Sporting KC Wins, 3-1, in Houston

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MLS Sporting Kansas City

Sporting KC Wins, 3-1, in Houston

May 31, 2025 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release


Dejan Joveljic scored on both sides of halftime, Santiago Munoz struck late and goalkeeper John Pulskamp had an MLS career-high eight saves as Sporting Kansas City (4-8-4, 16 points) battled from behind to earn a resolute 3-1 road win over Houston Dynamo FC (5-7-5, 20 points) on Saturday night at Shell Energy Stadium.

After Sebastian Kowalczyk fired Houston ahead early, Joveljic equalized in first-half stoppage time and gave his side a 2-1 lead with an acrobatic side volley on 52 minutes. Munoz then relieved Joveljic as a 79th-minute substitute and opened his MLS scoring account nine minutes later, sealing a superb victory in a stadium where Kansas City had not won since Oct. 3, 2020.

Saturday's result extends Sporting's unbeaten run to four matches and moves the team within five points of playoff positioning ahead of a trip to LAFC (6-4-5, 23 points) next Sunday, June 8, at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. The Western Conference clash is slated for 8 p.m. CT with live coverage on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV.

Interim head coach Kerry Zavagnin fielded a lineup that featured four changes from Sporting's 3-3 home draw against the New England Revolution last weekend. Joaquin Fernandez, who turned 29 years old on Saturday, deputized for the injured Robert Voloder in central defense and was flanked by outside backs Khiry Shelton and Logan Ndenbe, who replaced Andrew Brody and Tim Leibold, respectively. Further up the field, captain Erik Thommy started on the right wing in place of Shapi Suleymanov.

Houston entered the night with a 3-0-1 record in its previous four games and began brightly in a game played amidst 85-degree temperatures and customary Houston humidity. Dynamo right back Griffin Dorsey conjured a pair of dangerous chances inside three minutes, teeing up pinpoint crosses for Kowalczyk and striker Ezequiel Ponce, but the in-form Pulskamp produced brilliant reflex saves on both occasions to keep the affair scoreless.

Pulskamp was summoned once more in the ninth minute, diving left to parry aside a 25-yard drive from Houston midfielder Jack McGlynn, before making a similar save to thwart Ponce at the half-hour juncture. However, the Dynamo were rewarded for their energetic start by drawing first blood in the 13th minute, Kowalczyk gathering a pass from Ondrej Lingr and unleashing a sublime curler into the far right corner from 20 yards.

The hosts almost doubled their advantage in the 38th minute when Ponce flicked a clever backheel pass into the path of Dorsey, but his shot near the penalty spot was smothered by a sprawling Pulskamp.

Undeterred, Sporting settled into the game and restored parity on the stroke of intermission. Shelton's attempted cross from the right flank was deflected to Joveljic at the top of the box. The Serbian international took a settling touch onto his left foot and slotted a sensational finish into the left corner from 17 yards, extending his MLS scoring streak to three consecutive appearances. Joveljic's three-game scoring run is his longest in the MLS regular season since the start of 2024 when he plied his trade for the LA Galaxy.

Sporting's duo of Designated Players connected two minutes after the restart when Spanish playmaker Manu Garcia whipped a teasing cross into the box for Joveljic, whose first-time effort was cast away by Houston goalkeeper and former Galaxy teammate Jonathan Bond. At the opposite end, Dorsey remained active and forced Pulskamp into another save with a speculative shot near the top of the box.

The visitors grabbed their go-ahead goal in the 52nd minute, converting on a set piece. Zorhan Bassong's left-footed delivery was met by center back Jansen Miller, whose leaping header rattled the crossbar. On hand for the rebound was Joveljic, who steered an exquisite side volley into the right corner for his team-leading ninth goal of the season, tied for eighth most in MLS. Joveljic, who six days earlier became a father with the birth of his daughter, now has 50 career MLS goals (including playoffs), his second brace of the campaign and his first two-goal road performance in MLS play since August 2021.

Houston committed numbers forward in a bid to level the score, with Ponce seeing a close-range shot smothered by Miller and Fernandez and Pulskamp swallowing a 20-yard dipper from McGlynn near the 69-minute mark. Midfield substitute Junior Urso then spurned a decent look by placing a header high and wide from 10 yards before Felipe Andrade nodded one off target from a corner kick. The Dynamo's frustrations were compounded in the final 10 minutes when Dorsey misfired from a tight angle and Ponce's backheel attempt skipped wide of the near post.

