How We Voted is our look at the top performers from the latest MLS Matchday.
Each week, I cast my vote with North American Soccer Reporters for Player of the Matchday, so here I explain why I voted for the two players on my ballot. You also get the final results of the Player of the Matchday voting as well as the official Team of the Matchday.
Matchday 9 saw 40 goals scored across 15 matches that were all played on Saturday. My votes went to players who each scored a brace and who each got assists from their goalkeeper.
This week was a tougher ballot to decide than most, certainly tougher than last week when Brian White scored four goals. Three other players elsewhere in MLS – Evander for FC Cincinnati, Chicho Arango for San Jose Earthquakes, and Felipe Mora for Portland Timbers – scored two goals in their games, yet they couldn't crack my top two.
The HRB Ballot, Matchday 9
1. Dániel Sallói, Sporting Kansas City
Sallói was involved in the build-up for four of Kansas City's five goals in a 5-3 away win in San Jose. He was part of the attacking move finished by a combination of Dejan Joveljic and goalscorer Logan Ndenbe to open the scoring, a "hockey assist" in the eyes of MLS. Sallói then scored his first goal off a smart long pass from goalkeeper John Pulskamp.
The ball forward from Pulskamp was perfectly placed to trouble Earthquakes defender Rodrigues, but it still gave Sallói a lot to do before scoring. The 28-year-old Hungarian responded with a perfect first touch before powering a shot off San Jose goalkeeper Earl Edwards Jr. and in.
If John's birthday wish was to record an assist, then consider it granted 😉 #SportingKC
— Sporting Kansas City (@sportingkc.com) April 20, 2025 at 1:21 PM
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Excellent goal, and he'd score another in the second half which was crucial in that it followed two goals from San Jose to draw within one goal, giving SKC a 4-2 lead. Sallói then helped Kansas City seal their three points by laying a pass off to Erik Thommy, who stretched the lead to 5-2 in the 85th minute of what would be a 5-3 final. Two wins in three for post-Peter Vermes Kansas City, all of a sudden, and the performance from Dániel Sallói made a second win possible for interim coach Kerry Zavagnin.
2. João Peglow, DC United
A brace to earn a rivalry win over the Red Bulls at Sports Illustrated Stadium that also included him scoring what should win Goal of the Matchday, yet João Peglow misses out on my Player of the Matchday vote. He barely missed out, as it was very tough to decide between Peglow and Sallói, mainly because Peglow's second goal was just so good.
Scoring on a bicycle kick is always on some level aesthetically pleasing but Peglow's felt especially surprising and slightly more special, maybe due to the rivalry between the teams and the rarity of away wins for DC when playing at Red Bull, just DC's second win across their last 17 visits to Red Bull Arena across all competitions since 2014.
Both his goals were impressive because the first included an assist from former New York City FC goalkeeper Luis Barraza, as well as a ruthless blow-by of Red Bull defender Tim Parker before finishing past Carlos Coronel.
Still feel torn on the decision to not have Peglow in that top spot on this ballot, but Sallói just barely beat him out.
Official Player of the Matchday: Dániel Sallói
Our members voted Dániel Sallói of Sporting Kansas City as this week's #MLS Player of the Matchday.
— North American Soccer Reporters (@soccerreporters.bsky.social) April 21, 2025 at 6:15 PM
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All three of Sallói, Evander, and Peglow played well enough to be Player of the Matchday. Evander had two goals, though the first benefited from a huge deflection off a defender, and he also created three chances, so it remains harsh to omit him on my part. Yet it seemed fair to reward the fact that Sallói was involved in four goals in a match that also had four different Kansas City goalscorers. Dániel was the one helping make it all happen even in a spread-the-wealth win for SKC, so Player of the Matchday he is.
MLS Team of the Matchday
Starters: Sean Johnson (TOR) - Logan Ndenbe (SKC), Andrew Privett (CLT), Marcelo Weigandt (MIA) - Benjamin Cremaschi (MIA), Quinn Sullivan (PHI), Evander (CIN), João Peglow (DC) - Dániel Sallói (SKC), Felipe Mora (POR), Ignatius Ganago (NE)
Coach: Dean Smith (CLT)
Bench: Pedro Gallese (ORL), Yeimar (SEA), Édier Ocampo (VAN), Owen Wolff (ATX), Djordje Mihailovic (COL), Ondřej Lingr (HOU), Jesús Ferreira (SEA), Denis Bouanga (LAFC), Cristian Arango (SJ)
Sean Johnson starts in goal following a clean sheet in Toronto FC's first win of the season on the road against Real Salt Lake, just before Johnson and TFC host a sliding New York City FC, no less. Inter Miami CF ends up with two of their less-heralded contributors, Cremaschi and Weigandt, in Team of the Matchday as a reward for going to Columbus Cleveland and handing the Crew their first MLS loss of 2025.
