Beyond The Box Score: Sporting KC silences LA with statement win at StubHub Center

The spotlight before kickoff centered squarely on newly acquired LA Galaxy striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a man whose persona dwarfs his 6-foot-5 frame, a man whose legend blankets the sport, a man who likens himself to a lion.

But in Sunday's showdown at StubHub Center, a Sporting Kansas City side led by Tim Melia and Johnny Russell roared the loudest, taking the bite out of LA Galaxy in a resolute 2-0 victory televised before a national audience on FS1.

Ibrahimovic, the 36-year-old superstar who joined LA last month and set the MLS stage alight with his heroic debut on March 31, saw three venomous strikes saved by the brilliant Melia, who delivered one of his best career performances between the posts. The goalkeeper finished with 10 saves, setting a new career-high and a regular season club record that had been unsurpassed for almost 23 years.

Melia, who turned in the Audi Player Index Performance of the Week, made four of his 10 stops from shot attempts inside the box, thwarting a Galaxy team that threw increased numbers forward after Daniel Salloi and Russell struck in quick succession near the hour mark to give Sporting KC a 2-0 cushion. The 31-year-old did particularly well to deny Ashley Cole just before halftime and etched his name into the club record books, offering a reminder of why he was named the league's best goalkeeper last season.

“That was a huge team performance from minute one," said Melia, who on Sunday made his 100th appearance for Sporting KC in all competitions. "Everyone was in good balance, good shape and everyone was competing. That is something I don't think we have done this year yet, competing from zero to 90-plus minutes. And I think because of that competition and the way we came out, we got the result we deserved."

SPORTING KC: MOST SAVES IN A MATCH
(MLS REGULAR SEASON, ALL-TIME)

On the opposite end of the field, Russell provided the dagger that proved too much for LA to overcome with a sensational solo effort in the 61st minute. After deftly splitting a pair of defenders, Russell calmly poked the ball past Galaxy goalkeeper David Bingham for the second goal of his debut season.

This particular strike will feel especially sweet for Russell, who on Sunday turned 28 years old. An AT&T MLS Goal of the Week nominee and three points at StubHub Center surely made for an excellent birthday gift, as Russell became just the third Kansas City player to score a regular season goal on the day of his birth.

• VOTE: Johnny Russell for AT&T MLS Goal of the Week

“We've shown this season that we can go on the road and pick up points, and that is the attitude we came here with," Russell said postgame. "We knew that it was going to be difficult game. (LA) are a great side, but we were confident in our game plan that if we could come here and play it out, we had a good chance of getting the three points.”

SPORTING KC: PLAYERS TO SCORE ON THEIR BIRTHDAYS
(MLS REGULAR SEASON, ALL-TIME)

While Sporting Kansas City's locker room was all smiles postgame, the Galaxy were left to rue their extended run of sour results against Peter Vermes' men. LA are winless in their last seven meetings in the series, taking four losses and three ties since prevailing in April 2015.

LA's recent struggles against Sporting KC are comparable to some of the club's largest dry spells versus any MLS opponent. As five-time MLS Cup champions, the Galaxy are considered a model MLS franchise and have held strong upper hands on several foes throughout the league. That isn't the case with Sporting KC, who improved to 23-24-14 in the all-time regular season series and now hold a tie for the third-longest unbeaten streak against LA.

LA GALAXY: LONGEST WINLESS STREAKS VS. SINGLE TEAM
(MLS REGULAR SEASON, ALL-TIME)

Sunday's result was thrilling and momentous for the visitors, but certainly not unprecedented. After all, Sporting KC is 2-0-1 in their last three visits to StubHub Center. Vermes' team has also made a habit of scoring away from home.

In 2017, Sporting KC managed 10 goals in 17 away games. Fast-forward to 2018, and the club already has eight goals through three road matches. Including previous road results this year — a 4-3 scalp of the Chicago Fire and a 2-2 stalemate with the Colorado Rapids — Sporting KC has bagged multiple goals in three consecutive regular season away games for the 10th time in team history. As the table below illustrates, it's one of the most successful and most prolific road runs the club has ever seen.

SPORTING KC: MULTIPLE GOALS IN CONSECUTIVE AWAY GAMES
(MLS REGULAR SEASON, ALL-TIME)

"“I think it is a couple of things," Vermes said afterward when asked to pinpoint reasons for his team's increased scoring punch. "I think it is new players, I think there is a level of confidence within the group. I also think we are creating very good chances which are high-caliber chances, but at the end I don't want to say that they are easy, but they are easier to score. I also think that we are very hungry in and around the box.”

First-place Sporting Kansas City will now return home to face two-time defending Western Conference champions Seattle Sounders FC at 3 p.m. CT on Sunday. Tickets for Faith and Family Day at Children's Mercy Park are available online at SeatGeek.com or by calling 888-4KC-GOAL to purchase the Coca-Cola Sunday Family Four Pack (four tickets, four Coca-Cola products, four chips and four hot dogs).