What Dejan Joveljic’s Serbia call-up means for Sporting KC

Dejan Joveljic has been called up to the Serbian national team for the March international break. It is his first call-up as a Sporting Kansas City player. The striker has scored three goals in five MLS appearances this season. While he hasn’t seen much of the ball, Joveljic has made the most of the moments he’s had. It is a deserving call-up for Sporting KC’s most important player across the last season and a bit. 

His last call-up to the Serbian national team came in 2023 while playing for the LA Galaxy, following a season in which he scored 12 goals in 34 MLS appearances.

Joveljic is Sporting KC’s only national team call-up this March. For head coach Raphael Wicky, that brings short-term relief. Fewer absences mean more time on the training ground with his squad. But it also highlights a deeper issue: Sporting KC simply do not have enough top-tier, internationally recognized talent.

A quick look across MLS shows Sporting KC, St. Louis City, and the Houston Dynamo each have just one player called up this window—the lowest in the league.

An audition on the international stage

Joveljic now has an opportunity to stake a claim for a more permanent role with Serbia. While the national team will not feature at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Nations League begins in September, offering further chances for involvement.

For Sporting KC supporters, there is pride in seeing their striker called up for matches against Spain and Saudi Arabia. But the implications of this selection extend beyond international recognition.

Joveljic is one of the best strikers in MLS—arguably the best pure finisher in the league. It is a rare trait. The Serbian does not need volume to produce goals; he converts chances with ruthless efficiency.

His recent track record reinforces that reputation. He scored 19 goals with the LA Galaxy in 2024 before joining Sporting KC, then followed it up with 18 MLS goals in his first season with the club. That level of consistency brings attention and attention brings pressure.

Sporting KC’s growing problem

With each goal Joveljic scores and each point Sporting KC drops, the pressure on the club to keep him increases.

Joveljic is in the prime of his career, he turns 27 this summer. The question becomes unavoidable: how long will he remain with a team that is not competing for silverware?

The international break only amplifies that tension. These matches place Joveljic firmly in the shop window, increasing visibility to clubs already monitoring him. Rumors that surfaced during the MLS offseason are unlikely to fade. Rather, they will grow.

Interest in Joveljic is already well established. Tigres were linked with a move during the offseason, while FC Cincinnati and the Philadelphia Union were also reportedly interested. 

Joveljic is under contract through December 2027, which aligns with MLS’s planned shift to a late-summer-to-spring calendar. Sporting KC would need to activate an option to keep him beyond that date.

However, there is no guarantee he remains that long. According to Transfermarkt, Joveljic is valued at approximately $7.5 million. A transfer at that level would set a new club record, surpassing the fee received for Gianluca Busio’s move to Venezia. That is if Sporting KC decide to sell and get the maximum value for the player.

A defining stretch ahead

Joveljic is one of the few players in MLS who could step directly into the starting lineup of a top team and improve it. Players like him are rare, difficult to find, and even more difficult to keep.

That reality places pressure on sporting director David Lee. Retaining Joveljic is not just about contract terms. It is about the club’s ambition. The club must build a competitive team, particularly in the summer window, to convince their striker that Kansas City is the place to spend his prime years.

Tigres remain a serious threat. The Mexican club reportedly submitted a bid in January 2025 before the Galaxy sold Joveljic to Sporting KC. Their interest has not disappeared, and another move in the summer of 2026 is likely.

Even then, Tigres may not be the final destination. Strikers with Joveljic’s profile are always in demand globally.

The March international break is an opportunity for Joveljic to represent his country. It is also an opportunity for the rest of the soccer world to take notice.

For Sporting KC, that is both a point of pride and a warning sign. If results do not improve, keeping Joveljic will become increasingly difficult. As his reputation continues to grow, so too will the list of clubs ready to test Sporting KC’s resolve.