Sporting KC got their first win of their preseason yesterday against the New York Red Bulls 3-0. With the Red Bulls facing off against the Vancouver Whitecaps in the CONCACAF Champions League on Wednesday all of New York's starters have returned to New York to prepare for that game. That left the Red Bulls lineup with end of the roster players, trialists, and unsigned draft picks to take on Sporting KC.
Sporting started the game with what looks to be the club's starting 11 heading into the season with Graham Zusi at right back and Latif Blessing starting on the wing. KC controlled the game as expected with their starting 11 and created a number of chances but couldn't beat the Red Bulls defense. It took a foul by goalkeeper Rafael Diaz in the box on Dom Dwyer as he broke behind the Red Bulls defense to open the scoring. Dwyer stepped up to take the penalty and put it in off the post to put KC up in the 31st minute.
Sporting's starters stayed in the game through the half time break, playing a full hour, but were unable to extend their lead. After the full changes, Sporting's reserves continued to dominate the game, Daniel Salloi hit the cross bar in the 79th minute after some good work down the middle of the field. KC got their insurance in the 82nd minute when Salloi played a ball across the box towards Jimmy Medranda. The Colombian dummied the ball, letting it run through his legs to Cameron Porter who took a touch and fired a shot from a tight angle that beat goalkeeper Evan Louro high to make it 2-0. Four minutes later KC added a third as a corner by Medranda was flicked towards goal by a Red Bulls defender. Louro and Soony Saad both challenged for it, Louro got a touch on it but Salloi was following the play and headed the ball into the net to make it 3-0. Saad had a late chance to make it 4-0 in the 90th minute, his curlin free kick beat Louro, but couldn't beat the far post, where it hit the elbow of the goal.
The 3-0 win though was convincing, Sporting will finish up pool play of the Desert Diamond Cup on Wednesday against the New England Revolution.
Showing posts with label Dom Dwyer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dom Dwyer. Show all posts
Sunday, February 19, 2017
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Dwyer Closing in On Citizenship and He Deserves a Look When He Gets It
During MLS media day today, Dom Dwyer let it be known that he is closing in on US citizenship. Having had his green card, making him a permanent resident in the United States since 2012. Dwyer has had his green card for five years next month, making him eligible to become a US citizen. Dwyer confirmed today that his paper work is ready to be filed in February to apply for citizenship. He also confirmed that he has been in contact with US Soccer and is working with the federation on his FIFA paperwork that would allow him to represent the United States at the international level. FIFA rules require him also to be a permanent residence in the country for five years after he turns 18, which he will meet in the next month.
So the question becomes is he good enough to represent the United States at the international level? If he'd been a US citizen last year, he would have been the highest scoring American player in MLS with his 16 goals, four better than Chris Pontius, who was the highest scoring American last season. He's scored 52 goals in his MLS career, 50 in the last three seasons, the only player with more goals in that stretch is Bradley Wright-Phillips who has scored 68.
He may not be among the top tier of talent for Bruce Arena with the likes of Jozy Altidore, Bobby Wood, and a healthy Clint Dempsey, but you'd have to think he'd immediately be able to slot in that second tier with the likes of Gyasi Zardes, Jordan Morris, and Chris Wondolowski. Surely Dwyer could step in and keep Wondolowski from continuing to get call ups, or keep Alan Gordon, who received a call up for the last set of World Cup qualifiers as an injury replacement, from being called up again. Dwyer's draw back is that he's not as versatile in his positioning for the US team as some other players are. Dwyer's not shown himself to be adapt at playing the outside forward position, at least in Peter Vermes' system. Maybe in the US system he could, but he's mainly a center forward. He's shown to be a guy that will fight and scrap with the center backs for other teams usually a head taller than him.
The worry that this will bring for KC fans with his potential citizenship is another player lost to international duty. With the Gold Cup this summer, KC could be decimated by call ups, potentially losing over half of a potential starting 11. KC could lose two-thirds of their attack (Dwyer and Graham Zusi), potentially their entire starting midfield (Roger Espinoza, Benny Feilhaber, and Soni Mustivar, and potentially a center back (Matt Besler) all for the Gold Cup. It'd be a move that would certainly test Sporting KC's depth for their game against the Philadelphia Union on July 6th, two days before the US kick off in the Gold Cup.
Dwyer though certainly deserves at least a look at the national team level once his citizenship is finalized, even if it means KC has to rely on someone other than Dwyer to play center forward for a game or two as he's on national team duty.
So the question becomes is he good enough to represent the United States at the international level? If he'd been a US citizen last year, he would have been the highest scoring American player in MLS with his 16 goals, four better than Chris Pontius, who was the highest scoring American last season. He's scored 52 goals in his MLS career, 50 in the last three seasons, the only player with more goals in that stretch is Bradley Wright-Phillips who has scored 68.
He may not be among the top tier of talent for Bruce Arena with the likes of Jozy Altidore, Bobby Wood, and a healthy Clint Dempsey, but you'd have to think he'd immediately be able to slot in that second tier with the likes of Gyasi Zardes, Jordan Morris, and Chris Wondolowski. Surely Dwyer could step in and keep Wondolowski from continuing to get call ups, or keep Alan Gordon, who received a call up for the last set of World Cup qualifiers as an injury replacement, from being called up again. Dwyer's draw back is that he's not as versatile in his positioning for the US team as some other players are. Dwyer's not shown himself to be adapt at playing the outside forward position, at least in Peter Vermes' system. Maybe in the US system he could, but he's mainly a center forward. He's shown to be a guy that will fight and scrap with the center backs for other teams usually a head taller than him.
The worry that this will bring for KC fans with his potential citizenship is another player lost to international duty. With the Gold Cup this summer, KC could be decimated by call ups, potentially losing over half of a potential starting 11. KC could lose two-thirds of their attack (Dwyer and Graham Zusi), potentially their entire starting midfield (Roger Espinoza, Benny Feilhaber, and Soni Mustivar, and potentially a center back (Matt Besler) all for the Gold Cup. It'd be a move that would certainly test Sporting KC's depth for their game against the Philadelphia Union on July 6th, two days before the US kick off in the Gold Cup.
Dwyer though certainly deserves at least a look at the national team level once his citizenship is finalized, even if it means KC has to rely on someone other than Dwyer to play center forward for a game or two as he's on national team duty.
Monday, January 16, 2017
Single Season Appearances/Starts
More stat updating, this one a quick one because there was only one change to the list in 2016. This is appearances and starts in a single season.
For league appearances, Dom Dwyer made the list in 2016, appearing in 33 of KC's 34 league games. He's the only player from the 2016 season to make any of these lists.
CJ Sapong - 2011 - 34
Jimmy Nielsen - 2012 - 34
Jimmy Nielsen - 2013 - 34
Kei Kamara - 2012 - 33
Dom Dwyer - 2014 - 33
Dom Dwyer - 2016 - 33
Preki - 1996 - 32
Mark Chung - 1996 - 32
Mark Chung - 1997 - 32
Nick Garcia - 2000 - 32
Peter Vermes - 2000 - 32
Bo Oshoniyi - 2005 - 32
Davy Arnaud - 2006 - 32
Matt Besler - 2011 - 32
Graham Zusi - 2011 - 32
Graham Zusi - 2012 - 32
Seth Sinovic - 2013 - 32
Benny Feilhaber - 2015 - 32
Matt Besler - 2015 - 32
No additions to the list of appearances in all competitions in 2016, the closest was Dwyer who appeared in 36 of KC's 41 games.
Oriol Rosell - 2013 - 42
Seth Sinovic - 2013 - 42
Dom Dwyer - 2014 - 41
Nick Garcia - 2000 - 40
Peter Vermes - 2000 - 40
Chris Brown - 2002 - 40
CJ Sapong - 2011 - 40
Jimmy Nielsen - 2012 - 40
Kerry Zavagnin - 2000 - 39
Preki - 2000 - 39
Chris Henderson - 2000 - 39
Kerry Zavagnin - 2002 - 39
Matt Besler - 2011 - 39
Graham Zusi - 2012 - 39
Jimmy Nielsen - 2013 - 39
Aurelien Collin - 2013 - 39
Seth Sinovic - 2014 - 39
No one made the list for starts in league play either, Dwyer was again the closest, starting 31 of the games in 2016.
Jimmy Nielsen - 2012 - 34
Jimmy Nielsen - 2013 - 34
Preki - 1996 - 32
Mark Chung - 1996 - 32
Mark Chung - 1997 - 32
Nick Garcia - 2000 - 32
Peter Vermes - 2000 - 32
Bo Oshoniyi - 2005 - 32
Matt Besler - 2011 - 32
Kei Kamara - 2012 - 32
Matt Besler - 2015 - 32
Across all competitions, the closest anyone came to making the list was Roger Espinoza who started 34 of KC's games in 2016.
Oriol Rosell - 2013 - 41
Seth Sinovic - 2013 - 41
Nick Garcia - 2000 - 40
Peter Vermes - 2000 - 40
Jimmy Nielsen - 2012 - 40
Kerry Zavagnin - 2000 - 39
Kerry Zavagnin - 2002 - 39
Jimmy Nielsen - 2013 - 39
Aurelien Collin - 2013 - 39
Seth Sinovic - 2014 - 39
For league appearances, Dom Dwyer made the list in 2016, appearing in 33 of KC's 34 league games. He's the only player from the 2016 season to make any of these lists.
CJ Sapong - 2011 - 34
Jimmy Nielsen - 2012 - 34
Jimmy Nielsen - 2013 - 34
Kei Kamara - 2012 - 33
Dom Dwyer - 2014 - 33
Dom Dwyer - 2016 - 33
Preki - 1996 - 32
Mark Chung - 1996 - 32
Mark Chung - 1997 - 32
Nick Garcia - 2000 - 32
Peter Vermes - 2000 - 32
Bo Oshoniyi - 2005 - 32
Davy Arnaud - 2006 - 32
Matt Besler - 2011 - 32
Graham Zusi - 2011 - 32
Graham Zusi - 2012 - 32
Seth Sinovic - 2013 - 32
Benny Feilhaber - 2015 - 32
Matt Besler - 2015 - 32
No additions to the list of appearances in all competitions in 2016, the closest was Dwyer who appeared in 36 of KC's 41 games.
Oriol Rosell - 2013 - 42
Seth Sinovic - 2013 - 42
Dom Dwyer - 2014 - 41
Nick Garcia - 2000 - 40
Peter Vermes - 2000 - 40
Chris Brown - 2002 - 40
CJ Sapong - 2011 - 40
Jimmy Nielsen - 2012 - 40
Kerry Zavagnin - 2000 - 39
Preki - 2000 - 39
Chris Henderson - 2000 - 39
Kerry Zavagnin - 2002 - 39
Matt Besler - 2011 - 39
Graham Zusi - 2012 - 39
Jimmy Nielsen - 2013 - 39
Aurelien Collin - 2013 - 39
Seth Sinovic - 2014 - 39
No one made the list for starts in league play either, Dwyer was again the closest, starting 31 of the games in 2016.
