Beyond the Box Score: Another day, another draw as Dwyer scores in D.C.

After failing to snap D.C. United’s now 17-game home unbeaten streak in all competitions, Sporting Kansas City settled for the next-best thing on Saturday night at RFK Stadium. Dom Dwyer’s instinctive strike in the 45th minute cancelled out Jairo Arrieta’s goal just three minutes earlier as both sides took a point from the contest.

Sporting Kansas City’s 1-1 draw with the Eastern Conference leaders marked the fifth time this year that Peter Vermes’ side has split the points with its opponents. The team’s five draws are tied for the most through 10 games of a season in Kansas City history and follow a league-wide trend in 2015.

Ten weeks into the Major League Soccer season, 30 of 95 matches have resulted in draws -- a rate of 31.6 percent. That clip is up 4 percent from last year and nearly 8 percent from 2012. As the table currently stands, seven MLS clubs have at least four ties. Six of those seven play in the loaded Western Conference, where LA Galaxy (5), Real Salt Lake (5) and Colorado Rapids (7) have as many or more draws than Sporting Kansas City. Colorado -- set to visit Sporting Park this Saturday -- has recorded as many draws through 10 games as any team in league history.

NUMBER OF DRAWS IN MLS (2012-PRESENT)

While victories have been hard to come by early in the year, Peter Vermes’ side has proven just as hard to beat. Sporting Kansas City battled back from a 1-0 deficit Saturday night to earn their fourth point of 2015 when conceding first, most in MLS. Furthermore, the club’s two losses through 10 games are their fewest to start a season since 2007 and their third fewest during the non-shootout era (2000-present).

FEWEST LOSSES TO START A SPORTING KC SEASON

*qualified for playoffs that season

This may bode well for a team that welcomed 13 new players during the offseason and is still in the process of finding continuity on the pitch. Facing a veteran D.C. United side that fielded 10 starters who returned from their 2014 roster, Vermes deployed his seventh different backline of the campaign and used seven players who weren’t on his team in 2014.

“I thought we were a little unlucky in the first half because I thought we should have had at least one or two more [goals],” Vermes said in his post-game interview. “It was a little bit deflating at first, but I thought the response by the team was good and it has been like that most games. We find a way to get back in it when we give something up, so that mentality is pretty good.”

Indeed, the visitors were unfortunate not to open the scoring on Saturday as Roger Espinoza delivered a pinpoint cross in the 19th minute to Jacob Peterson, whose one one-time volley rattled the crossbar after Bill Hamid made a fingertip save. Espinoza continued to play the providing role, however, and set up the equalizer on the stroke of halftime.

Sporting Kansas City’s breakthrough came from the left boot of Dwyer, whose impressive snapshot was his 31st goal for Kansas City in all competitions to equal Digital Takawira for seventh most all-time. The 24-year-old is a goal shy of tying Mo Johnston for sixth on the list, while his .392 goals per game average is second best in club history (minimum 10 goals). Only 2000 MLS Cup hero Miklos Molnar—who bagged 17 goals over 24 games—has a better scoring rate in all competitions than Dwyer, who opened his account not too long ago in August 2013.

TOP GOAL SCORERS IN SPORTING KC HISTORY (ALL COMPETITIONS)

In addition, Dwyer’s lethal finish under the RFK Stadium lights was his 13th road goal since the start of 2014, tied for the most in MLS with Seattle’s Obafemi Martins.

“You have to give credit to the guys who made the play,” captain Matt Besler said after the match. “Before that, it was a hard goal to give up because we played what I thought was a very good half for 40 minutes and then we [concede]. So it could have been a time for us to put our heads down, but we didn’t and we were able to score a goal right before half.”