Daniel Salloi’s early goal is game-winner for Sporting KC against San Jose Earthquakes

The only goal came early, but Sporting Kansas City’s 1,000th match across all competitions was still plenty entertaining the rest of the way.

Daniel Salloi recorded his sixth goal of the season for Sporting KC during a fast-moving sequence in front of the San Jose Earthquake’s goal at Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday.

And that goal by Salloi in the 10th minute of the game proved to be enough to lift the hosts to a 1-0 victory.

“It was another big result,” Sporting KC captain Johnny Russel said. “Getting back-to-back wins, you know it’s not over for us.”

Sporting KC (8-15-5) now sits 12th in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference, just seven points out of a playoff spot with six games to go. And Sporting is hot, with three wins in its last four games.

“We said we weren’t going to give up, we were going to fight until the end,” Russell said. “I think we’re showing that.”

John Pulskamp got his first clean sheet of the season in goal for Sporting and KC’s backline stood tall the rest of the way against the Earthquakes.

“Our defending as a team, we grinded the result out, which was big-time,” Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes said. “It wasn’t easy because the first half was very humid. I still think that took a lot of energy, but we still had a lot to go to goal with. So I’m pleased about that.”

Salloi scored Saturday evening’s game-winner after picking up Roger Espinoza’s blocked cross in the middle of the penalty area. Having quickly corralled the ball, Salloi coolly tapped the ball through some traffic and into the corner of the net.

“It was a nice attack and I tried to stay with the action,” Salloi said. “The defender cleared it to me and I just tried to put it on target, and it went through the defender’s legs.”

Sporting and just about everyone in the stadium believed the home side had doubled its lead in the second half, when Nicolas Isimat-Mirin popped home a wonderful cross from Graham Zusi. But VAR asked referee Guido Gonzalez to examine the sequence for a possible offside infraction, and after review the goal was in fact overturned — the right call, because replays showed Isimat-Mirin had been just a step offside.

Pulskamp had to make a couple of saves Saturday night, including a big one in the first half. Zusi misplayed a pass out of the back, sending the ball straight to Earthquakes star Christian Espinoza. Pulskamp was able to parry away Espinoza’s powerful shot.

Pulskamp praised his backline for the defensive effort, saying, “I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without my back four, and really all 10 guys on the field.”

The goal from Salloi wasn’t his only contribution. There was a 10-minute stretch in which Salloi defended like a man with his hair on fire in his own 18.

Efforts like that aren’t lost on Pulskamp.

“He was in our own 18 defending that right side, winning balls, blocking crosses, blocking shots,” Pulskamp said “Shout-out to him for that, because that’s little stuff that goes unnoticed for attacking players but can completely change the outcome of the game.”

Salloi’s goal pulled him even in the Sporting KC record books with Preki and Dom Dwyer for the most game-winners in franchise history.

“I’ve been here for a while and I love this club,” Salloi said. “As an attacking player, you look for those records because they improve your game.”

Sporting returns to action a week from Sunday (on Sept. 4) at the L.A. Galaxy.