Sporting KC signs Melia, Opara and Salloi to new contracts
Three key players have signed new contracts with Sporting Kansas City, the club announced Tuesday.
Goalkeeper Tim Melia has signed a three-year deal through 2020, defender Ike Opara has signed a two-year deal through 2019 with an option for 2020, and forward Daniel Salloi has signed a two-year deal with options for 2020 and 2021.
Melia and Opara were named the best MLS players at their respective positions last November, while Salloi scored six goals in his first full season with the club.
Melia, 31, was named the league's Goalkeeper of the Year and earned MLS Best XI honors in 2017. He led MLS with a 0.78 goals-against average, 78.4 save percentage, 69.2 percent passing accuracy and three penalty kick saves. A nine-year MLS veteran who joined Sporting KC in 2015, Melia ranks third in MLS history with a 1.12 career GAA among goalkeepers with at least 5,000 minutes played.
Opara, 29, earned 2017 MLS Defender of the Year and MLS Best XI honors. He led a dominant defense that allowed just 29 goals in the regular season, eight fewer than any other team. Opara, who joined Sporting KC in 2013 and is a nine-year pro, debuted for the U.S. Men's National Team in a friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Jan. 28.
Salloi, 21, had six goals in 27 matches last season, including three in the MLS regular season and three more in Sporting KC's run to the U.S. Open Cup title. He had the game-winning strike in the final against the New York Red Bulls. Salloi signed with Sporting KC as a homegrown player in January 2016 after two seasons with the Sporting KC Academy.
Sporting KC opens the MLS regular season at home Sunday against New York City FC on FS1.
