> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # 'There Is No Way I'm Not Scoring Goals:' Dejan Joveljić Confident For Sounders Tenure - URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/seattle-sounders-introduce-dejan-joveljic/ - Published: 2026-08-25T23:11:02.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-08T06:13:45.000Z - Author: Qasim Ali - Tags: News, Analysis, Sounders, Dejan Joveljić, Brian Schmetzer, Craig Waibel \[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1698"\] ![ From left to right: Seattle Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer, forward Dejan Joveljić (9) and general manager Craig Waibel pose for a photo during Joveljić’s introductory press conference on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026 in Renton, Wash. (Qasim Ali / Emerald City Spectrum) ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/img_2872-format-original-1.jpg) From left to right: Seattle Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer, forward Dejan Joveljić (9) and general manager Craig Waibel pose for a photo during Joveljić’s introductory press conference on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026 in Renton, Wash. (Qasim Ali / Emerald City Spectrum) \[/caption\] RENTON, Wash. — Longtime Seattle Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer has always maintained his vision of the ideal Sounder. "Gritty" is a common word of choice for the on-pitch product, but there's another layer. Schmetzer has gone after players who don't draw attention to themselves, and certainly don't need to be recognized when they, say, go out to dinner with their families. From all appearances, Seattle's newest starting striker fits the bill. 27-year-old Dejan Joveljić, Sporting Kansas City's leading scorer for the last two years and 2024 MLS Cup champion with the LA Galaxy, was formally introduced by the team on Tuesday at its facility in Renton. The moment came three days after Fabrizio Romano first reported the team was buying Joveljić for $6 million, putting an end to a five-year drought of summer transfer-window moves. Joveljić, known by the nickname "Deki," fits Schmetzer's bill by keeping life "simple." He holds a FIDE ranking of over 2200 in chess and plays every day. He's also scored 60 MLS goals in five and a half seasons. > “Family, chess, soccer.” > > New [#Sounders](https://x.com/hashtag/Sounders?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com) striker Dejan Joveljić has a FIDE rating of over 2200 in chess, along with 60 [#MLS](https://x.com/hashtag/MLS?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com) goals. > > He calls it a simple life, your mileage may vary.[@EmeraldSpectrum](https://x.com/EmeraldSpectrum?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com) [pic.twitter.com/LNk3ZeKnc4](https://t.co/LNk3ZeKnc4?ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com)— Qasim Ali (@qasimasports) [August 25, 2026](https://x.com/qasimasports/status/2092355108810182833?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com) "Simple life, family, chess, thinking about soccer and waiting (for the) weekend for the games," Joveljić said. When he starts against the Chicago Fire this Saturday, according to Schmetzer on Tuesday, fans will see Joveljić's game is anything but simple. The Serbian national formerly of the Serbian SuperLiga's Red Star and Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt has scored 60 MLS goals in five-and-a-half seasons. "I'm here to bring goals, and help win the game," Joveljić said. "I can score with left, right, head, doesn't matter. If Seattle is playing the way they played the last couple of years, I'm going to score a lot of goals," Joveljić said. As far as coming to the only club to win the U.S. Open Cup, the MLS Cup, Leagues Cup and the Concacaf Champions Cup, Joveljić knew what he was getting with the Sounders. "When you say Seattle, you mean winning," Joveljić said. "When everyone is healthy, this team is scary… we are finally in the same colors." According to a team release, Joveljić is signed on with the Sounders through 2030 as a designated player. Seattle, sitting at 7-9-4 with 14 games left after just breaking an eight-game MLS losing streak with a draw at Cincinnati, already had the maximum three DPs ahead of the season. Jordan Morris, Pedro de la Vega and Albert Rusnák occupied those spots. As such, the team confirmed a corresponding move to extend Rusnák to take him out of a DP spot going forward. The details of Rusnák’s extension were not immediately released by the team. Also, injured attacker Jesús Ferreira gave up the number