Jimmy Nielsen - 2012 - 34
Jimmy Nielsen - 2013 - 34
Preki - 1996 - 32
Mark Chung - 1996 - 32
Mark Chung - 1997 - 32
Nick Garcia - 2000 - 32
Peter Vermes - 2000 - 32
Bo Oshoniyi - 2005 - 32
Matt Besler - 2011 - 32
Kei Kamara - 2012 - 32
Matt Besler - 2015 - 32
Across all competitions, the closest anyone came to making the list was Roger Espinoza who started 34 of KC's games in 2016.
Oriol Rosell - 2013 - 41
Seth Sinovic - 2013 - 41
Nick Garcia - 2000 - 40
Peter Vermes - 2000 - 40
Jimmy Nielsen - 2012 - 40
Kerry Zavagnin - 2000 - 39
Kerry Zavagnin - 2002 - 39
Jimmy Nielsen - 2013 - 39
Aurelien Collin - 2013 - 39
Seth Sinovic - 2014 - 39
Sunday, January 15, 2017
Most Starts
Another set of stats, this time the most starts for Sporting KC in league play and in all competitions.
In league play one new player joined the list in 2016, Benny Feilhaber hit 100 starts in league play. Elsewhere on the list, Matt Besler moved into sixth place and should become the fifth player to hit 200 league starts for KC in 2017. In fact, if Besler happens to start all 34 league games for KC in 2017 (something he hasn't done in his career) he would tie Kerry Zavagnin for the most starts in league play in KC's history. More likely he ends the 2017 season in third place and makes his run on number one in 2018. Joining the list in 2017, there is only one player with a shot at that, that's Dom Dwyer, who is just three starts away from joining the list.
Kerry Zavagnin - 228
Nick Garcia - 224
Davy Arnaud - 213
Jimmy Conrad - 203
Preki - 199
Matt Besler - 194
Chris Klein - 183
Graham Zusi - 155
Jack Jewsbury - 142
Mo Johnston - 142
Roger Espinoza - 140
Seth Sinovic - 128
Jimmy Nielsen - 128
Michael Harrington - 128
Josh Wolff - 128
Matt McKeon - 126
Tony Meola - 125
Chance Myers - 114
Benny Feilhaber - 110
Jose Burciaga - 110
Diego Gutierrez - 108
Uche Okafor - 107
Sean Bowers - 104
Aurelein Collin - 103
Dom Dwyer - 97
Lawrence Olum - 57
Kevin Ellis - 53
Tim Melia - 50
Soni Mustivar - 44
Ike Opara - 39
Saad Abdul-Salaam - 36
Jimmy Medranda - 30
Erik Palmer-Brown - 6
Diego Rubio - 3
Across all competitions in 2016, two players made their 100th start for Kansas City, Dwyer made the list this time, as did Paulo Nagamura, who just got onto the list in his final season as a player. Further up the list, Besler moved all the way up to fourth and should easily be in the top three by the end of 2017, although he'll need another full season to make a good run on Zavagnin at the top of this list. Graham Zusi should become eighth player to start 200 games in all competitions this season. It seems unlikely that someone will join the list in 2017 as the closest are Lawrence Olum and Kevin Ellis who need to start 28 and 29 games respectively to make the list.
Kerry Zavagnin - 281
Nick Garcia - 272
Davy Arnaud - 234
Matt Besler - 231
Preki - 229
Jimmy Conrad - 228
Chris Klein - 216
Graham Zusi - 186
Jack Jewsbury - 162
Roger Espinoza - 160
Seth Sinovic - 160
Matt McKeon - 159
Mo Johnston - 157
Tony Meola - 156
Josh Wolff - 144
Michael Harrington - 143
Jimmy Nielsen - 142
Chance Myers - 139
Diego Gutierrez - 135
Benny Feilhaber - 134
Aurelien Collin - 129
Jose Burciaga - 123
Uche Okafor - 116
Dom Dwyer - 114
Sean Bowers - 113
Kei Kamara - 108
Bo Oshoniyi - 105
Mark Chung - 103
Paulo Nagamura - 102
Sasha Victorine - 102
Kevin Hartman - 100
Lawrence Olum - 72
Kevin Ellis - 71
Tim Melia - 58
Soni Mustivar - 55
Ike Opara - 49
Saad Abdul-Salaam - 42
Jimmy Medranda - 33
Erik Palmer-Brown - 9
Diego Rubio - 7
Cameron Porter - 3
Tyler Pasher - 1
Benji Joya - 1
In league play one new player joined the list in 2016, Benny Feilhaber hit 100 starts in league play. Elsewhere on the list, Matt Besler moved into sixth place and should become the fifth player to hit 200 league starts for KC in 2017. In fact, if Besler happens to start all 34 league games for KC in 2017 (something he hasn't done in his career) he would tie Kerry Zavagnin for the most starts in league play in KC's history. More likely he ends the 2017 season in third place and makes his run on number one in 2018. Joining the list in 2017, there is only one player with a shot at that, that's Dom Dwyer, who is just three starts away from joining the list.
Kerry Zavagnin - 228
Nick Garcia - 224
Davy Arnaud - 213
Jimmy Conrad - 203
Preki - 199
Matt Besler - 194
Chris Klein - 183
Graham Zusi - 155
Jack Jewsbury - 142
Mo Johnston - 142
Roger Espinoza - 140
Seth Sinovic - 128
Jimmy Nielsen - 128
Michael Harrington - 128
Josh Wolff - 128
Matt McKeon - 126
Tony Meola - 125
Chance Myers - 114
Benny Feilhaber - 110
Jose Burciaga - 110
Diego Gutierrez - 108
Uche Okafor - 107
Sean Bowers - 104
Aurelein Collin - 103
Dom Dwyer - 97
Lawrence Olum - 57
Kevin Ellis - 53
Tim Melia - 50
Soni Mustivar - 44
Ike Opara - 39
Saad Abdul-Salaam - 36
Jimmy Medranda - 30
Erik Palmer-Brown - 6
Diego Rubio - 3
Across all competitions in 2016, two players made their 100th start for Kansas City, Dwyer made the list this time, as did Paulo Nagamura, who just got onto the list in his final season as a player. Further up the list, Besler moved all the way up to fourth and should easily be in the top three by the end of 2017, although he'll need another full season to make a good run on Zavagnin at the top of this list. Graham Zusi should become eighth player to start 200 games in all competitions this season. It seems unlikely that someone will join the list in 2017 as the closest are Lawrence Olum and Kevin Ellis who need to start 28 and 29 games respectively to make the list.
Kerry Zavagnin - 281
Nick Garcia - 272
Davy Arnaud - 234
Matt Besler - 231
Preki - 229
Jimmy Conrad - 228
Chris Klein - 216
Graham Zusi - 186
Jack Jewsbury - 162
Roger Espinoza - 160
Seth Sinovic - 160
Matt McKeon - 159
Mo Johnston - 157
Tony Meola - 156
Josh Wolff - 144
Michael Harrington - 143
Jimmy Nielsen - 142
Chance Myers - 139
Diego Gutierrez - 135
Benny Feilhaber - 134
Aurelien Collin - 129
Jose Burciaga - 123
Uche Okafor - 116
Dom Dwyer - 114
Sean Bowers - 113
Kei Kamara - 108
Bo Oshoniyi - 105
Mark Chung - 103
Paulo Nagamura - 102
Sasha Victorine - 102
Kevin Hartman - 100
Lawrence Olum - 72
Kevin Ellis - 71
Tim Melia - 58
Soni Mustivar - 55
Ike Opara - 49
Saad Abdul-Salaam - 42
Jimmy Medranda - 33
Erik Palmer-Brown - 9
Diego Rubio - 7
Cameron Porter - 3
Tyler Pasher - 1
Benji Joya - 1
Saturday, January 14, 2017
Most Appearances
More end of season stats, tonight it is appearances for Sporting Kansas City.
In league play, three players joined the list in 2016 with Benny Feilhaber leading the way getting all the way to 120 appearances in 2016. Further up the list, Matt Besler hit 200 appearances in league play for KC, becoming the seventh player to reach 200 appearances for Sporting KC in the club's history. The eighth player to hit that mark should come in 2017 as Graham Zusi is only six appearances away from 200 right now. As for who could join the list in 2017, there is only one player who has a chance, Lawrence Olum is 14 appearances from hitting 100. He'd become the thirty-third player to hit 100 appearances for Sporting KC.
Davy Arnaud - 240
Kerry Zavagnin - 237
Nick Garcia - 224
Preki - 218
Jimmy Conrad - 204
Chris Klein - 200
Matt Besler - 200
Jack Jewsbury - 195
Graham Zusi - 194
Roger Espinoza - 160
Michael Harrington - 149
Mo Johnston - 149
Chance Myers - 147
Josh Wolff - 144
Matt McKeon - 144
Seth Sinovic - 133
Jimmy Nielsen - 128
Tony Meola - 125
Chris Brown - 123
Benny Feilhaber - 120
Diego Gutierrez - 119
Uche Okafor - 119
Jose Burciaga - 115
Francisco Gomez - 114
Kei Kamara - 113
Dom Dwyer - 113
Sean Bowers - 111
CJ Sapong - 110
Jacob Peterson - 108
Aurelien Collin - 107
Sasha Victorine - 106
Digital Takawira - 103
Lawrence Olum - 86
Kevin Ellis - 63
Ike Opara - 52
Saad Abdul-Salaam - 52
Tim Melia - 50
Soni Mustivar - 50
Jimmy Medranda - 41
Diego Rubio - 15
Erik Palmer-Brown - 10
Cameron Porter - 2
Across all competitions, Besler moved into the top five for appearances, hitting 239. He should move into top four in 2017 and close in on a top two position by the end of the season. Elsewhere, Espinoza should become the 10th player to play 200 games in all competitions for Kansas City. In all competitions, Olum was the only player that joined the list in all competitions in 2017 finishing with 105 appearances in all competitions, tying him with Teal Bunbury. As for players who could join the list in 2017, there is only one, Kevin Ellis is 18 appearances away from hitting 100 in all competitions, and the only candidate to join in 2017.
