First Hand Observation: The three heroes of Sporting KC’s win over St. Louis

When a club is going through so much turmoil, they and their fans tend to look toward scapegoats and saviors. With the club parting ways with Peter Vermes earlier in the week, he assumed the role of the scapegoat, leaving the hero role available for whoever was up to the challenge against their bitter rivals: St. Louis City.

In my humble opinion, Saturday’s win saw three people emerge as heroes.

Tim Melia

Leading up to the match, long-time goalkeeper Tim Melia announced his retirement from the sport and the club announced that he would be honored at halftime.

But Melia brought the energy and the party before the game even started. As he made his entrance into the stadium, he was met with selfie requests and cheers from all fans, young and old.

Add in the fact that he made his way to the supporter’s section and began providing free beers to Cauldron members, he was an instant hero.

Melia’s offseason departure was also the “end of an era”, as far as who would be in charge of keeping the ball out of SKC’s goal. Celebrating his accomplishments as an SKC member was an added boost of energy and the nostalgia felt right at home as the new era of the club began.

Kerry Zavagnin

Much like the rest of the Sporting Kansas City faithful who went out to Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday, I entered with questions and a tinge of hope, after the whirlwind week leading up to the match against St. Louis City.

A new coach, a rivalry match and a winless streak that just would not go away.

Overheard walking into the stadium were conversations about “the new era” and “I don’t know if this is gonna work.” But there was one thing for sure: the hate for St. Louis was strong.

St. Louis brings out the best (and worst) from SKC fans and that energy breeds a heightened sense of urgency make sure they drive home with their heads hanging low.

That energy gave interim head coach Kerry Zavagnin an advantage as he entered his first ever game at the helm of the club.

The fans were loud, and the team looked energized bringing joy to every person in the stands wearing Sporting blue. It’s important to recognize, however, that this is only one game and it would not be healthy to expect the same result every step of the way. But for a starved fanbase, it was just what the doctor ordered.

Every John Pulskamp save, Joaquin Fernandez tackle, Manu Garcia dribble and Dejan Joveljic shot was met with cheers and applause that have long felt absent at CMP.

Without being inside the locker room, it sure felt like Zavagnin put together a gameplan with a purpose. The pressure was constant, the physicality was ever-present, and the pace of play was as high as ever.

The crowd loved what they were seeing. And though there is no telling if Zavagnin is the long-term solution for SKC, he gave the club something they hadn’t seen in a very long time: a win.

Dejan Joveljic

The Serbian striker made history of his own on Saturday night scoring a brace to help the club reach the 400 career goal tally at Children’s Mercy Park. His performance also provided a starving club with a long-awaited win in stellar fashion.

After joining SKC from 2024 MLS Cup Champions Los Angeles Galaxy in the offseason, expectations were high for the forward. Some may blame his slow start to the season on the scheme or maybe even the overall vibe in the locker room. But that being said, his two goals against St. Louis made him the hero that was promised, at least for one game.

Joveljic’s first goal caused an eruption inside Children’s Mercy Park. That goal not only gave SKC the lead over their rivals, but also gave fans hope that the new era of Sporting Kansas City soccer was in full swing.

His second goal was a release. 200 days of pent-up emotions and apathy were whisked away into the cold night sky above CMP.

🚨 Big time brace 🚨

Dejan Joveljić extends @SportingKC's lead! pic.twitter.com/22qfxTyzgZ

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 6, 2025

Before getting subbed off, Joveljic put a curling shot on target in search of a hat-trick, and I’m not sure the fans wouldn’t have stormed the field if that were to have happened.

SKC fans were on top of the world for at least one night. I am a believer that winning fixes everything, and even though it was just one game, it was a necessary win.