ambitious club with amazing fans. It’s an honor to be a part of this culture and I’m happy to continue pursuing my long-term goals at Sporting KC.”

With 40 career goals in MLS competitions, Salloi has the fifth-most goals among MLS Homegrown Players all-time. In addition, he is one of just four MLS players with at least 22 goals and 11 assists in the regular season since the start of 2021.

Since Salloi signed his first professional contract with Sporting, the club has made five playoff appearances, finished atop the Western Conference standings twice and hoisted the 2017 U.S. Open Cup title after the winger scored the game-winning goal in the final against the New York Red Bulls at Children’s Mercy Park. Sporting has a 30-4-6 record when Salloi scores dating back to 2017.

Raised in Budapest, Hungary, Salloi signed for Sporting in January 2016 after two standout seasons with the Sporting KC Academy. He spent his first professional campaign on loan with Sporting KC II, formerly the Swope Park Rangers, as well as Hungarian club Gyirmot SE. He then experienced a breakthrough year in 2017, scoring six times including the decisive second goal in a 2-1 victory over the Red Bulls in the U.S. Open Cup Final.

Salloi enjoyed a superb 2018 as the club’s Golden Boot winner, notching 16 goals and seven assists while helping Sporting to first place in the Western Conference. He reached even greater heights in 2021, recording 16 goals and 10 assists in all competitions as a finalist for both the Landon Donovan MLS MVP award and the MLS Comeback Player of the Year. His 24 combined goals and assists during the regular season were tied for fourth in MLS, while his 16 non-penalty goals were tied for the league lead and equaled the MLS record for a homegrown player.

The 2022 campaign has seen Salloi add eight goals and three assists, including two strikes in Sporting’s run to the U.S. Open Cup semifinals as he became the club’s all-time leading scorer in the competition. He is currently the team’s regular season leader in shots (56), shots on target (22) and assists (three) while placing fourth in chances created (22).

  • Story from Sporting KC

Monarchs edge Winnipeg, 3-2

by G.M.W. Vaughan, Monarchs

On Francophile night in Canada, the Kansas City Monarchs (61-34) declared “victoire” against the Winnipeg Goldeyes (50-45) by a score of 3-2 Tuesday night at Shaw Park.

With Matt Hall on the “monticule” for the Monarchs and Freisis Adames for the Goldeyes, the Monarchs continued their winning streak — now seven in a row — as they marched closer the postseason.

While the first two innings remained scoreless, the Monarchs were first to get on board in the third inning. After a Kevin Santa base hit and a stolen a base, Santa then moved to third on a throwing error on catcher Deon Stafford Jr. After a wild pitch, Santa gifted the Monarchs with an early lead, 1-0.

The Goldeyes’ bats could not gain any traction off pitcher Hall or the Monarchs’ defense, but Mallex Smith’s solo home run off of Adames (the teams’ 160th) in the fifth inning kept the Monarchs’ power numbers inching higher. The Monarchs are now three shy of tying a franchise record of 162 home runs set in 2010 as members of the old Northern League.

In the seventh inning, Dylan Harris led off the inning with a single. With two outs, left fielder Logan Hill, who made a leaping catch at the wall to rob Ryan Grotjohn of a homer an inning before, dropped a fly ball off the bat of Smith. Dylan Harris raced around to score on the play, adding to the Monarchs’ lead, 3-0.

In the ninth inning, Jameson McGrane came in for the save, and the Goldeyes’ bats awakened, making the final half inning a bit of a nail biter for KC. A single by Kevin LaChance and a solo home run by Reggie Pruitt Jr. brought the Goldeyes within striking distance, 3-2, but McGrane and the Monarchs’ defense kept the Goldeyes from the steal, winning again in Canada, 3-2.

The Monarchs will play the final game of this three-game series against Winnipeg at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 31, in Winnipeg.

The game can be heard on the Monarchs Broadcast Network with the pre-game beginning at 6 p.m. and the video stream airing on aa baseball.tv.

Tickets to Monarchs games can be purchased by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting monarchsbaseball.com.

Monarchs’ winning streak at six

by Dan Vaughan Jr., Monarchs

The Kansas City Monarchs (60-34) crossed into Canada Monday and did not miss a beat as the team clubbed 15 hits and scored 12 runs in a 12-5 win over the Winnipeg Goldeyes (50-43) at Shaw Park.

The win extended the Monarchs winning streak to six games.

Ryan Grotjohn got the Monarchs on the board in the top of the first with a two out solo home run to left field to make it 1-0 off Winnipeg starter Luis Ramirez (10-6).

The Goldeyes tied it in the second on an RBI double from Logan Hill off Monarchs’ starter Matt Hartman (ND).

Kansas City took the lead for good in the top of the fourth with a three-run home run for Casey Gillaspie with two outs to make it 4-1. It was his 17th of the season and his 52nd in franchise history.

The Monarchs plated two more runs in the top of the fifth with a two-out single from Kevin Santa followed by a double from Grotjohn. With runners at second and third Jacob Robson drove both runners home with a double to extend the lead to 6-1. It was Robson’s 19th RBI in his last 10 games.

Winnipeg loaded the bases off Hartman in the bottom of the fifth inning with one out. Brian Glowicki came into the game and gave up a sacrifice fly to Jacob Rhinesmith to cut the lead to 6-2.

Hill was hit by a pitch to load the bases once again. Kevin Lachance drove a pair home with an RBI single, but Glowicki struck out Hidekel Gonzalez to end the inning with the Monarchs leading 6-4.

The Monarchs answered once again with four more runs in the top of the sixth. Ramirez got the first two outs of the inning but left the game after a single by Pete Kozma.

Travis Seabrooke came in from the pen for the Goldeyes and gave up a single to Dylan Harris followed by back-to-back doubles from Mallex Smith and Santa to make it 9-4 Kansas City.

Grotjohn picked up his third hit of the night on an infield single, but a Goldeyes error allowed another run to score to increase the lead to 10-4.

Kansas City added two more runs in the seventh on a fielder’s choice from Kozma and an RBI single for Smith, his second of the night, to make it a 12- 4 Monarchs lead.

Glowicki worked 3.2 innings with five strikeouts to pick up the relief win for Kansas City. Alex Valdez worked the ninth inning and gave up a solo home run to Max Murphy, for a final 12-5 for Kansas City.

The Monarchs’ winning streak sits at six. The Monarchs are 2.5 games behind the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks for first place in the West Division, with six games to play.

The Monarchs continue their six-game road trip with the second game of a three-game series across the border against the Winnipeg Goldeyes at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 30. The game can be heard on the Monarchs Broadcast Network with the pre-game beginning at 6 p.m. and the video stream airing on aa baseball.tv.

Tickets to Monarchs games can be purchased by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting monarchsbaseball.com.