Kerry Zavagnin - 291
Davy Arnaud - 273
Nick Garcia - 273
Preki - 254
Matt Besler - 239
Chris Klein - 235
Jimmy Conrad - 230
Graham Zusi - 227
Jack Jewsbury - 218
Roger Espinoza - 184
Matt McKeon - 183
Chance Myers - 175
Michael Harrington - 170
Mo Johnston - 169
Seth Sinovic - 166
Josh Wolff -165
Tony Meola - 156
Chris Brown - 150
Diego Gutierrez - 147
Benny Feilhaber - 145
CJ Sapong - 142
Jimmy Nielsen - 142
Francisco Gomez - 141
Dom Dwyer - 141
Jacob Peterson - 135
Aurelien Collin - 133
Jose Burciaga - 130
Uche Okafor - 130
Kei Kamara - 126
Sean Bowers - 120
Sasha Victorine - 114
Digital Takawira - 111
Bo Oshoniyi - 110
Paulo Nagamura - 119
Teal Bunbury - 105
Lawrence Olum - 105
Mark Chung - 104
Shavar Thomas - 101
Kevin Hartman - 100
Kevin Ellis - 82
Ike Opara - 64
Saad Abdul-Salaam - 62
Soni Mustivar - 61
Tim Melia - 58
Jimmy Medranda - 46
Diego Rubio - 20
Erik Palmer-Brown - 13
Cameron Porter - 6
Benji Joya - 1
Tyler Pasher - 1
In league play, three players joined the list in 2016 with Benny Feilhaber leading the way getting all the way to 120 appearances in 2016. Further up the list, Matt Besler hit 200 appearances in league play for KC, becoming the seventh player to reach 200 appearances for Sporting KC in the club's history. The eighth player to hit that mark should come in 2017 as Graham Zusi is only six appearances away from 200 right now. As for who could join the list in 2017, there is only one player who has a chance, Lawrence Olum is 14 appearances from hitting 100. He'd become the thirty-third player to hit 100 appearances for Sporting KC.
Davy Arnaud - 240
Kerry Zavagnin - 237
Nick Garcia - 224
Preki - 218
Jimmy Conrad - 204
Chris Klein - 200
Matt Besler - 200
Jack Jewsbury - 195
Graham Zusi - 194
Roger Espinoza - 160
Michael Harrington - 149
Mo Johnston - 149
Chance Myers - 147
Josh Wolff - 144
Matt McKeon - 144
Seth Sinovic - 133
Jimmy Nielsen - 128
Tony Meola - 125
Chris Brown - 123
Benny Feilhaber - 120
Diego Gutierrez - 119
Uche Okafor - 119
Jose Burciaga - 115
Francisco Gomez - 114
Kei Kamara - 113
Dom Dwyer - 113
Sean Bowers - 111
CJ Sapong - 110
Jacob Peterson - 108
Aurelien Collin - 107
Sasha Victorine - 106
Digital Takawira - 103
Lawrence Olum - 86
Kevin Ellis - 63
Ike Opara - 52
Saad Abdul-Salaam - 52
Tim Melia - 50
Soni Mustivar - 50
Jimmy Medranda - 41
Diego Rubio - 15
Erik Palmer-Brown - 10
Cameron Porter - 2
Across all competitions, Besler moved into the top five for appearances, hitting 239. He should move into top four in 2017 and close in on a top two position by the end of the season. Elsewhere, Espinoza should become the 10th player to play 200 games in all competitions for Kansas City. In all competitions, Olum was the only player that joined the list in all competitions in 2017 finishing with 105 appearances in all competitions, tying him with Teal Bunbury. As for players who could join the list in 2017, there is only one, Kevin Ellis is 18 appearances away from hitting 100 in all competitions, and the only candidate to join in 2017.
Kerry Zavagnin - 291
Davy Arnaud - 273
Nick Garcia - 273
Preki - 254
Matt Besler - 239
Chris Klein - 235
Jimmy Conrad - 230
Graham Zusi - 227
Jack Jewsbury - 218
Roger Espinoza - 184
Matt McKeon - 183
Chance Myers - 175
Michael Harrington - 170
Mo Johnston - 169
Seth Sinovic - 166
Josh Wolff -165
Tony Meola - 156
Chris Brown - 150
Diego Gutierrez - 147
Benny Feilhaber - 145
CJ Sapong - 142
Jimmy Nielsen - 142
Francisco Gomez - 141
Dom Dwyer - 141
Jacob Peterson - 135
Aurelien Collin - 133
Jose Burciaga - 130
Uche Okafor - 130
Kei Kamara - 126
Sean Bowers - 120
Sasha Victorine - 114
Digital Takawira - 111
Bo Oshoniyi - 110
Paulo Nagamura - 119
Teal Bunbury - 105
Lawrence Olum - 105
Mark Chung - 104
Shavar Thomas - 101
Kevin Hartman - 100
Kevin Ellis - 82
Ike Opara - 64
Saad Abdul-Salaam - 62
Soni Mustivar - 61
Tim Melia - 58
Jimmy Medranda - 46
Diego Rubio - 20
Erik Palmer-Brown - 13
Cameron Porter - 6
Benji Joya - 1
Tyler Pasher - 1
Tuesday, January 03, 2017
10,000 Minute Club
The start of the new year means updating stat information ahead of the 2016 season. First is the 10,000 minute club.
Some changes to this list in 2016, two players joined the list while others moved up. Roger Espinoza joined the list and jumped all the way up to 11th place on the list by the end of the season. He should jump into the top 10 easily in 2017. The other entry was at the very end of the list, where Chance Myers hit the 10,000 minute mark early in 2016 in what appears to be his final season in Kansas City. Further up the list, both Matt Besler and Graham Zusi moved up one spot on the list in 2016. Looking ahead to 2017, Besler has a good chance of jumping all the way up to third on the list, which would put him less than a season away from becoming the club's all time leader in minutes play. Zusi's chances of moving up the list involve him needing to log over 2,000 minutes in 2017, something he hasn't done in the last two seasons. As for players who could make the list in 2017, there are a pair of players. Benny Feilhaber is less than 400 minutes from joining the club and should easily join the list. The second is Dom Dwyer, who sits just over 1,200 minutes from joining the club, he too should easily join the list. Only one other player currently on the roster, Lawrence Olum, is within 5,000 minutes of reaching the list.
1. Kerry Zavagnin - 20,516
2. Nick Garcia - 20,158
3. Davy Arnaud - 19,399
4. Jimmy Conrad - 18,194
5. Preki - 17,818
6. Matt Besler - 17,492
7. Chris Klein - 16,381
8. Graham Zusi - 14,327
9. Jack Jewsbury - 13,275
10. Mo Johnston - 12,600
11. Roger Espinoza - 12,413
12. Michael Harrington - 11,633
13. Matt McKeon - 11,584
14. Jimmy Nielsen - 11,497
15. Josh Wolff - 11,467
16. Tony Meola - 11,331
17. Seth Sinovic - 11,320
18. Chance Myers - 10,519
In all competitions, Feilhaber and Dwyer joined the list in 2016 already, bringing the total in the 10,000 minute club in all competitions up to 24 players. Feilhaber clocked in at 20 and Dwyer at 23, with both in spots where they will move up the list quickly in 2017. Near the top of the list, Besler became the sixth memeber of the 20,000 minute club in 2016 and moved all the way up to fourth place. In 2017 third is his likely finishing spot, getting Nick Garcia and Kerry Zavagnin closer to him, but unlikely to pass. Zusi made no move in 2016, but closed the gap on sixth place Chris Klein and could pass him in 2017. Espinoza was again the big mover on this list, jumping from 20 all the way up to 11th and should be entering the top 10 here in 2017 as well. As for new additions in 2017, unless something surprising happens, and Olum plays about 2,500 minutes in all competitions in 2017, no one will be joining this list next season.
1. Kerry Zavagnin - 25,290
2. Nick Garcia - 24,650
3. Davy Arnaud - 21,607
4. Matt Besler - 20,978
5. Preki - 20,647
6. Jimmy Conrad - 20,551
7. Chris Klein - 19,437
8. Graham Zusi - 17,244
9. Jack Jewsbury - 14,973
10. Matt McKeon - 14,602
11. Roger Espinoza - 14,424
12. Seth Sinovic - 14,289
13. Tony Meola - 14,205
14. Mo Johnston - 14,182
15. Michael Harrington - 13,276
16. Josh Wolff - 12,939
17. Jimmy Nielsen - 12,847
18. Chance Myers - 12,795
19. Diego Gutierrez - 12,246
20. Benny Feilhaber - 11,771
21. Aurelien Collin - 11,464
22. Jose Burciaga - 10,624
23. Dom Dwyer - 10,477
24. Uche Okafor - 10,281
Some changes to this list in 2016, two players joined the list while others moved up. Roger Espinoza joined the list and jumped all the way up to 11th place on the list by the end of the season. He should jump into the top 10 easily in 2017. The other entry was at the very end of the list, where Chance Myers hit the 10,000 minute mark early in 2016 in what appears to be his final season in Kansas City. Further up the list, both Matt Besler and Graham Zusi moved up one spot on the list in 2016. Looking ahead to 2017, Besler has a good chance of jumping all the way up to third on the list, which would put him less than a season away from becoming the club's all time leader in minutes play. Zusi's chances of moving up the list involve him needing to log over 2,000 minutes in 2017, something he hasn't done in the last two seasons. As for players who could make the list in 2017, there are a pair of players. Benny Feilhaber is less than 400 minutes from joining the club and should easily join the list. The second is Dom Dwyer, who sits just over 1,200 minutes from joining the club, he too should easily join the list. Only one other player currently on the roster, Lawrence Olum, is within 5,000 minutes of reaching the list.
1. Kerry Zavagnin - 20,516
2. Nick Garcia - 20,158
3. Davy Arnaud - 19,399
4. Jimmy Conrad - 18,194
5. Preki - 17,818
6. Matt Besler - 17,492
7. Chris Klein - 16,381
8. Graham Zusi - 14,327
9. Jack Jewsbury - 13,275
10. Mo Johnston - 12,600
11. Roger Espinoza - 12,413
12. Michael Harrington - 11,633
13. Matt McKeon - 11,584
14. Jimmy Nielsen - 11,497
15. Josh Wolff - 11,467
16. Tony Meola - 11,331
17. Seth Sinovic - 11,320
18. Chance Myers - 10,519
In all competitions, Feilhaber and Dwyer joined the list in 2016 already, bringing the total in the 10,000 minute club in all competitions up to 24 players. Feilhaber clocked in at 20 and Dwyer at 23, with both in spots where they will move up the list quickly in 2017. Near the top of the list, Besler became the sixth memeber of the 20,000 minute club in 2016 and moved all the way up to fourth place. In 2017 third is his likely finishing spot, getting Nick Garcia and Kerry Zavagnin closer to him, but unlikely to pass. Zusi made no move in 2016, but closed the gap on sixth place Chris Klein and could pass him in 2017. Espinoza was again the big mover on this list, jumping from 20 all the way up to 11th and should be entering the top 10 here in 2017 as well. As for new additions in 2017, unless something surprising happens, and Olum plays about 2,500 minutes in all competitions in 2017, no one will be joining this list next season.
