Seattle Sounders player spotlight: Dejan Joveljić

Joveljić was born in Bijeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in August of 1999. He played in the Serbian League with Red Star, Frankfurt, Anderlecht and Wolfsberger in the Bundesliga before joining the MLS and playing for the LA Galaxy, Sporting Kansas City and now the Seattle Sounders.

Other than playing soccer, Joveljić enjoys billiards, solving Rubik's cubes and playing chess, where he has achieved a FIDE rating of over 2200.

On the pitch, he has won two titles with the Red Star Belgrade team and one title with the LA Galaxy. Joveljić has scored 47 goals in the MLS since 2024, which ranks him fifth in the MLS in scoring behind Messi, Denis Bouanga, Petar Musa and Sam Surridge. Since joining the MLS, he has played in 5.5 seasons, scored 60 goals with 20 assists (not including his 7 playoff goals and 2 assists with the Galaxy). One of those goals did knock the Sounders out of the playoffs, but he has vowed to avenge that loss!

How does he fit in?

Joveljić can play as the lone striker, or as a wing with a second striker. Right now, the Sounders may have him as the sole striker, but as players such as Jordan Morris and others start to return to the lineup, his role could shift. 

The Sounders have been lacking a reliable scorer up front since the departure of Ruidiaz. They have found some success with Musovski’s career year last season, but their starting 9 has only scored one goal this season. The Sounders players have been accommodating. Jesús Ferreira is giving up his number and switching to number 27 so Joveljić can wear the number 9 jersey. Albert Rusnák has restructured his contract and signed for another couple of seasons after this one. He is no longer a designated player, opening that option for the new signee. Although he is injured and out for the season, fellow Serbian Nikola Petković has also reached out to make the transition for Joveljić a bit smoother. 

How well he does is up to his ability to get the ball in the box and do what it takes to put it over the line. If this works out, it will outshine the 6 million dollar payout to Sporting Kansas City and put Seattle back in title contention for this season and moving forward, and he still has time to make the top Sounders list or the top Sounders by position, but he would have to outperform players like Martins, Ruidiaz, Morris, and the other leading strikers.

There is some speculation that this was a panic deal, inspired by the lack of goal scoring and wins since the World Cup. Sounders' GM Craig Waibel explained that this was in the works for some time, dispelling that notion. What is obvious is that the Sounders need a consistent threat in the box, and
Joveljić is a threat.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow