Do Sporting Kansas City miss Daniel Salloi in attack?

The question posed in the title is very simple and easily answered by saying “yes.” Despite being the ire of many Sporting Kansas City fans over the last few seasons, who claimed Salloi didn’t perform to the level he should have, the left winger was a major part of the club on and off the pitch.

Salloi scored seven goals and added four assists, according to MLS, in 2025, placing him second on the team in both categories. The Hungarian international was also a leader in the locker room and wore the captain’s armband before being sold to Toronto FC just before the start of the 2026 MLS season.

The business decision behind Salloi’s sale

The reasons for the sale were clear. Salloi had one season left on his Sporting KC contract. The club, under long-time manager Peter Vermes, had done a poor job of getting value out of players with expiring deals. Vermes often seemed willing to spend money on transfers and salaries only to allow players to leave for free at the end of their contracts.

New sporting director David Lee is trying to change that approach. His goal is to bring money into the club and strengthen Sporting KC from a financial standpoint. According to reports, Sporting currently holds the most general allocation money in MLS, giving the front office more flexibility than many teams around the league.

Sporting sold Salloi to Toronto for $300,000, with the possibility of the fee rising by another $700,000 based on performance-related bonuses. Salloi has already appeared in all three matches for Toronto, and it appears he has triggered at least part of those additional payments.

Contract reality and the timing problem

Salloi was not going to sign a new Sporting KC contract. At least he wasn’t going to unless the deal included designated player money, something the club was unwilling to commit to for a player aged 30 or older.

From a business standpoint, the transfer to Toronto was good business. Selling a player entering the final year of his contract ensured Sporting received value rather than losing him for nothing. However, the timing of the deal was problematic.

Sporting KC finalized the transfer just two days before the opening game of the season against the San Jose Earthquakes. By that point, new head coach Raphael Wicky had already built his preseason plans around Salloi being part of the attack.

Tactical fallout for Raphael Wicky

Wicky had prepared the team throughout preseason with Salloi playing a major role in a high-pressing 4-4-2 system. The shape relied on wide players capable of stretching defenses while also combining with the forwards in advanced areas.

When Salloi departed days before the opener, those plans immediately changed. The aggressive, energetic Sporting KC side that appeared during preseason disappeared once the regular season began. Instead, the team has struggled to produce consistent and coherent attacking football.

The business side of the sport justified the sale, but the sporting side has clearly felt the impact. Wicky lost one of his most experienced attackers and a player who had built strong chemistry with Serbian striker Dejan Joveljic during preseason.

The link-up play that once helped supply Joveljic in dangerous areas has largely vanished through the opening matches of the campaign.

Salloi’s early impact in Toronto

While Sporting KC have struggled to find attacking rhythm, Salloi has already begun making an impact in Canada.

Toronto FC picked up their first win of the 2026 MLS season on Matchday 3 with a 1–0 victory over FC Cincinnati. The game’s only goal came from Salloi. The Hungarian also played all 90 minutes.

Although he has played only 209 minutes for Toronto, roughly 70 minutes per match, the winger has already scored once. His influence was also felt in Toronto’s season opener against FC Dallas, when a saved shot from Salloi was tapped in by a teammate for a goal.

From five shots in 2026, Salloi has produced one goal with an expected goals (xG) total of 0.20. As we saw in Kansas City over the last few seasons, Salloi wasn’t able to provide a high number of assists.

Assists can also be misleading, as they rely heavily on teammates converting chances. Salloi’s expected assists (xA) currently sit at 0.08, a number that could rise quickly with better finishing around him.

In just 209 minutes, Salloi has recorded 10 touches in the opposition penalty area and completed two successful dribbles. Those numbers reflect both his attacking activity and the reality of Toronto’s situation. The club currently looks like an Eastern Conference team fighting for one of the final playoff spots after winning just one of its first three games.

Sporting KC’s attack without Salloi

Sporting Kansas City certainly miss Salloi from an attacking perspective. While he was never known for heavy defensive work, an area where Sporting have struggled for years, his attacking presence gave the team energy in the final third.

The club’s defensive problems remain unresolved and have persisted into the new season. However, removing Salloi from the attacking setup has created additional problems that Wicky is still trying to solve.

Selling Salloi was the correct move from a financial standpoint. The club avoided losing a valuable player for free and added allocation money that could be used in future roster moves.

Sporting KC have yet to improve on the field, however. The team currently sits at the bottom of the Western Conference and is still searching for an attacking identity without the Hungarian winger. Although a new winger has been linked with the club.

The good news for Sporting supporters is that the MLS season is long. Just because Sporting KC are at the bottom of the West now does not mean they will still be there in September. However, the early weeks of the season have already shown just how much Salloi contributed to the team and how difficult replacing him might be.