1. Kerry Zavagnin - 25,290
2. Nick Garcia - 24,650
3. Davy Arnaud - 21,607
4. Matt Besler - 20,978
5. Preki - 20,647
6. Jimmy Conrad - 20,551
7. Chris Klein - 19,437
8. Graham Zusi - 17,244
9. Jack Jewsbury - 14,973
10. Matt McKeon - 14,602
11. Roger Espinoza - 14,424
12. Seth Sinovic - 14,289
13. Tony Meola - 14,205
14. Mo Johnston - 14,182
15. Michael Harrington - 13,276
16. Josh Wolff - 12,939
17. Jimmy Nielsen - 12,847
18. Chance Myers - 12,795
19. Diego Gutierrez - 12,246
20. Benny Feilhaber - 11,771
21. Aurelien Collin - 11,464
22. Jose Burciaga - 10,624
23. Dom Dwyer - 10,477
24. Uche Okafor - 10,281
Monday, January 02, 2017
2016 Moments of the Year
One last look back at 2016, here are my end of year awards for moment of the year in 2016.
Game of the year - Comets vs Mustangs 12/3/16 - Shutouts don't happen often in indoor soccer, since the Kansas City Comets rebirth back in 2010, the Comets had never had one. That changed in December of this year when the Comets defeated the previously unbeaten Chicago Mustangs 6-0 at the Silverstein Eye Centers Arena. The Comets jumped out to a two goal lead in the first quarter thanks to goals by Ignacio Flores and Lucas Rodriguez. After a scoreless second quarter, Rodriguez scored his second goal of the game off a set piece with a second assist to John Sosa and the Comets were up 3-0.
The Comets extended their lead early in the fourth quarter as Odaine Sinclair scored two minutes in to make it 4-0. Vahid Assadpour added a goal before Ramone Palmer scored with less than a minute left against the sixth attacker to make it 6-0. For his part in goal for the Comets, Stephen Paterson faced 19 shots, saving all of them in route to the shutout.
Goal of the Year - Brad Davis vs Galaxy - When Sporting KC brought in Brad Davis, Sporting was expecting to get another player to help set up goals while scoring a few himself. The assists never really came for Davis in Kansas City, but he did score some important goals for KC early on against LA and Toronto. The one that wins goal of the year is his finish against the LA Galaxy that seemed to even impress him. In the 30th minute of a scoreless game, Graham Zusi headed a long ball into the path of an on-rushing Davis. Davis chased the ball into the box and took a single touch, cutting the ball back that allowed him to beat both Emmanuel Boateng and Jelle Van Damme. With his second touch he curled a beautiful shot with his left foot that curled around goalkeeper Brian Rowe as he dove for the ball, and inside the far post to put Sporting up 1-0 on the Galaxy. Davis didn't have a ton of highlights in his final season of professional soccer, but this was certainly one of them.
Assist of the Year - Benny Feilhaber vs Orlando - I'm cheating just a little bit because it's the secondary assist, but I'm a sucker for Feilhaber's scoop passes. Down 1-0 in the 74th minute, Feilhaber received a ball just outside the top of the box, took a touch and scooped the ball into the box for substitute, Jacob Peterson, who headed the ball back into the middle for Dom Dwyer, who headed the ball in to tie the game at 1-1 in a game KC would eventually win 2-1.
Single Game Performance of the Year - Nicole Barnhart vs Western New York - It wasn't the greatest season for FC Kansas City as they missed out on the playoffs for the first time in their history, but there were some bright spots. From the emergence of Shea Groom, to the return of Desiree Scott, to the defensive performance, FCKC had plenty of highlights. One of those was Nicole Barnart against the Wester New York Flash in July of this year. Playing against the highest scoring team in the league, KC sat a little deeper and absorbed a lot of pressure in the game. That led to a number of opportunities for the Flash. Barnhart though was up to the task, making 14 saves against the Flash in route to a 1-0 win. The performance was enough to earn Barnhart player of the week honors.
Low Point of the Year - Sporting KC vs DC United 5/27 - Heading into the game, at Children's Mercy Park, Sporting KC had won just one game in their last nine after starting the season 3-1. KC had gone 1-6-2 in the nine games priorgoing 1-2-1 at home in that stretch. KC had scored more than one goal just once in that nine game stretch (their only win) and had been shutout three times, scoring just seven goals while allowing 14. Welcoming a DC United team that was 0-2-3 on the road heading into the game. KC completely controlled the game (as KC tends to do in a lot of home games) with 58% of the possession, out shooting DC 18-5, and creating the better of the opportunities. But KC paid for putting just three of their 18 shots on goal as DC United struck late to steal all three points as Alhaji Kamara beat Tim Melia to a ball near the penalty spot, knocking the ball down and then burying his shot into the net as Melia was on the ground after coming for the ball and missing. The 1-0 loss mean that KC had won just one of their last 10, a streak that would turn into 11 games the following week after a 0-0 draw in LA before KC got back to winning against FC Dallas on June 19th.
Non-Kansas City-KC Player Moment of the Year - Matt Besler Scores First International goal - 2016 probably isn't going to go down as the best year in Matt Besler's professional soccer career. He started 2016 as Sporting KC's captain, but then lost it to Roger Espinoza, lost his starting spot with Sporting KC for a time and played the fewest games for his club since his second season as a pro in 2010. It'll still be a memorable year for Besler though as he welcomed his first child.
In early September, Besler had been called up for US national team qualifiers against St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago. Besler traveled to the game in St. Vincent and while there heard that his wife was having their first child. Due to travel, Besler was unable to leave to get home in time for the birth of his daughter so instead took the field for the US, starting in central defense for Klinsmann's side. Already up 1-0 in the 32nd minute, Graham Zusi chipped a free kick into the box where a St. Vincent defender cleared the ball right into the path of Besler who chested the ball down and blasted it into the net for his first international goal. He followed it immediately with a celebration with his teammates in honor of his just becoming a father. The US went on to win the game 6-0 and Besler left to be with his family instead of flying to Jacksonville for the second game.
KC Soccer Player of the Year - Amer Didic - No player on the KC soccer scene probably had a better year than Amer Didic did for the Swope Park Rangers and Sporting KC. The Baker product started the season as a bench player for the Rangers, getting garbage minutes at the end of the game to preserve the lead and kill some time off the clock. After a string of three straight losses and a red card to Oumar Ballo, Didic got a start in Swope's 2-1 win over Tulsa and never looked back. He started 21 of the final 24 games in the regular season for SPR and started all four of their playoff games. He formed a strong partnership with Ballo that helped carry the SPR defense to the USL final, going 13-1-2 when paired together, the only loss in the USL final. Didic's play with SPR earned him a call up to Sporting KC where he started three of KC's four CONCACAF Champions League games, the only game he didn't was the final meaningless one, just days before the USL final. Didic has already signed on to return to SPR in 2017 and continued solid performances should see him up with Sporting KC either on a temporary contract or full time soon enough.
Sporting KC Player of the Year - Dom Dwyer - Dwyer had his second most successful season in terms of goal scoring in his career this past season. Take out Dwyer's penalty kicks in 2014 and Dwyer actually scored more goals from the run of play in 2016 than he did in 2014 (16 to 15). This despite not having a secondary threat to really take the pressure off and being on Dwyer Island for long periods of time in the season.
FCKC Player of the Year - Shea Groom - The second year forward had the unevnyable task of having to try to replace the scoring of Amy Rodriguez and Sydney Leroux, who both missed the season. Groom didn't miss a beat though, scoring eight goals for the Blues in 2016, good for fifth in the league. Groom's eight goals were good for 44% of the Blues' offense in the 2016 season. Add in Rodriguez and Leroux in 2017 and the Blues look to have a strong offense.
Comets Player of the Year - Vahid Assadpour - The Comets captain and assistant coach is one of the few remaining players who have been with the Comets since their rebirth in 2010. He finished last season third in the league in points with 23 goals and 27 assists and was a first team all league selection. So far in the 2016-2017 season he has added five goals and four assists, which is fifth on the team in goals and fourth in assists.
Newcomer of the Year - Didic - Didic does the double winning the player of the year award, and winning that it's easy to see why he's also newcomer to professional soccer in Kansas City in 2016. Didic is probably one of the leading candidates to be the next player to make the jump from the Rangers to Sporting KC permanently.
Game of the year - Comets vs Mustangs 12/3/16 - Shutouts don't happen often in indoor soccer, since the Kansas City Comets rebirth back in 2010, the Comets had never had one. That changed in December of this year when the Comets defeated the previously unbeaten Chicago Mustangs 6-0 at the Silverstein Eye Centers Arena. The Comets jumped out to a two goal lead in the first quarter thanks to goals by Ignacio Flores and Lucas Rodriguez. After a scoreless second quarter, Rodriguez scored his second goal of the game off a set piece with a second assist to John Sosa and the Comets were up 3-0.
The Comets extended their lead early in the fourth quarter as Odaine Sinclair scored two minutes in to make it 4-0. Vahid Assadpour added a goal before Ramone Palmer scored with less than a minute left against the sixth attacker to make it 6-0. For his part in goal for the Comets, Stephen Paterson faced 19 shots, saving all of them in route to the shutout.
Goal of the Year - Brad Davis vs Galaxy - When Sporting KC brought in Brad Davis, Sporting was expecting to get another player to help set up goals while scoring a few himself. The assists never really came for Davis in Kansas City, but he did score some important goals for KC early on against LA and Toronto. The one that wins goal of the year is his finish against the LA Galaxy that seemed to even impress him. In the 30th minute of a scoreless game, Graham Zusi headed a long ball into the path of an on-rushing Davis. Davis chased the ball into the box and took a single touch, cutting the ball back that allowed him to beat both Emmanuel Boateng and Jelle Van Damme. With his second touch he curled a beautiful shot with his left foot that curled around goalkeeper Brian Rowe as he dove for the ball, and inside the far post to put Sporting up 1-0 on the Galaxy. Davis didn't have a ton of highlights in his final season of professional soccer, but this was certainly one of them.
Assist of the Year - Benny Feilhaber vs Orlando - I'm cheating just a little bit because it's the secondary assist, but I'm a sucker for Feilhaber's scoop passes. Down 1-0 in the 74th minute, Feilhaber received a ball just outside the top of the box, took a touch and scooped the ball into the box for substitute, Jacob Peterson, who headed the ball back into the middle for Dom Dwyer, who headed the ball in to tie the game at 1-1 in a game KC would eventually win 2-1.
