Joveljic answers early Sounders goal as Sporting battles to draw

*Sporting KC forward Dejan Joveljic celebrated after scoring to tie Saturday’s match against the Seattle Sounders at Sporting Park.*

Sporting Kansas City captain Dejan Joveljic saw his opportunity when Seattle’s Cristian Roldan tried to play a safe pass back to his goalkeeper in the 18th minute. Roldan tapped the ball weakly, and Joveljic, already on the move, did not miss the chance, slipping a low first-time finish under Andrew Thomas from the edge of the box.

That equalizer rescued a 1-1 draw on Saturday at Sporting Park and finally broke a 350-minute scoring drought. It also gave Sporting (1-7-2, 5 points) its first point in seven matches across all competitions.

The Serbian forward has been a model of consistency. With his fifth goal of the year, Joveljic stands alone as the only player in the league to post five-plus regular season goals in each of the last five campaigns.

“What a way to come back,” Joveljic said. “Seattle is one of the best teams on the west side in the last five years maybe. I’m very happy and very proud of the boys because we bounced back and we took one well-deserved point even though we could maybe take all three points.”

He had been waiting for the opening.

“I just started early running and hoping that he’s going to assist me and I was right,” Joveljic said. “So I’m very happy. Unlucky for him, but I’m so happy because of me.” Joveljic has now scored three times in his last four games against the Sounders..

A familiar opener, a different ending

Sporting has been chasing matches from behind. On Saturday, the chase started 90 seconds in.

Paul Rothrock, Seattle’s hometown hero, collected a ball on the left and curled a low effort just inside the far post for his fourth of the year. Eleven minutes later, Jesus Ferreira nearly made it 2-0, but his attempt from outside the box whacked the bar.

What followed was different from recent weeks. Sporting did not panic.

“I think it was a great team effort,” head coach Raphael Wicky said. “After what we’ve been through and where we are right now, it’s not easy. And the team reacted. The team didn’t crumble. The team reacted and stayed in the game and then came back.”

The home side then settled into a deep block, surrendering possession and trusting its shape. Seattle (6-1-2, 20 points) finished with 27 shots, a total only one previous Sounders side has surpassed in a regular season match. The visitors held the ball for 63 percent of the night.

Cleveland steps in

After the 5-0 roughing up the primary goalkeeper John Pulskamp took against Chicago, veteran reserve keeper Stefan Cleveland was pressed into duty, making his first MLS start in nearly three years against the club he served from 2020 through 2023.

Cleveland made 24 appearances for Seattle across four seasons. On Saturday, the 31-year-old kept his old teammates from a winning goal, finishing with seven saves. Less than two minutes into the second half, he turned away a point-blank Jordan Morris attempt. Five minutes after that, Ethan Bartlow scrambled to head an effort from Kalani Kossa-Rienzi, a former college teammate of Bartlow’s, off the goal line, and Cleveland then denied a Rothrock follow-up. The pick of the bunch came in the 81st minute, a full-stretch dive to push away a curling Ferreira strike.

Cleveland said the matchup felt bigger than its place on the table.

“When I was in Seattle, Kansas City gave them hell every single game,” Cleveland said. “I think that was our goal tonight, was give them hell, and I think we made it really, really difficult for them.”

He credited the players in front of him.

“Seattle’s a team that likes to draw you out, pull you out, and then just beat you down the middle, slip balls in,” Cleveland said. “I think we did a fantastic job of staying compact, staying together, making them go around us. They put some crosses in, but our box defending was excellent today.”

Two big chances at the other end

Sporting nearly turned the point into three on a 65th-minute counter when Joveljic played over the top to Capita Capemba, who got behind the back line but denied by Thomas. KC substitute Taylor Calheira tested the keeper again with a shot in the 85th.

Wicky said the attacking moments mattered as much as the resilience.

“I saw also that we had more chances than usually we created,” Wicky said. “We had some good actions with the ball, so that is very positive to build.”

Joveljic said the group is not letting the start to the season define it.

“Most of the players, they are dreaming to be in this club and to play for this,” Joveljic said. “So we cannot let anyone take our positions. We need to stay motivated and hungry every day.”

Sporting has not won at home since 2025 and goes back on the road next weekend, visiting the Portland Timbers on Saturday, May 9 at 9:30 p.m.