nine jersey to Joveljić without issue, and will return to wearing his childhood number 27 when he returns from a longer hamstring injury. Here's what else you need to know from Tuesday's introductory presser: ### Joveljić is Confident, The Numbers Back Him Joveljić's 'if' of whether Seattle can recreate the magic of 2025, when the Sounders averaged 1.7 goals in a franchise-best scoring year, is a big one. The Sounders are averaging 1.1 goals per game in 2026 en route to being one of the least productive attacks in the league. Joveljić, however, is coming from a Sporting KC side that is far and away the least productive offense in MLS in creating chances. He still managed to score eight goals so far this season and 18 last year. He's a bruising force close to the goal, but has a finishing touch and power that far exceeds anything current strikers Jordan Morris, Danny Musovski and Osaze De Rosario have shown in recent game action. Musovski and De Rosario have combined to score just three MLS goals this season while Morris has missed much of the season hurt. ### Perseverance Was the Key in Bagging Joveljić "We've known him for a long time," Schmetzer said of Joveljić on Tuesday, referencing Seattle’s 2024 Western Conference Final loss to LA. "He was the one. We've known about Dejan for a long time and (Waibel) did a great job pushing this over the line. "What I wanted and what we delivered on was getting what we feel is a really, really top, top, top striker." As far as Waibel is concerned, the GM in his fourth season had to keep nudging Sporting GM David Lee to get this done. > “They just kind of kept slamming the door in our face.”[#Sounders](https://x.com/hashtag/Sounders?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com) GM Craig Waibel had to keep asking about the availability of [#SportingKC](https://x.com/hashtag/SportingKC?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com) star striker Dejan Joveljić despite plenty of push back. > > He agreed with SKC on a $6 million price tag this week.[@EmeraldSpectrum](https://x.com/EmeraldSpectrum?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com) | [#MLS](https://x.com/hashtag/MLS?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com) [pic.twitter.com/UihzN1OcuK](https://t.co/UihzN1OcuK?ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com)— Qasim Ali (@qasimasports) [August 25, 2026](https://x.com/qasimasports/status/2092358611993580002?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com) "They just kind of kept slamming the door in our face, and then recently things changed," Waibel said of negotiations. "When they cracked the door open, we kind of kept kicking it. "A couple of months ago… the answer was 'Get away from me,' to, I think (Lee) said the word 'maybe' once and I didn't let him forget it. And we just kept reminding him that 'maybe' can turn into 'for sure.'" With Waibel not making a summer move in years and seeming to hedge multiple times earlier this summer when asked about whether he’d make one in 2026, the big swing for Joveljić is undoubtedly a breath of fresh air for the Rave Green faithful. Waibel told media he is still looking at other additions before the transfer window closes on Sept. 2 — notably what he called “speed in the channels.” ### What Can Fans Expect on Saturday? With Joveljić set to start this weekend, Sounders fans will get a healthy dose of the latest big-name number nine in franchise history, following up the legacies of Morris, Raul Ruidiaz, Fredy Montero, Obafemi Martins, to name a few. Midfielder Cristian Roldan is still working back from a muscle injury. With key pieces like Ferreira, Jackson Ragen, Yeimar and others still hurt, Joveljić will need to play a confident game and capitalize on the relatively few chances Seattle has been generating. Look for how he links up with Rusnák in the middle and how aggressively winger Paul Rothrock forces the issue in getting the ball to the versatile striker. Chicago hasn't lost in its last four and is among the six stingiest defenses in MLS right now, with Lewandowski likely to draw a decent crowd wearing his old Barcelona kit. Needless to say, there are few better opponents for Joveljić to try and start with a bang against and an upset at home could be another piece of momentum for Seattle to use after the improbable draw at Cincinnati. Also worth noting, Morris is set to be available off the bench if Schmetzer either wants to rest Joveljić or put him in a two-striker look to push for the win late. Joveljić hasn't played since Aug. 19, however, and should be refreshed for a possible full 90 in his debut game.