Single Game Performance of the Year - Nicole Barnhart vs Western New York - It wasn't the greatest season for FC Kansas City as they missed out on the playoffs for the first time in their history, but there were some bright spots. From the emergence of Shea Groom, to the return of Desiree Scott, to the defensive performance, FCKC had plenty of highlights. One of those was Nicole Barnart against the Wester New York Flash in July of this year. Playing against the highest scoring team in the league, KC sat a little deeper and absorbed a lot of pressure in the game. That led to a number of opportunities for the Flash. Barnhart though was up to the task, making 14 saves against the Flash in route to a 1-0 win. The performance was enough to earn Barnhart player of the week honors.
Low Point of the Year - Sporting KC vs DC United 5/27 - Heading into the game, at Children's Mercy Park, Sporting KC had won just one game in their last nine after starting the season 3-1. KC had gone 1-6-2 in the nine games priorgoing 1-2-1 at home in that stretch. KC had scored more than one goal just once in that nine game stretch (their only win) and had been shutout three times, scoring just seven goals while allowing 14. Welcoming a DC United team that was 0-2-3 on the road heading into the game. KC completely controlled the game (as KC tends to do in a lot of home games) with 58% of the possession, out shooting DC 18-5, and creating the better of the opportunities. But KC paid for putting just three of their 18 shots on goal as DC United struck late to steal all three points as Alhaji Kamara beat Tim Melia to a ball near the penalty spot, knocking the ball down and then burying his shot into the net as Melia was on the ground after coming for the ball and missing. The 1-0 loss mean that KC had won just one of their last 10, a streak that would turn into 11 games the following week after a 0-0 draw in LA before KC got back to winning against FC Dallas on June 19th.
Non-Kansas City-KC Player Moment of the Year - Matt Besler Scores First International goal - 2016 probably isn't going to go down as the best year in Matt Besler's professional soccer career. He started 2016 as Sporting KC's captain, but then lost it to Roger Espinoza, lost his starting spot with Sporting KC for a time and played the fewest games for his club since his second season as a pro in 2010. It'll still be a memorable year for Besler though as he welcomed his first child.
In early September, Besler had been called up for US national team qualifiers against St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago. Besler traveled to the game in St. Vincent and while there heard that his wife was having their first child. Due to travel, Besler was unable to leave to get home in time for the birth of his daughter so instead took the field for the US, starting in central defense for Klinsmann's side. Already up 1-0 in the 32nd minute, Graham Zusi chipped a free kick into the box where a St. Vincent defender cleared the ball right into the path of Besler who chested the ball down and blasted it into the net for his first international goal. He followed it immediately with a celebration with his teammates in honor of his just becoming a father. The US went on to win the game 6-0 and Besler left to be with his family instead of flying to Jacksonville for the second game.
KC Soccer Player of the Year - Amer Didic - No player on the KC soccer scene probably had a better year than Amer Didic did for the Swope Park Rangers and Sporting KC. The Baker product started the season as a bench player for the Rangers, getting garbage minutes at the end of the game to preserve the lead and kill some time off the clock. After a string of three straight losses and a red card to Oumar Ballo, Didic got a start in Swope's 2-1 win over Tulsa and never looked back. He started 21 of the final 24 games in the regular season for SPR and started all four of their playoff games. He formed a strong partnership with Ballo that helped carry the SPR defense to the USL final, going 13-1-2 when paired together, the only loss in the USL final. Didic's play with SPR earned him a call up to Sporting KC where he started three of KC's four CONCACAF Champions League games, the only game he didn't was the final meaningless one, just days before the USL final. Didic has already signed on to return to SPR in 2017 and continued solid performances should see him up with Sporting KC either on a temporary contract or full time soon enough.
Sporting KC Player of the Year - Dom Dwyer - Dwyer had his second most successful season in terms of goal scoring in his career this past season. Take out Dwyer's penalty kicks in 2014 and Dwyer actually scored more goals from the run of play in 2016 than he did in 2014 (16 to 15). This despite not having a secondary threat to really take the pressure off and being on Dwyer Island for long periods of time in the season.
FCKC Player of the Year - Shea Groom - The second year forward had the unevnyable task of having to try to replace the scoring of Amy Rodriguez and Sydney Leroux, who both missed the season. Groom didn't miss a beat though, scoring eight goals for the Blues in 2016, good for fifth in the league. Groom's eight goals were good for 44% of the Blues' offense in the 2016 season. Add in Rodriguez and Leroux in 2017 and the Blues look to have a strong offense.
Comets Player of the Year - Vahid Assadpour - The Comets captain and assistant coach is one of the few remaining players who have been with the Comets since their rebirth in 2010. He finished last season third in the league in points with 23 goals and 27 assists and was a first team all league selection. So far in the 2016-2017 season he has added five goals and four assists, which is fifth on the team in goals and fourth in assists.
Newcomer of the Year - Didic - Didic does the double winning the player of the year award, and winning that it's easy to see why he's also newcomer to professional soccer in Kansas City in 2016. Didic is probably one of the leading candidates to be the next player to make the jump from the Rangers to Sporting KC permanently.
Friday, October 28, 2016
S.A.S. Friday After Stats
Matt Besler and Graham Zusi both moved past Peter Vermes and Mo Johnston and into 8th and 9th place for playoff minutes played for KC, Besler finished the game with 1,260 minutes played while Zusi finished with 1,259.
Besler and Zusi also made their 13th playoff appearance for KC, tying them with Peter Vermes for 10th all time on that list.
It was their 13th playoff start as well which tied them with Vermes for 8th all time on that list.
Seth Sinovic moved past both Jimmy Conrad and Aurelien Collin and into 12th place for playoff minutes played, reaching 1,134 minutes played.
In the 6th minute, Sinovic moved past Tony Meola and into 12th place for minutes played for KC in all competitions, he finished the game with 14,289 minutes played.
Sinovic made his 166th appearance in all competitions for KC, breaking his tie with Josh Wolff for 15th all time on that list.
Sinovic made his 12th playoff appearance for KC, tying him with Jimmy Conrad for 13th on that list.
It was his 12th playoff start as well, tying him with Conrad for 11th on that list.
Roger Espinoza made his 184th appearance in all competitions for KC, breaking his tie with Matt McKeon for 10th all time on that list.
Sinovic and Espinoza started their 160th game in all competitions for KC, breaking their tie with McKeon for 10th on that list.
Paulo Nagamura moved into 20th place for playoff minutes played, finishing the game with 696 minutes played.
Dom Dwyer made his 9th playoff appearance for KC, tying him with Jack Jewsbury and Francisco Gomez for 20th on that list.
Besler and Zusi also made their 13th playoff appearance for KC, tying them with Peter Vermes for 10th all time on that list.
It was their 13th playoff start as well which tied them with Vermes for 8th all time on that list.
Seth Sinovic moved past both Jimmy Conrad and Aurelien Collin and into 12th place for playoff minutes played, reaching 1,134 minutes played.
In the 6th minute, Sinovic moved past Tony Meola and into 12th place for minutes played for KC in all competitions, he finished the game with 14,289 minutes played.
Sinovic made his 166th appearance in all competitions for KC, breaking his tie with Josh Wolff for 15th all time on that list.
Sinovic made his 12th playoff appearance for KC, tying him with Jimmy Conrad for 13th on that list.
It was his 12th playoff start as well, tying him with Conrad for 11th on that list.
Roger Espinoza made his 184th appearance in all competitions for KC, breaking his tie with Matt McKeon for 10th all time on that list.
Sinovic and Espinoza started their 160th game in all competitions for KC, breaking their tie with McKeon for 10th on that list.
Paulo Nagamura moved into 20th place for playoff minutes played, finishing the game with 696 minutes played.
Dom Dwyer made his 9th playoff appearance for KC, tying him with Jack Jewsbury and Francisco Gomez for 20th on that list.
Sunday, October 02, 2016
Sunday After Stats
Paulo Nagamura made his 250th league appearance of his MLS career.
Dom Dwyer's goal was his 23rd away from home in all competitions for KC, tying him with Josh Wolff for the second most all time for KC.
Benny Feilhaber's assist was his 36th for KC, breaking his tie with Davy Arnaud for 4th all time on that list.
In the 45th minute, Feilhaber moved ahead of Aurelien Collin and into 20th place for minutes played in all competitions for KC, he finished the game with 11,502 minutes played.
Feilhaber made his 142nd appearance in all competitions for KC, tying him with Jimmy Nielsen and CJ Sapong for 20th on that list.
Feilhaber also made his 108th league start for KC, tying him with Diego Gutierrez for 20th on that list.
Saad Abdul-Salaam and Ike Opara both made their 50th league appearance for KC, they're the 55th and 56th players to hit that mark.
Dom Dwyer's goal was his 23rd away from home in all competitions for KC, tying him with Josh Wolff for the second most all time for KC.
Benny Feilhaber's assist was his 36th for KC, breaking his tie with Davy Arnaud for 4th all time on that list.
In the 45th minute, Feilhaber moved ahead of Aurelien Collin and into 20th place for minutes played in all competitions for KC, he finished the game with 11,502 minutes played.
Feilhaber made his 142nd appearance in all competitions for KC, tying him with Jimmy Nielsen and CJ Sapong for 20th on that list.
Feilhaber also made his 108th league start for KC, tying him with Diego Gutierrez for 20th on that list.
Saad Abdul-Salaam and Ike Opara both made their 50th league appearance for KC, they're the 55th and 56th players to hit that mark.
Saturday, October 01, 2016
Defensive Marking Issues Plague KC in Loss to New England
Sporting Kansas City's playoff hopes took a bit of a hit tonight (at least for an hour or so until the Portland Timbers lost) as they fell 3-1 to the New England Revolution on the road. Sporting KC's defense had issues all night dealing with the New England attack that forced KC into a number of difficult positions. The largest contributor to that was former Kansas City forward, Kei Kamara who had a goal and an assist to help lead the Revolution to the win and keep their playoff hopes alive.
The Revolution struck quickly as in only the fourth minute Juan Agudelo helped Kei Kamara spring the offside trap as Agudelo played a ball behind the KC defense right as Kamara started a run. Replays showed that Saad Abdul-Salaam just barely held Kamara on, but with tons of space on KC's left side, Kamara had all the time in the world to dribble in on goal and beat Tim Mealia 1-1 to put the Revs up 1-0. KC pulled out a formation change themselves, playing more of a 3-5-2 to try to control the midfield and get player forward. The early goal changed the strategy a little bit, but SKC tried to make it work. Unfortunately the Revs continued to have the better of chances, with Melia having to come up with a big save on Kelyn Rowe to keep the game at a one goal deficit while still in the first half. The Revs continued to press but couldn't find a second goal. Late in the half KC had a golden chance to equalize as Paulo Nagamura picked out Dom Dwyer in the box, but Dwyer was hesitant to pull the trigger and allowed the Revolution defenders to recover and snuff out the chance as the teams went into half time with the Revolution up 1-0.
