Sporting Kansas City’s Daniel Salloi gains U.S. citizenship before soccer match

Fifty candidates for United State citizenship were naturalized Saturday evening in a speical ceremony at Children’s Mercy Park before Sporting Kansas City’s match against Austin FC.

Among them was Sporting KC forward Daniel Salloi, 27, who officially became a dual citizen of Hungary and the U.S.

“America and Kansas City just became another home for me,” Salloi said. “Spending my last 10 years in this country, it just feels right and I’m just so happy that I got the honor to become a citizen today.”

Salloi came to the U.S. in 2014, attending Blue Valley North High School and living with the Perrys, his host family through the Sporting KC Academy. Salloi was signed as a homegrown player in 2016 and made his first-team debut in 2017.

Salloi has since made 99 goal contributions — 59 goals and 40 assists — in all competitions. He scored the game-winning goal in the 2017 U.S. Open Cup Final.

He credits the Perry family with helping him forge a good impression of the U.S. in his first years here.

“They were so nice to me, and I had such an amazing first impression of America,” Salloi said.

Salloi received his green card in 2019 and after five years was able to apply for citizenship and go through the naturalization process. He said teammates helped him study for the citizenship tests, both written and the formal interview.

He called the decision to become an American citizen a “no brainer.”

“This is great for me, and it’s gonna help my family with green cards — they can visit me more,” Salloi said. “(My family) love who I became here in America, and I want to spend the rest of my life here, probably.”

As they read the oath and he looked over his official documents, Salloi said he became emotional.”

“Seeing all the countries being represented and then all the documents we got with letters talking about what courage it takes to move to this country and leave everything behind,” Salloi said. “Some people would read it, and it wouldn’t mean much to them.

“But to go through it and read, it really got to me. I want to congratulate everybody who’s done it because it’s a lot of work, and it’s a lot of courage.”

Some people who become naturalized as citizens do so inside of a courthouse. The unique opportunity to be sworn in at Children’s Mercy Park appealed to Salloi.

“I want to thank Sporting KC for giving me the opportunity to do it at home,” he said.

Daniel Sperry covers soccer for The Star. He can be reached at sperry.danielkc@gmail.com.