Zavagnin's side added icing to the cake with two minutes remaining. Homegrown forward Daniel Salloi galloped forward down the left side, held up possession and picked out an unmarked Munoz, whose first-time strike was nipped by an outstretched Bond but nestled into the right corner to give Sporting an unassailable 3-1 cushion. It was Munoz' first goal since joining the team on loan from LIGA MX outfit Santos Laguna in April and his first tally since scoring for Santos in league play on Sept. 1, 2024. Sporting has now scored five goals from substitutes this season, third most in MLS, while Salloi has equaled a team-high with four assists on the year and has 41 assists in his regular season career, breaking a tie with Johnny Russell for sixth most on Kansas City's all-time charts. Bassong was credited with a secondary assist on the goal and now has assists in consecutive matches for the first time in his MLS career.

By the time Jair Marrufo blew his full-time whistle, Sporting had secured its first comeback win since June 8, 2024, in a 2-1 home result against Seattle Sounders FC. Pulskamp's eight saves, meanwhile, were the most by a Kansas City keeper in an MLS match since Tim Melia produced the same total in a 2-0 home triumph over Minnesota United FC on Aug. 25, 2018.

QUOTES

Sporting KC interim head coach Kerry Zavagnin

On the improvement from last week's 3-3 draw...

I think we were undone in the first half once again. I think New England got the better of us last week and certainly in the first 15-20 minutes Houston did the same thing to us. We were slow out of the gate, but credit to Houston. They had come off two wins and they were coming back home. They were a house on fire. We went down early and we were trying to find ourselves within the game. I think both last week and this week it was really our defensive organization. The back line was stretched a little bit too deep which gave them opportunities between the lines. We made a substitution at half and we made a few adjustments as we did last week. I think part of that helped turn the game in our favor certainly in the second half. When we got the goal and then we got a little bit more of the ball, that helped us kind of compose ourselves and gain more control of the game. The second goal that put us ahead was excellent, as the first was clinical. I also think that the substitutions tonight with the guys that came into the game really helped us not just to preserve the win, but to add on to the lead with (Santiago) Munoz's goal.

On Dejan Joveljic's brace...

From day one, he's been really an incredible worker. He's calm. He's collective. He's deadly. He's persistent and despite the fact that he didn't score a few goals as the season kicked off for us, he has certainly found his rhythm now. In a game that that we were struggling to get a hold of, his timely goals is exactly what you're looking for in a striker, certainly of that caliber. We know he has scored many goals in this league before and he's doing it once again. I'm happy for him and we're all happy that he's on our team.

On the play of the backline...

I think it's the consistent message. We talk about energy. We talk about the emotional commitment to the game and we talk about believing and trusting in each other. I know those are words and they sound good, but when you see it in action, day in and day out, and I don't mean game in and game out, I see it day in and day out. It gives you confidence to come into situations like this. Another moment of adversity and to see the group bounce back, I think I've said this before, it's the only thing that a coach wants is that perseverance, that grit, that determination because you can't control the ultimate result. Sometimes, as I said, it's a random game, but you're always in it when you have those characteristics. We have great people in the locker room. We have great competitors and they showed it once again tonight.

On the team's momentum...

We've been trending in the direction of performances. Our next evolution or iteration is being able to win consistently. We're not there yet. It would be great to say that we're going to go into every game and we're going to win every game and we're going to go on an incredible streak. It's not to say that it can't happen. But the expectation of where we're at is first being competitive, which we are. And now going on the road -- I don't ever remember a time coming here and not suffering. Whether it's the dead heat of summer or a game like tonight which was still warm, we've had great competition with Houston over the years. Tonight was no different. We suffered the same as we have every other time we've come here. It's just adding another layer on top of us being a closer version of what we ultimately want to be.

On continuing to attack late...

I think that was part of the intention of bringing (Santiago) Munoz on, I think it was the 79th minute, to get someone that might be able to capitalize on all their numbers going forward. That was the intention of the sub. Dejan (Joveljic) was getting a little bit tired, but we felt like we needed one more if we could do that. Fortunately for us, and great for Santiago, that he's that he's gotten his first goal with the club. It's just a really great night for the team.

On the play of John Pulskamp...

He's developing, not just into a big save goalkeeper, but a goalkeeper that produces consistently week in and week out. He's obviously in a good run of form and a huge reason why we've been able to get results over the last couple of months. The rest of the group gains confidence when John comes up with big saves. Obviously, in the beginning of the game tonight, I think it was three minutes in and they had two shots. I think they were headers right on the doorstep, which he came up huge for. (He was) not to blame certainly on the goal itself. We could have done much better in front of him. He's had to come up big and not when the game's out of hand. It's when the game is in the balance and he's come up big time and time again. It shows his maturity as a goalkeeper, but he deserves it. He works incredibly hard for what he's been able to produce on the field.

