Emotions weighed heavily on Sporting Kansas City in their 3–3 draw with the New England Revolution on Saturday night. This was their first match following the death of former SKC midfielder Gadi Kinda.
Kinda, an Israeli international who played 80 matches for Sporting KC from 2021-2023, died after “going through a complex medical battle,” his club Maccabi Haifa announced on Tuesday.
Through his time with SKC, Kinda established himself as a key player and a fan favorite, scoring 16 goals and 17 assists through 80 games in all competitions, while also helping the team’s young players develop into their current key players.
Gadi Kinda, forever in our hearts 💙 pic.twitter.com/pipccI68gv
— Sporting Kansas City (@SportingKC) May 25, 2025
Daniel Sallói, who now wears Kinda’s former No. 10, scored for SKC in the 53rd minute and unveiled a shirt with Kinda’s name and number on it, a fitting honor on a night that also featured the team wearing memoriam shirts as they walked out onto the pitch.
“I want to thank our ownership group, our president, our coaching staff and everyone for helping us honor him,” Sallói said after the match, in which SKC stormed back from a 2–0 deficit. “This club helped us give him the tribute he deserved.
“It's just an extra thing that we could get some goals for him. I dedicate my goal for him. It's special, and we're all going to miss him. I hope he was watching. He wanted us to win it, but I know he's smiling up there to see us fight for him.”
New England’s Ilay Feingold also wore the shirt, having played with Kinda in the Israeli top flight with Maccabi Haifa. Additionally, supporters paid tribute to Kinda in the 10th minute, and the players wore black armbands in remembrance.
#NERevs midfielder Ilay Feingold was a teammate of Gadi Kinda's at Maccabi Haifa last season. He wore the same t-shirt that #SportingKC players wore walking into the stadium (seen below).https://t.co/PmiI6mANE5
— Daniel Sperry (@sperrydaniel94) May 25, 2025
After leaving Sporting KC in 2023, Kinda went on to play 45 matches with Maccabi Haifa, last playing on March 29 before having to leave due to medical issues. During that time, Kinda’s Haifa teammates also paid tribute to his battle.
In solidarity, players across the Israeli Premier League wore shirts with Kinda’s name, and Haifa captain Lior Refaelov went a step further by wearing Kinda’s full kit against Hapoel Be'er Sheva.
"This was one of the hardest weeks of my career," SKC midfielder Erik Thommy said ahead of the game in an emotional press conference. "There was a lot of suffering and sorrow in the last couple of days, and all my thoughts and prayers are with his family, and I am pretty sure he wouldn't want us to be sad, because that guy always brought us joy; he was a funny guy."
While the 2025 season has been one of immense overhaul for Sporting KC, they have put in improved performances since splitting with longtime head coach Peter Vermes. Saturday's draw put them 13th in the Western Conference on 13 points, just six points off the ninth seed and final playoff spot.
"We all felt it, some at a different level, but throughout the week, all of the club has supported each other," added interim head coach Kerry Zavagnin after the match. "Once again tonight, in a difficult moment of adversity on the field, there was that support again. I certainly believe that there was someone watching tonight.
READ THE LATEST MLS NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND GOSSIP
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Sporting KC Pay Tribute to the Late Gadi Kinda in Emotional Draw with New England .
