Sporting Kansas City forward Daniel Salloi’s torrid pace is among the top stories of the season, as the 25-year-old has helped spearhead his club’s rise to the top of the Western Conference table.
Salloi has racked up 10 goals and five assists in 15 starts, enough to earn him some midseason individual recognition with his first-career MLS All-Star appearance. But should his name get floated for the league’s top individual honor?
The Extratime crew put that to debate on their latest episode, with co-host Andrew Wiebe presenting his case for Landon Donovan MLS MVP honors and what it might take for Salloi to credibly enter the discussion.
New England Revolution star Carles Gil is widely considered the current frontrunner for the award, but the playmaking Spaniard is currently sidelined with a minor injury, which could open the door for a dark-horse candidate. Co-host Charlie Davies said he respects the case Salloi has created for himself, but that he sees that next option as Seattle Sounders forward Raul Ruidiaz.
“I love the arguments,” Davies said. “You can’t argue where SKC are right now on the table. They’re top of the Western Conference, they’ve jumped Seattle for the time being. But I think the only player right now who I think could jump Carlos Gil is Ruidiaz, if he goes on another scoring tear. Salloi would have to do this for the rest of the season with Carles Gil out for the rest of the season for him to jump Carles Gil. That’s the distance Carles Gil has created between him and a player like Daniel Salloi.”
