Just call him the Montreal menace. For a third time this season, the Impact were on the receiving end of a double dose of Dom Dwyer on Saturday as the Sporting KC striker scored both goals in his team's 2-1 road win at Stade Saputo.
The brace raises his season tally to 14 goals, second most in MLS, with six of those 14 coming in three pleasantly productive games against IMFC:
April 19, 2014: Goals in 74th & 86th minutes of 4-0 win at Sporting Park (highlights)
May 10, 2014: Goals in 18th & 64th minutes of 3-0 win at Stade Saputo (highlights)
July 12, 2014: Goals in 4th & 89th minutes of 2-1 win at Stade Saputo (highlights)
Dwyer becomes one of only 10 players in Major League Soccer's 19-year history to score six or more regular season goals against the same opponent in a single year and the first of that group to do so in the League's expansion era (2005 to present). Narrow the list to those who accomplished the feat in three games and the Englishman is one of just six left on the list all-time:
- Pat Noonan (NE) - 7 goals vs NY in 2003 (4 games)
- Clint Mathis (LA/NY) - 7 goals vs DAL in 2000 (3 games)
- Dom Dwyer (KC) - 6 goals vs MTL in 2014 (3 games)
- Jovan Kirovski (LA) - 6 goals vs DAL in 2004 (3 games)
- Taylor Twellman (NE) - 6 goals vs DC in 2002 (4 games)
- Abdul Thompson Conteh (DC) - 6 goals vs NE in 2001 (3 games)
- Mamadou Diallo (TB) - 6 goals vs CLB in 2000 (3 games)
- Diego Serna (MIA) - 6 goals vs NY in 2000 (4 games)
- Cobi Jones (LA) - 6 goals vs COL in 1998 (3 games)
- Raul Diaz Arce (DC) - 6 goals vs DAL in 1996 (4 games)
Since the Montreal Impact entered Major League Soccer for the 2012 season, only one player -- New York Red Bulls Designated Player Thierry Henry with seven goals in four career games played -- has more goals against the Canadian club than Dwyer. Over those same three seasons, six other Sporting KC players have scored against the Impact and none have more than two goals in the all-time series: Graham Zusi (2), Claudio Bieler (2), Aurelien Collin (1), Kei Kamara (1), Jacob Peterson (1) and Paulo Nagamura (1).
Perhaps most impressive is the fashion in which the 23-year-old MLS All-Star candidate has scored against Frank Klopas' squad, showing off a full repertoire of skills from the multi-dimensional tallisman: two headers, two from his left foot and two from his right foot. Nevertheless, it was Dwyer's intangibles that Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes drew attention to in his postgame comments.
“He is a handful," Vermes said. "He’s got a work ethic that is incredible and at the same time an incredible hunger to score goals. He really doesn’t stop until you take him off the field. His hunger and his courage are two things that win the day for him.”
Dwyer's four multi-goal games -- he also scored twice against Toronto on May 23 -- are most in MLS this season and tied for sixth most in team history. And his 14 goals scored through the team's first 18 games has the club's all-time single-season scoring record in reach with 16 games remaining:
<strong>PLAYER</strong> |
<strong>YEAR</strong> |
<strong>GOALS</strong> |
<strong>GAMES</strong> |
1. Preki |
1996 |
18 |
32 |
2. Eddie Johnson |
2007 |
15 |
24 |
<em>3. Dom Dwyer</em> |
<em>2014</em> |
<em>14</em> |
<em>18</em> |
Interviewed immediately after the match on Saturday, SKCTV's sideline reporter Jake Yadrich asked Dwyer whether he wished he could play Montreal more often and what the secret was to his scoring spree against the Impact.
"I think I maybe got lucky this year," Dwyer responded. "I'm just delighted that we have three points. That was the goal tonight and that's all that matters to me. It's nice to get two goals but three points and we're buzzing right now."