On the possible penalty before halftime...

We have a video on the bench and the assistant coaches were looking at it. Maybe it's said in other games it could have been. I couldn't tell and I haven't seen it close up postgame. Fortunately for us, it really didn't matter. I take those calls and we take those calls as they come. Sometimes they go your way, sometimes they don't but tonight we got the goals we needed to preserve the result.

Sporting KC forward Dejan Joveljic

On scoring two goals after the birth of his first child...

Probably the best week ever. One day before my wife delivered -- actually

few hours before my wife delivered -- we played against New England and I scored and we took one point, which is great after (going) 2-0 down. This game on the road in a very tough place to play -- I hate this place to be honest -- so it's a huge three points. Now we go to LA and then we play three games at home. It's going to be hard, but we need to get points to be in the race for a playoff spot.

On his second goal...

Sometimes you need to close your eyes and do a bicycle kick and then maybe you'll score. I was lucky enough this time and hopefully many more times again.

On scoring twice against Houston...

I don't like to play here, but as a team I like them a lot. They have a lot of good players and a lot of young players who are very good. It means a lot. It is always nice to score one goal, but two goals are always special, especially because we are not playing great football right now. We are playing better, but still it's not what I think that we can do and how we can play. Hopefully in the next games we are going to create more proper chances and we are going to score more goals.

Sporting KC forward Santiago Munoz

On his first goal for the club...

It was an exciting moment and a unique moment. I can describe it like that that. Since the moment that I've arrived to Kansas City, the team, the staff and everyone has welcomed me. I think that this is for the team and for all the people in Kansas City in the club and, of course, for my family and for my partner that is in Kansas City with me.

On the instructions given to him before entering...

It was a tough moment. In that moment we needed to keep the score up so he just told me to get into the defensive part and when we get the ball to be in positionand try to do something forward. That's what I did and I helped defensively. That counter attack came that I was able to score for the team.

On not relinquishing a lead this week...

I think that we have shown as a team that we can score and that we can play. As the manager always tell us, I think that all the energy that we have is a unique energy that as a team that we have and we need to take advantage. The last game was 3-3 but I think that the energy and I think that the atmosphere of the stadium was something. I think that we're coming back as a team and now that I'm getting to know more and more about Kansas City, I'm excited. I think that we need to keep going with that energy that the manager always tells us and keep going forward.

Sporting Kansas City: John Pulskamp; Khiry Shelton (Andrew Brody 46'), Jansen Miller, Joaquin Fernandez, Logan Ndenbe (Tim Leibold 63'); Jacob Bartlett, Manu Garcia (Memo Rodriguez 90'), Zorhan Bassong; Erik Thommy (C) (Shapi Suleymanov 63'), Dejan Joveljic (Santiago Munoz 79'), Daniel Salloi

Subs Not Used: Ryan Schewe, Ian James, Stephen Afrifa, Mason Toye

Houston Dynamo FC: Jonathan Bond; Griffin Dorsey, Femi Awodesu, Pablo Ortiz (Franco Escobar 81'), Felipe Andrade; Artur (C) (Lawrence Ennali 82'), Brooklyn Raines (Junior Urso 53'); Sebastian Kowalczyk (Duane Holmes 79'), Ondrej Lingr (Amine Bassi 53'), Jack McGlynn; Ezequiel Ponce

Subs Not Used: Jimmy Maurer, Ethan Bartlow, Nico Lodeiro, Gabe Segal

Scoring Summary:

HOU -- Sebastian Kowalczyk 1 (Ondrej Lingr 2) 13'

SKC -- Dejan Joveljic 8 (unassisted) 45+3'

SKC -- Dejan Joveljic 9 (unassisted) 52'

SKC -- Santiago Munoz 1 (Daniel Salloi 4, Zorhan Bassong 2) 88'

Misconduct Summary:

HOU -- Brooklyn Raines (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 45+1'

SKC -- Zorhan Bassong (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 76'

SKC -- Daniel Salloi (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 82'

HOU -- Griffin Dorsey (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 84'

HOU -- Felipe Andrade (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 86' STATSKCHOU Shots1222 Shots on Goal69 Saves83 Fouls814 Offsides00 Corner Kicks76

Referee: Jair Marrufo Assistant Referee: Adam Garner Assistant Referee: Chris Wattam Fourth Official: Cristian Campo Hernandez VAR: Sorin Stoica AVAR: Jose Da Silva

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