KC made a formation change at half time, bringing on the returning Graham Zusi, who paid almost immediate dividends for Kansas City. Zusi immediately created a corner kick for Kansas City with a chance on goal, and off the corner the ball eventually found Dom Dwyer who turned the ball in to tie the game at 1-1 less than four minutes into the second half. The Revolution though continued to cause problems for the Sporting KC back line throughout the second half and in the 74th, KC paid for it. Kamara again was able to beat Ike Opara one-v-one before playing in a cross. The cross made it all the way through the box to Lee Nguyen, who fired a shot near post on Melia, the shot deflected off the post, across goal, off Kevin Ellis and into the net to put the Revolution back on top 2-1. Minutes later the Revs made it 3-1 as Kamara didn't give up on a corner, beat Opara to a ball and crossed it into the box where Agudelo turned it in put the Revolution up 3-1 on the night. KC couldn't create enough going forward over the final 10 minutes and left part of their playoff chances back up to faith with the loss.
Wizards Man of the Match - Tim Melia - Unfortunately his defense left him out to dry on numerous occasions tonight, and he could only make so many saves to keep Sporting in the game.
Player Ratings - Melia 6, Medranda 6, Opara 2, Ellis 2, Abdul-Salaam 4, Coelho 2, Mustivar 3, Nagamura 3, Peterson 3, Dwyer 4, Feilhaber 4. Subs Zusi 5, Rubio NR.
The Revolution struck quickly as in only the fourth minute Juan Agudelo helped Kei Kamara spring the offside trap as Agudelo played a ball behind the KC defense right as Kamara started a run. Replays showed that Saad Abdul-Salaam just barely held Kamara on, but with tons of space on KC's left side, Kamara had all the time in the world to dribble in on goal and beat Tim Mealia 1-1 to put the Revs up 1-0. KC pulled out a formation change themselves, playing more of a 3-5-2 to try to control the midfield and get player forward. The early goal changed the strategy a little bit, but SKC tried to make it work. Unfortunately the Revs continued to have the better of chances, with Melia having to come up with a big save on Kelyn Rowe to keep the game at a one goal deficit while still in the first half. The Revs continued to press but couldn't find a second goal. Late in the half KC had a golden chance to equalize as Paulo Nagamura picked out Dom Dwyer in the box, but Dwyer was hesitant to pull the trigger and allowed the Revolution defenders to recover and snuff out the chance as the teams went into half time with the Revolution up 1-0.
KC made a formation change at half time, bringing on the returning Graham Zusi, who paid almost immediate dividends for Kansas City. Zusi immediately created a corner kick for Kansas City with a chance on goal, and off the corner the ball eventually found Dom Dwyer who turned the ball in to tie the game at 1-1 less than four minutes into the second half. The Revolution though continued to cause problems for the Sporting KC back line throughout the second half and in the 74th, KC paid for it. Kamara again was able to beat Ike Opara one-v-one before playing in a cross. The cross made it all the way through the box to Lee Nguyen, who fired a shot near post on Melia, the shot deflected off the post, across goal, off Kevin Ellis and into the net to put the Revolution back on top 2-1. Minutes later the Revs made it 3-1 as Kamara didn't give up on a corner, beat Opara to a ball and crossed it into the box where Agudelo turned it in put the Revolution up 3-1 on the night. KC couldn't create enough going forward over the final 10 minutes and left part of their playoff chances back up to faith with the loss.
Wizards Man of the Match - Tim Melia - Unfortunately his defense left him out to dry on numerous occasions tonight, and he could only make so many saves to keep Sporting in the game.
Player Ratings - Melia 6, Medranda 6, Opara 2, Ellis 2, Abdul-Salaam 4, Coelho 2, Mustivar 3, Nagamura 3, Peterson 3, Dwyer 4, Feilhaber 4. Subs Zusi 5, Rubio NR.
Sunday, September 25, 2016
Sunday After Stats
Dom Dwyer's goal was his 15th of the season, tying Eddie Johnson in 2007 as the third most in a single season for KC.
Benny Feilhaber's two assists gave him 35 for his career for KC in league play, tying him with Davy Arnaud for 4th all time.
Feilhaber made his 130th start in all competitions for KC, breaking his tie with Aurelien Collin for 20th all time on that list.
Kevin Ellis made his 50th league start for KC, he's the 49th player to hit that mark.
Roger Espinoza made his 157th start in all competitions for KC, breaking his tie with Tony Meola for 13th and moving him into a tie with Mo Johnston and Seth Sinovic for 11th all time on that list.
Benny Feilhaber's two assists gave him 35 for his career for KC in league play, tying him with Davy Arnaud for 4th all time.
Feilhaber made his 130th start in all competitions for KC, breaking his tie with Aurelien Collin for 20th all time on that list.
Kevin Ellis made his 50th league start for KC, he's the 49th player to hit that mark.
Roger Espinoza made his 157th start in all competitions for KC, breaking his tie with Tony Meola for 13th and moving him into a tie with Mo Johnston and Seth Sinovic for 11th all time on that list.
Sporting End Their Jinx in San Jose
For the first time in 16 years, Sporting Kansas City is returning to Kansas City from San Jose with all three points after a 2-1 win at Avaya Stadium last night. Not since 2000 when a lineup mixed with starters and back ups went to San Jose and won 3-0 has Kansas City been able to get a win on the road in San Jose. The 18 game winless streak was the second longest in league history after New York's winless run in New England.
San Jose though came out firing immediately attacking Kansas City from the opening kick off, but punching a cross only as far as Chris Wondolowski, Tim Melia made a nice save off the US international. Unfortunately for the Earthquakes the early attack came at a cost as forward Quincy Amarikwa appeared to suffer a serious knee injury while going after the initial cross into the box. KC had an early opportunity of their own in the seventh minute and made no mistake as Benny Feilhaber played a quick restart to Paulo Nagamura who crossed a ball into the box for Dom Dwyer who had found space between a group of San Jose defenders and headed the ball past David Bingham and into the net to put KC up 1-0. San Jose began to push the game against KC from there, spending a lot of time attacking Jimmy Medranda down KC's left hand side. Medranda at times struggled with the spotlight from the opposing attack squarely on him, but KC's defense was able to hold out. All the pressure from the Quakes finally got them level in the 42nd a mistake in the back by Nuno Coelho allowed the Earthquakes to score. A long ball to the top of the box was flicked into the box where Coelho held three Quakes players onside, as Coelho went to the ball he held up thinking Melia was going to come and claim it, but Melia stayed on his line and Coelho took too long making up his mind to clear it as Henok Goitom tried to reach for the ball at the same time. Coelho went down thinking he was fouled while Goitom went for the ball and back heeled it into the path of Simon Dawkins who easily beat Melia to tie the game at 1-1 as the teams headed into the half.
The second half started almost the exact same way as the first as the Earthquakes came out flying and another fantastic save by Melia as Wondolowski redirected a cross kept the Quakes from going up 2-1. San Jose continued to pour numbers forward and attack KC's left side and they had another chance at the hour mark as Wondolowski made the run down the left and crossed the ball in, it eventually was knocked back to Alberto Quintero who fired a low blast that Melia saved and then jumped on the rebound. Kansas City started to find some space of their own with Brad Davis having a curling effort tipped wide of the post (although no corner was given) in the 77th minute. In the 80th minute after winning a corner KC grabbed the lead again as Feilhaber's corner was flicked on by Ike Opara to the back side where Kevin Ellis, facing the wrong way, hit the ball with his calf and into the net from about a yard out as he got just enough separation from his defender, giving KC a 2-1 lead. KC held on the final 10 minutes, including a very late corner kick where the Quakes brought Bingham forward to win in San Jose and help their playoff chances after dropping four points at home.
Wizards Man of the Match - Tim Melia - Came up with some huge saves in goal for Sporting last night, the save on Wondolowski at the beginning of the second half was absolutely fantastic reaction save.
Player Ratings - Melia 7, Medranda 4, Ellis 6, Coelho 5, Abdul-Salaam 6, Mustivar 6, Espinoza 6, Nagamura 6, Peterson 4, Dwyer 5, Feilhaber 5. Subs Davis 6, Opara 6.
San Jose though came out firing immediately attacking Kansas City from the opening kick off, but punching a cross only as far as Chris Wondolowski, Tim Melia made a nice save off the US international. Unfortunately for the Earthquakes the early attack came at a cost as forward Quincy Amarikwa appeared to suffer a serious knee injury while going after the initial cross into the box. KC had an early opportunity of their own in the seventh minute and made no mistake as Benny Feilhaber played a quick restart to Paulo Nagamura who crossed a ball into the box for Dom Dwyer who had found space between a group of San Jose defenders and headed the ball past David Bingham and into the net to put KC up 1-0. San Jose began to push the game against KC from there, spending a lot of time attacking Jimmy Medranda down KC's left hand side. Medranda at times struggled with the spotlight from the opposing attack squarely on him, but KC's defense was able to hold out. All the pressure from the Quakes finally got them level in the 42nd a mistake in the back by Nuno Coelho allowed the Earthquakes to score. A long ball to the top of the box was flicked into the box where Coelho held three Quakes players onside, as Coelho went to the ball he held up thinking Melia was going to come and claim it, but Melia stayed on his line and Coelho took too long making up his mind to clear it as Henok Goitom tried to reach for the ball at the same time. Coelho went down thinking he was fouled while Goitom went for the ball and back heeled it into the path of Simon Dawkins who easily beat Melia to tie the game at 1-1 as the teams headed into the half.
The second half started almost the exact same way as the first as the Earthquakes came out flying and another fantastic save by Melia as Wondolowski redirected a cross kept the Quakes from going up 2-1. San Jose continued to pour numbers forward and attack KC's left side and they had another chance at the hour mark as Wondolowski made the run down the left and crossed the ball in, it eventually was knocked back to Alberto Quintero who fired a low blast that Melia saved and then jumped on the rebound. Kansas City started to find some space of their own with Brad Davis having a curling effort tipped wide of the post (although no corner was given) in the 77th minute. In the 80th minute after winning a corner KC grabbed the lead again as Feilhaber's corner was flicked on by Ike Opara to the back side where Kevin Ellis, facing the wrong way, hit the ball with his calf and into the net from about a yard out as he got just enough separation from his defender, giving KC a 2-1 lead. KC held on the final 10 minutes, including a very late corner kick where the Quakes brought Bingham forward to win in San Jose and help their playoff chances after dropping four points at home.
Wizards Man of the Match - Tim Melia - Came up with some huge saves in goal for Sporting last night, the save on Wondolowski at the beginning of the second half was absolutely fantastic reaction save.
