In many ways, Sporting Kansas City’s 3-3 draw with the Houston Dynamo on Friday felt like a defeat.
The 100th regular season match at Children’s Mercy Park saw Sporting Kansas City dominate for large periods, yet Peter Vermes’ men came away from the encounter with a single point after Raul Rodriguez nodded the visitors level with the last meaningful play of the game.
The late gut punch was especially hard to tolerate, given the fact that Sporting Kansas City had produced three goals in one of its best offensive performances of the season. As a result, the club dropped two points in the Western Conference playoff race and suffered a statistical rarity.
As Swope Park Rangers General Manager Kurt Austin points out, Friday marked just the fourth time in Kansas City history that the club had scored three goals in a home regular season game and failed to win. The team is now 77-1-3 in such matches, with the lone loss coming in a penalty shootout in 1999. Never before had Sporting KC netted three goals at Children’s Mercy Park and failed to secure all three points.
When Sporting KC scores 3+ goals at home
(All-time MLS regular season)
<strong>WIN</strong> |
<strong>DRAW</strong> |
<strong>LOSS</strong> |
77 times |
T 3-3 vs. DAL (05/07/05)<br>
T 3-3 vs. RSL (09/30/06)<br><strong><em>T 3-3 vs. HOU (09/09/16)</em></strong> |
T 3-3 vs. DC (05/15/99) <br><em>Lost in PKs</em> |
Despite the bitter finale, more than 19,000 fans were treated to another memorable chapter in the #SKCvHOU rivalry. It was only appropriate that the 100th regular season match at Children’s Mercy Park was the second-highest scoring in stadium history.
Highest-scoring games at Children's Mercy Park
(All-time MLS regular season)
<strong>DATE</strong> |
<strong>GOALS</strong> |
<strong>RESULT</strong> |
08/15/15 |
7 |
Sporting KC 4-3 Vancouver Whitecaps FC |
07/23/11 |
6 |
SportingKC 4-2 Toronto FC |
05/20/15 |
6 |
Sporting KC 4-2 New England Revolution |
<strong><em>09/09/16</em></strong> |
<strong><em>6</em></strong> |
<strong><em>Sporting KC 3-3 Houston Dynamo</em></strong> |
Breaking down Friday’s performance individually, three Sporting Kansas City players stood out. Forward Dom Dwyer was a menace, tying MLS career-highs in shots (nine) and shots on goal (five) en route to bagging his 13th goal of the campaign. The Englishman is one shy of 50 regular season goals for his career and has scored seven times in his last 10 appearances against the Dynamo in all competitions.
Roger Espinoza, meanwhile, treated SKC Nation to a Sporting KC Goal of the Year candidate. His left-footed sledgehammer in the 26th minute highlighted an outing in which he also tallied his fifth assist of the season, an MLS career-high.
Then there’s Jacob Peterson, Sporting Kansas City’s attacking workhorse who accomplished a feat rarely seen in club history. The Answer’ became just the third Kansas City player to score a goal in four straight regular season home games — the first to do it since Scott Sealy in 2006 after Preki did so twice in 1996.
An 11-year MLS veteran, Peterson is enjoying arguably his best season to date with a career-high five league goals — all of which in the friendly confines of Children’s Mercy Park. Sporting Kansas City is now 11-0-3 in all competitions when he finds the back of the net.
Sporting KC: Goals in four straight home games
(All-time MLS regular season)
<strong>PLAYER</strong> |
<strong>GAMES</strong> |
<strong>DATES</strong> |
Preki |
7 |
05/02/96 to 07/06/96 |
Scott Sealy |
5 |
08/12/06 to 09/30/06 |
Preki |
4 |
07/20/96 to 08/15/96 |
<strong><em>Jacob Peterson</em></strong> |
<strong><em>4</em></strong> |
<strong><em>07/24/16 to 09/09/16</em></strong> |
Sporting Kansas City was aiming for its seventh straight regular season home win on Friday, which would have tied a club record first set in 1998 and 2000. And while the team fell just short of the milestone, they can now set their sights on equalling the longest league unbeaten streaks. Vermes’ side is at seven now, five away from equalling the best mark all-time.
Sporting KC: Longest home unbeaten streaks
(All-time MLS regular season)
<strong>STREAK</strong> |
<strong>DATES</strong> |
12 games |
03/08/15 to 08/15/15 |
10 games |
06/28/08 to 10/18/08 |
9 games |
6 times |
<strong><em>7 games</em></strong> |
<strong><em>06/19/16 to present</em></strong> |
