Sporting Kansas City acquired striker Dejan Joveljic from the LA Galaxy in exchange for $4 million on Feb. 1, 2025, marking the first cash-for-player trade in MLS history. Joveljic signed a new Designated Player contract upon arrival in Kansas City.
Joveljic joined Sporting on the heels of a brilliant 2024 campaign that saw the Serbian international record 21 goals and eight assists in all competitions, including six goals in the MLS Cup Playoffs as LA won MLS Cup. Joveljic amassed 85 goals and 26 assists during an accomplished professional career that has spanned Serbia, Germany and MLS in addition to loan spells in Belgium and Austria.
PROFESSIONAL
LA Galaxy (2021-2024):
In August 2021, the LA Galaxy acquired Joveljic from Eintracht Frankfurt as a U22 Initiative signing. He scored his first two MLS goals in a 3-3 El Trafico draw versus LAFC on Aug. 28, 2021, before taking a major step forward in his first full season with the club. The 2022 campaign saw Joveljic score in four different competitions for LA, netting 16 goals—including 11 in the regular season, three in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and one in the MLS Cup Playoffs against eventual champion LAFC.
Joveljic added six goals and four assists in 2023 before delivering a career year in 2024. He scored in each of the Galaxy’s first five MLS matches last season and bagged braces in wins over FC Dallas and LAFC, never going more than three MLS matches without a goal. He ended the regular season with career-highs in goals (15) and assists (six), pacing a potent Galaxy attack that led the Western Conference with 69 goals.
In the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs, Joveljic reached new heights by leading all players with six goals and guiding the Galaxy to their sixth MLS Cup title. He had two goals and an assist on two separate occasions, a 5-0 first-round win over the Colorado Rapids on Oct. 26 and a 6-2 dismantling of Minnesota United FC in the conference semifinals on Nov. 24. Six days later, Joveljic scored a dramatic 85th-minute winner to seal a 1-0 victory over Seattle Sounders FC in the Western Conference Final. He was once again influential in MLS Cup 2024, scoring the winner as LA claimed a 2-1 home triumph over the New York Red Bulls. Joveljic ended his dazzling playoff campaign with eight goal contributions (six goals, two assists) in five matches and finished tied for second in MLS with 21 goals for the season (including playoffs).
Eintracht Frankfurt (2019-2021):
Joveljic signed with German Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt in 2019 and scored on his club debut in a UEFA Europa League qualifying win over FC Flora. He spent the latter half of the 2019-20 season on loan at Belgian heavyweight Anderlecht, where he had a goal and an assist across his first two starts before Covid prompted the postponement of the Belgian Pro League. Joveljic then had a vibrant loan stint at Austrian Bundesliga club Wolfsberger, tallying 20 goals and five assists in all competitions during the 2020-2021 campaign.
Red Star Belgrade (2016-2019):
Born in Bijeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Joveljic developed in the academy of Serbian powerhouse Red Star Belgrade. After six years of climbing the youth ranks, he turned professional as a 16-year-old in 2016 and helped Red Star to the 2017-18 Serbian SuperLiga title with three goals across the final three games of the season. Joveljic was named to the 40-man shortlist for the 2018 Golden Boy Award, given to the best player in Europe under the age of 21, and enjoyed a breakout 2018-19 campaign that yielded 11 goals in all competitions and his debut in the UEFA Champions League.
INTERNATIONAL
Internationally, Joveljic has earned seven caps for Serbia since debuting in June 2021. He opened his Serbia scoring account with a brace to overturn a late deficit in a 3-2 friendly win over Jordan on June 16, 2023.
Joveljic starred for Serbia at the youth international levels, scoring six goals for the U-16s and nine goals for the U-17s, including one versus Spain in the 2016 European Under-17 Championship. He played for the U-18s and U-19s from 2017 to 2018 before breaking into the U-21 side, where he had a hat-trick against Estonia in UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying on Nov. 15, 2019.