Player Ratings - Melia 7, Medranda 4, Ellis 6, Coelho 5, Abdul-Salaam 6, Mustivar 6, Espinoza 6, Nagamura 6, Peterson 4, Dwyer 5, Feilhaber 5. Subs Davis 6, Opara 6.
Sunday, September 18, 2016
Sunday of Stats
Lots of stats from today's game, lots of landmarks hit.
Dom Dwyer's goal was his 50th league goal for KC, he's only the second player to hit that mark for KC.
In the 62nd minute, Dwyer hit 10,000 minutes played for KC in all competitions, becoming the 24th player to hit that mark.
In the 20th minute, Matt Besler moved past Preki and into 4th place for minutes played in all competitions for KC, he finished the game with 20,708 minutes played.
Besler made his 236th appearance in all competitions, breaking his tie with Chris Klein for 5th all time on that list.
Besler started his 228th game in all competitions for KC, tying him with Jimmy Conrad for 5th all time on that list.
Jacob Peterson's goal for Kansas City was the 1,100th in all competitions for KC.
His goal was his 13th league goal for KC, tying him with Matt McKeon, Jose Burciaga, Sasha Victorine, and Claudio Lopez for 19th all time on that list.
Peterson's goal was his 8th at home in league play for KC, tying him with Lopez, Burciaga, and Teal Bunbury for 20th on that list.
In the 47th minute, Roger Espinoza again moved past Seth Sinovic and into 13th place for minutes played in all competitions, he finished the game with 14,064 minutes played.
Roger Espinoza started his 156th game in all competitions for KC, tying him with Tony Meola for 13th all time on that list.
Benny Feilhaber started his 129th game in all competitions for KC, tying him with Aurelien Collin for 20th on that list.
Soni Mustivar made his 50th start in all competitions for KC, he's the 57th player to hit that mark.
Landon Donovan's goal was his 14th in league play against KC, tying him with Jason Kreis as the 2nd leading scorer all time against KC.
Dom Dwyer's goal was his 50th league goal for KC, he's only the second player to hit that mark for KC.
In the 62nd minute, Dwyer hit 10,000 minutes played for KC in all competitions, becoming the 24th player to hit that mark.
In the 20th minute, Matt Besler moved past Preki and into 4th place for minutes played in all competitions for KC, he finished the game with 20,708 minutes played.
Besler made his 236th appearance in all competitions, breaking his tie with Chris Klein for 5th all time on that list.
Besler started his 228th game in all competitions for KC, tying him with Jimmy Conrad for 5th all time on that list.
Jacob Peterson's goal for Kansas City was the 1,100th in all competitions for KC.
His goal was his 13th league goal for KC, tying him with Matt McKeon, Jose Burciaga, Sasha Victorine, and Claudio Lopez for 19th all time on that list.
Peterson's goal was his 8th at home in league play for KC, tying him with Lopez, Burciaga, and Teal Bunbury for 20th on that list.
In the 47th minute, Roger Espinoza again moved past Seth Sinovic and into 13th place for minutes played in all competitions, he finished the game with 14,064 minutes played.
Roger Espinoza started his 156th game in all competitions for KC, tying him with Tony Meola for 13th all time on that list.
Benny Feilhaber started his 129th game in all competitions for KC, tying him with Aurelien Collin for 20th on that list.
Soni Mustivar made his 50th start in all competitions for KC, he's the 57th player to hit that mark.
Landon Donovan's goal was his 14th in league play against KC, tying him with Jason Kreis as the 2nd leading scorer all time against KC.
Sporting Draw at Home Again, Playoff Chances Take a Dive
Yesterday's results around MLS didn't going Sporting Kansas City's way, Portland jumped ahead of Kansas City thanks to a win over Philadelphia while Seattle closed the gap with Sporting KC to just four points with a win over Vancouver. The pair of results put KC in a dangerous situation heading into today's game against the LA Galaxy, a game where Kansas City really needed to win to give themselves some breathing room above the red line and making the playoffs. Unfortunately on the field Sunday Sporting KC put on a typical Sporting KC performance where they dominated in terms of shots, but couldn't put many of those opportunities on goal and had to settle for a 2-2 draw with the Galaxy. The result now sees Sporting KC start a three game road trip, probably needing to pick up a couple wins in those three games to keep in the race for a playoff spot.
Sporting KC came out with some early control of play with Jacob Peterson putting a header just over from about six yards out that showed KC's early intent to really push the game against the Galaxy. Unfortunately it was the Galaxy that struck first early as in just the seventh minute, Emmanuel Boateng got the ball out wide and crossed a ball into the box where Alan Gordon had gotten some separation from Matt Besler and beat Tim Melia with a header to put the Galaxy up 1-0 very early.
After the goal the rest of the half turned into Sporting KC trying to find an equalizer. They created a number of opportunities but either by missing the target or by sliding challenges by LA defenders, KC didn't get a shot on goal until late in the half. The pressure was firmly on both teams as they went into the half time break. It was on KC as the club desperately needed to find a goal to get themselves back into the game, while LA was under all the pressure on the field, having to consistently deal with the Sporting KC attack coming at them, or controlling the ball in their end of the field.
KC found their way back into the game early in the second half though as Dom Dwyer made his way out wide after collecting a ball and crossed into the middle for Jacob Peterson who had about his fourth or fifth chance of the game with his head. Peterson finished this opportunity and leveled the game at 1-1 in only the 50th minute, giving Kansas City plenty of time to find themselves a second goal. The second goal in the 69th minute for Kansas City off a quick restart as Benny Feilhaber smartly put the ball down and played it to Saad Abdul-Salaam who was racing up the wing. Abdul-Salaam crossed it into the middle for Dwyer who knocked the ball into the net to put KC on top 2-1, a heads up play by Feilhaber to catch the Galaxy slack in the back as they slowly backed up for the free kick.
The Galaxy then had to chase the game, and did so by inserting the league's all time leading scorer, Landon Donovan. Donovan had an immediate impact, equalizing just two minutes after coming on, he worked a give-and-go with Robbie Rogers down KC's left, and ran away from Soni Mustivar who seemed to slow down. Receiving the pass back from Rogers Donovan slotted the ball into the far corner on Melia like he had never missed a game and the game was tied 2-2. Kansas City picked the pressure back up after the goal but were unable to find a third and had to settle for the 2-2 draw that sees them only increase their lead on the Sounders to five points while the Sounders have two games in hand.
Wizards Man of the Match - Dom Dwyer - A goal and an assist for the new dad in the game, he set up Peterson with a great cross and read the quick restart that Feilhaber played very well to beat his man. On the down side, he had six shots but only put one of those six on goal.
Player Ratings - Melia 4, Medranda 4, Besler 4, Ellis 4, Abdul-Salaam 5, Mustivar 3, Espinoza 4, Feilhaber 5, Peterson 5, Dwyer 6, Davis 4. Subs Rubio 3, Coelho NR.
Sporting KC came out with some early control of play with Jacob Peterson putting a header just over from about six yards out that showed KC's early intent to really push the game against the Galaxy. Unfortunately it was the Galaxy that struck first early as in just the seventh minute, Emmanuel Boateng got the ball out wide and crossed a ball into the box where Alan Gordon had gotten some separation from Matt Besler and beat Tim Melia with a header to put the Galaxy up 1-0 very early.
After the goal the rest of the half turned into Sporting KC trying to find an equalizer. They created a number of opportunities but either by missing the target or by sliding challenges by LA defenders, KC didn't get a shot on goal until late in the half. The pressure was firmly on both teams as they went into the half time break. It was on KC as the club desperately needed to find a goal to get themselves back into the game, while LA was under all the pressure on the field, having to consistently deal with the Sporting KC attack coming at them, or controlling the ball in their end of the field.
KC found their way back into the game early in the second half though as Dom Dwyer made his way out wide after collecting a ball and crossed into the middle for Jacob Peterson who had about his fourth or fifth chance of the game with his head. Peterson finished this opportunity and leveled the game at 1-1 in only the 50th minute, giving Kansas City plenty of time to find themselves a second goal. The second goal in the 69th minute for Kansas City off a quick restart as Benny Feilhaber smartly put the ball down and played it to Saad Abdul-Salaam who was racing up the wing. Abdul-Salaam crossed it into the middle for Dwyer who knocked the ball into the net to put KC on top 2-1, a heads up play by Feilhaber to catch the Galaxy slack in the back as they slowly backed up for the free kick.
The Galaxy then had to chase the game, and did so by inserting the league's all time leading scorer, Landon Donovan. Donovan had an immediate impact, equalizing just two minutes after coming on, he worked a give-and-go with Robbie Rogers down KC's left, and ran away from Soni Mustivar who seemed to slow down. Receiving the pass back from Rogers Donovan slotted the ball into the far corner on Melia like he had never missed a game and the game was tied 2-2. Kansas City picked the pressure back up after the goal but were unable to find a third and had to settle for the 2-2 draw that sees them only increase their lead on the Sounders to five points while the Sounders have two games in hand.
Wizards Man of the Match - Dom Dwyer - A goal and an assist for the new dad in the game, he set up Peterson with a great cross and read the quick restart that Feilhaber played very well to beat his man. On the down side, he had six shots but only put one of those six on goal.
Player Ratings - Melia 4, Medranda 4, Besler 4, Ellis 4, Abdul-Salaam 5, Mustivar 3, Espinoza 4, Feilhaber 5, Peterson 5, Dwyer 6, Davis 4. Subs Rubio 3, Coelho NR.
Saturday, September 10, 2016
S.A.S. Saturday After Stats
Here are some stats from last night's draw.
In the 24th minute, Matt Besler moved past Jimmy Conrad and into 5th place for minutes played in all competitions for KC, Besler finished the game with 20,618 minutes played.
Besler made his 235th appearance in all competitions for KC, tying him with Chris Klein for 5th all time on that list.
Dom Dwyer's goal gave him 13 league goals on the season, tied with Digital Takawira for the fourth most in a single season for KC.
Jacob Peterson's goal was his 5th league goal of the season, a career high for him.
It was his 5th in all competitions as well, tying a career high.
Roger Espinoza's assist was his 20th in league play for KC, tying him with Jack Jewsbury and Kei Kamara for 10th all time on that list.
It was his 22nd in all competitions for KC, breaking his tie with Jewsbury and Kamara for 10th on that list.
In the 49th minute, Espinoza moved past Seth Sinovic and into 13th place for minutes played in all competitions, he finished the game with 13,974 minutes played.
In the 24th minute, Matt Besler moved past Jimmy Conrad and into 5th place for minutes played in all competitions for KC, Besler finished the game with 20,618 minutes played.
Besler made his 235th appearance in all competitions for KC, tying him with Chris Klein for 5th all time on that list.
