Led by Dom Dwyer's brace, the Sporting KC offense attracted much of the attention following Saturday's 4-0 victory over the Montreal Impact at Sporting Park. After all, it was only the third four-goal performance at home since the venue opened in 2011 (also see: 4-2 vs Toronto in 2011 and 4-0 vs Chivas USA in 2013).
However, one can make the case for Sporting Kansas City's defensive display as the more impressive storyline on a night when the visiting Montreal had very little impact offensively. Consider the following...
- The squad fielded by head coach Frank Klopas -- who led the U.S. MNT in scoring in 1994 with eight goals and scored against Argentina in the 1995 Copa America -- was limited to only three shots on Saturday and none after the 32nd minute. Prior to the shot-parched performance, Montreal entered Sporting Park as the early League leaders in both shots (16 per game on average) and shots on goal (6 per game on average).
- Saturday marked the first time in 2014 that a team was held without a shot in the second half, and it happened twice across MLS. Sporting Kansas City stifled the Impact, while the Philadelphia Union did the same in their home match against the Houston Dynamo. For context, the feat happened only three times in 323 regular season games in 2013.
- Marco Di Vaio -- the Designated Player who earned MLS All-Star and Best XI honors with 20 goals in 2013 -- entered Saturday averaging just over seven shots a game and leads all Major League Soccer players with 24 shots this season. He was held to only two attempts: the first cleared off the goalline by Aurelien Collin in the 14th minute and the second pulled narrowly wide in the 32nd minute.
- His replacement in the 56th minute -- recently acquired MLS All-Star Jack McInerney -- was not only held without a shot but was limited to a season-low nine touches. He averaged 29 entering the match. A side-by-side comparison of the two Montreal tallismen on Saturday:
- Seven weeks into the 2014 season, Sporting Kansas leads all teams with the fewest shots (43) and shots on goal (16) conceded. This should come as little surprise for a club that has set the standard in both categories after leading the league in 2012 and 2013.
- Sporting Kansas City also leads Major League Soccer with a 0.67 goals against average in 2014 and goalkeeper Eric Kronberg has recorded an MLS-best three clean sheets to go along with a 192-minute shutout streak ahead of the team's upcoming test at New England on Saturday.
With Saturday's shutout, Sporting KC fans can receive 50% off any regular priced online order at a local participating Papa John's by using the code 'SPORTINGKC' at checkout. This offer is valid through close of business today.
