When last Wednesday's scoreless draw at the Portland Timbers came to an end, Sporting Kansas City largely had one man to thank.
Goalkeeper Tim Melia notched an MLS career-high seven saves — including five in a back-and-forth second half — to help Sporting Kansas City snap a three-game losing streak with a hard-earned point at Providence Park. The resounding performance in goal landed him Team of the Week honors on MLSsoccer.com for the fifth time this year, as well as a spot on SI.com's Best XI for Week 28.
“Where do you start with Tim’s performance tonight?" said Sporting KC captain and center back Matt Besler after the match. "Everybody put in the effort, (but) the guy behind me was incredible. He made three or four highlight reel saves that kept us in the game. Without him I don’t know if we get a point tonight but that’s what we expect out of him. We believe he’s one of the best goalkeepers in the league.”
A sixth-year MLS veteran who previously served as a League Pool goalkeeper and a backup at Real Salt Lake (2010-11) and Chivas USA (2012-14), Melia assumed starting duties in May and has subsequently enjoyed a breakout season in 2015. He boasts a 13-5-4 record in all competitions while recording seven shutouts and 60 saves in league play.
