The three musketeers. The three amigos. The power trio.
Call them what you will.
The fact is Dom Dwyer, Benny Feilhaber and Krisztian Nemeth have spearheaded Sporting Kansas City’s attack throughout the season. Together they have provided more than two-thirds of the team's goals both in MLS (31 of 46) and across all competitions (43 of 60).
In a stark departure from 2014 — a year in which Dwyer bagged 24 goals in all competitions and no other Kansas City player had more than five — Peter Vermes now boasts one of the most balanced attacks in Major League Soccer.
Dwyer, Feilhaber and Nemeth form a potent combination whose collective scoring haul reached a historic mark on Saturday when Nemeth left multiple Portland defenders in the dust before rifling home an unforgettable game-winner at Providence Park.
Nemeth’s masterclass brought him to 10 MLS goals in 2015, tied with Feilhaber and one behind Dwyer for the team lead. As a result, Sporting Kansas City has three double-digit scorers in the same MLS season for the first time ever. It’s a feat only nine other teams have reached in league history — and just the third such occurrence since 2003.
Of the previous nine clubs to match the milestone, eight qualified for the playoffs and two went on to win MLS Cup — including last year's LA Galaxy side led by Robbie Keane, Gyasi Zardes and Landon Donovan.
MLS TEAMS WITH THREE DOUBLE-DIGIT SCORERS IN ONE SEASON
<b>Year</b> |
<strong>Team</strong> |
<b>Double-digit scorers</b> |
<strong>Playoff result</strong> |
1996 |
San Jose Clash |
Paul Bravo 13, Eric Wynalda 10, Missael Espinoza 10 |
Conference semifinals |
1997 |
San Jose Clash |
Ronald Cerritos 12, Lawrence Lozzano 10, Jeff Baicher 10 |
Did not qualify |
1998 |
LA Galaxy |
Cobi Jones 19, Welton 17, Mauricio Cienfuegos 13 |
Conference finals |
1998 |
D.C. United |
Roy Lassiter 18, Jaime Moreno 16, Marco Etcheverry 10 |
<strong>MLS Cup champion</strong> |
1998 |
Colorado Rapids |
Wolde Harris 13, Paul Bravo 11, Ross Paule 10 |
Conference semifinals |
2000 |
MetroStars |
Adolfo Valencia 16, Clint Mathis 13, Alex Comas 13 |
League semifinals |
2002 |
Colorado Rapids |
Mark Chung 11, Chris Henderson 11, Chris Carrieri 11 |
Conference semifinals |
2012 |
San Jose Earthquakes |
Chris Wondolowski 27, Alan Gordon 13, Steven Lenhart 10 |
Conference semifinals |
2014 |
LA Galaxy |
Robbie Keane 17, Gyasi Zardes 16, Landon Donovan 10 |
<strong>MLS Cup Champion</strong> |
<em><strong>2015</strong></em> |
<em><strong>Sporting KC</strong></em> |
<em><strong>Dom Dwyer 11, Benny Feilhaber 10, Krisztian Nemeth 10</strong></em> |
<em><strong>?</strong></em> |
