Soccer
ST. LOUIS – Dejan Joveljić has been the man for Sporting Kansas City in crucial moments.
Since arriving at his new club in a blockbuster trade this winter after helping key the LA Galaxy‘s MLS Cup title run in 2024, the Serbian striker has found the back of the net six times, crucial in kick-starting the side’s uptick in form since Kerry Zavagnin took over for Peter Vermes.
On Wednesday, Joveljić was up for the moment again, netting a 77th-minute equalizer to secure a lively 2-2 draw at Midwest rivals St. Louis CITY SC. Just last month, he netted a brace against St. Louis on Zavagnin’s debut as interim coach.
“It looks like I like these derby games,” Joveljić quipped postmatch. “Can we play them maybe every week? That would be awesome.
“A bad start, but in the end we showed that we can come back and I’m happy because I scored and we bounced back. It’s huge and a good one point. Maybe we could take all three points, but at the end I think that’s a fair score to share the points.”
Clutch factor
Joveljić had already demonstrated his big-game chops before he arrived at Sporting KC. In Los Angeles, he grabbed a brace in last September’s El Tráfico win. He then scored the goal that secured the Galaxy their MLS Cup last December, capping off a six-goal, two-assist performance during LA’s postseason run.
His goal Wednesday night in St. Louis was the exclamation mark on a dramatic comeback from the visitors.
— Sporting Kansas City (@SportingKC) May 15, 2025
“Tonight was one of those moments where courage and bravery and the winning mentality really shone through,” Zavagnin said postgame. “That’s probably the story of the night because I don’t think we necessarily deserved to be down 2-0.
“But we were and we can’t control that. We can’t control the result. But we can control our attitude. And the way the guys persevered throughout the game was probably what the storyline is all about.”
Read MoreErasmo Schildgen