Dom Dwyer's goal gave him 13 league goals on the season, tied with Digital Takawira for the fourth most in a single season for KC.
Jacob Peterson's goal was his 5th league goal of the season, a career high for him.
It was his 5th in all competitions as well, tying a career high.
Roger Espinoza's assist was his 20th in league play for KC, tying him with Jack Jewsbury and Kei Kamara for 10th all time on that list.
It was his 22nd in all competitions for KC, breaking his tie with Jewsbury and Kamara for 10th on that list.
In the 49th minute, Espinoza moved past Seth Sinovic and into 13th place for minutes played in all competitions, he finished the game with 13,974 minutes played.
Sporting Blow Two Leads, Have to Settle for a Point vs Houston
After a strong start by Sporting Kansas City last night the club blew a pair of leads and ended up drawing in the final moments of the game as the Houston Dynamo came back to tie Sporting 3-3 at Children's Mercy Park. Sporting had a major let down after going up 2-0 and again in the final moments and it cost them two points at a critical point of the season when they need to get points, especially at home.
For their early pressure in the game, KC was rewarded with the opening goal just 13 minutes in. A Saad Abdul-Salaam cross found Jacob Peterson unmarked near the penalty spot, his initial shot was saved by Joe Willis, the rebound fell to Dom Dwyer who had two chances to put it away with both being blocked before the ball fell to Peterson again who buried it into the net to put KC ahead. KC was able to double their lead about 10 minutes later on a rocket by Roger ESpinoza as he stepped in front of a poor pass by Collen Warner and fired from about 25 yards out that flew into the top corner to make it 2-0. The two goal lead only lasted four minutes as Houston pulled one back in the 30th as Boniek Garcia found himself with all kinds of space near the top of the box before sliding a ball through to Mauro Manotas whose shot to the back post beat Alec Kann to make it 2-1. After the goal the Dynamo controlled the game, keeping KC pinned back in their own end through the rest of the half, but KC held the lead heading into the break.
Just before the hour mark though the lead was gone, after some work down KC's left the ball was crossed into the middle for Manotas who didn't get a good touch on it but it deflected into the path of Alex, who beat Kann to make it 2-2 with the Dynamo having all the momentum. KC finally started to come back into the game though after the equalizer with Dwyer forcing a good save from Willis in the 66th minute. As the minutes ticked by though it seemed KC would have to settle for a 2-2 draw, but in the 81st minute Dwyer found the back of the net off a Benny Feilhaber corner that was knocked into his path by Espinoza to give KC a 3-2 lead and possibly all three points. Unfortunately that wasn't to be either as Sporting again blew the lead, this time in stoppage time after a silly foul by Espinoza on Garcia. With the free kick about 40 yards out Garcia drove the ball into the box where Raul Rodriguez beat Matt Besler in the air, his header hit the cross bar, bounced off Kann and into the net to give the Dynamo a last gasp equalizer as the final whistle blew just seconds after the kick off by KC.
Wizards Man of the Match - Roger Espinoza - The foul on Garcia aside, Espinoza had himself a strong match with a wonder goal and an assist on Dwyer's goal in the second half.
Player Ratings - Kann 4, Ellis 2, Besler 2, Coelho 3, Abdul-Salaam 3, Feilhaber 5, Espinoza 7, Mustivar 5, Davis 4, Dwyer 5, Peterson 5. Subs Sinovic 3, Hallisey 3, Opara NR.
For their early pressure in the game, KC was rewarded with the opening goal just 13 minutes in. A Saad Abdul-Salaam cross found Jacob Peterson unmarked near the penalty spot, his initial shot was saved by Joe Willis, the rebound fell to Dom Dwyer who had two chances to put it away with both being blocked before the ball fell to Peterson again who buried it into the net to put KC ahead. KC was able to double their lead about 10 minutes later on a rocket by Roger ESpinoza as he stepped in front of a poor pass by Collen Warner and fired from about 25 yards out that flew into the top corner to make it 2-0. The two goal lead only lasted four minutes as Houston pulled one back in the 30th as Boniek Garcia found himself with all kinds of space near the top of the box before sliding a ball through to Mauro Manotas whose shot to the back post beat Alec Kann to make it 2-1. After the goal the Dynamo controlled the game, keeping KC pinned back in their own end through the rest of the half, but KC held the lead heading into the break.
Just before the hour mark though the lead was gone, after some work down KC's left the ball was crossed into the middle for Manotas who didn't get a good touch on it but it deflected into the path of Alex, who beat Kann to make it 2-2 with the Dynamo having all the momentum. KC finally started to come back into the game though after the equalizer with Dwyer forcing a good save from Willis in the 66th minute. As the minutes ticked by though it seemed KC would have to settle for a 2-2 draw, but in the 81st minute Dwyer found the back of the net off a Benny Feilhaber corner that was knocked into his path by Espinoza to give KC a 3-2 lead and possibly all three points. Unfortunately that wasn't to be either as Sporting again blew the lead, this time in stoppage time after a silly foul by Espinoza on Garcia. With the free kick about 40 yards out Garcia drove the ball into the box where Raul Rodriguez beat Matt Besler in the air, his header hit the cross bar, bounced off Kann and into the net to give the Dynamo a last gasp equalizer as the final whistle blew just seconds after the kick off by KC.
Wizards Man of the Match - Roger Espinoza - The foul on Garcia aside, Espinoza had himself a strong match with a wonder goal and an assist on Dwyer's goal in the second half.
Player Ratings - Kann 4, Ellis 2, Besler 2, Coelho 3, Abdul-Salaam 3, Feilhaber 5, Espinoza 7, Mustivar 5, Davis 4, Dwyer 5, Peterson 5. Subs Sinovic 3, Hallisey 3, Opara NR.
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Espinoza Suspension Rescinded, Dwyer Has Fun on Deadline Day
Sporting Kansas City got some good news today as an independent review panel rescinded the fine and suspension that was given to Roger Espinoza for his red card that he received in the 87th minute of KC's 2-0 loss to the Philadelphia Union. On the play Espinoza was trying to control a ball near the top of Kansas City's box, to do so he put up his arm to shield off the oncoming Roland Alberg from getting to the ball. Alberg ran into Espinoza's arm right as it went up and the Dutch midfielder let out a cry of pain and went down. Referee Juan Guzman did not hesitate, immediately going to the back pocket and producing a red card for Espinoza for violent conduct.
The upholding of KC's appeal by the panel, which includes a representative USSF, CSA, and PRO, likely had to do with the lack of excessive force that the laws of the game mention in regards to violent conduct. Espinoza didn't cock his elbow like he was throwing it back, make an aggressive movement backward with his arm towards Alberg, instead throwing it up to attempt to keep him from getting to the ball.
With the suspension rescinded, Espinoza will be able to be on the field next Friday when Sporting KC take on the Houston Dynamo.
Dwyer has fun on deadline day
Sporting Kansas City fans know that Dom Dwyer is good for a good trolling every now and then, and with it being transfer deadline day in England, he was at it again. Earlier today, Dwyer posted a picture of himself in front of a British Airways plane like he was getting ready to board. The Birmingham Mail immediately jumped on the image, running with it and saying that there were rumors that Sporting had agreed to a deal with Championship side, Wolverhampton Wanderers in a deal worth $1.64 million.
The reported offer from Wolves was just over half of the offer that Kansas City already turned down from Olympiakos for Dwyer earlier in the transfer window. With the rumor though, writers out at Sporting KC practice today as well as the team itself immediately moved to shoot down those rumors, pointing out that the striker was not on a plane, but was at the team's practice facility in Swope Park. Now England can learn about Dwyer's trolling skills when it comes to social media.
As with the Olympiakos move, this move just doesn't make sense, in fact based on the price it makes even less sense for Kansas City. Besides having extremely limited options to replace him with the transfer window now closed and his importance to the offense, the price that Wolves offered is just laughable.
The upholding of KC's appeal by the panel, which includes a representative USSF, CSA, and PRO, likely had to do with the lack of excessive force that the laws of the game mention in regards to violent conduct. Espinoza didn't cock his elbow like he was throwing it back, make an aggressive movement backward with his arm towards Alberg, instead throwing it up to attempt to keep him from getting to the ball.
With the suspension rescinded, Espinoza will be able to be on the field next Friday when Sporting KC take on the Houston Dynamo.
Dwyer has fun on deadline day
Sporting Kansas City fans know that Dom Dwyer is good for a good trolling every now and then, and with it being transfer deadline day in England, he was at it again. Earlier today, Dwyer posted a picture of himself in front of a British Airways plane like he was getting ready to board. The Birmingham Mail immediately jumped on the image, running with it and saying that there were rumors that Sporting had agreed to a deal with Championship side, Wolverhampton Wanderers in a deal worth $1.64 million.
The reported offer from Wolves was just over half of the offer that Kansas City already turned down from Olympiakos for Dwyer earlier in the transfer window. With the rumor though, writers out at Sporting KC practice today as well as the team itself immediately moved to shoot down those rumors, pointing out that the striker was not on a plane, but was at the team's practice facility in Swope Park. Now England can learn about Dwyer's trolling skills when it comes to social media.
As with the Olympiakos move, this move just doesn't make sense, in fact based on the price it makes even less sense for Kansas City. Besides having extremely limited options to replace him with the transfer window now closed and his importance to the offense, the price that Wolves offered is just laughable.
Sunday, August 14, 2016
Sunday After Stats
Just a couple stats from last night's game.
Dom Dwyer's second goal was the 100th Kansas City has scored against Dallas across all competitions.
At 33 years, 164 days, Paulo Nagamura passed Mark Santel and became the 17th oldest player to play a game for KC.
Dom Dwyer's second goal was the 100th Kansas City has scored against Dallas across all competitions.
At 33 years, 164 days, Paulo Nagamura passed Mark Santel and became the 17th oldest player to play a game for KC.
Saturday, August 13, 2016
Sporting Grab a Point to Start Long Trip
Facing the start of their long trip around North America and the Caribbean, Sporting Kansas City got a 2-2 draw on the road against an FC Dallas team that had dropped only six points out of a possible 36 home points heading into the game tonight. In the first half both teams had some chances, but it was FC Dallas putting Kansas City goalkeeper Alec Kann to the test more. He did a good job early on blocking an effort by Maximilliano Urruti in front of goal after a cross by Michael Barrios. While Kann was the busier goalkeeper, Dom Dwyer forced a good save out of Chris Seitz in the 24th minute off a Graham Zusi corner. Dwyer headed a powerful header on goal but Seitz got down really well and saved the shot right at his feet and the rebound was cleared away. KC suffered an injury blow just 35 minutes in as Ike Opara had to leave with an ankle injury, forcing Kevin Ellis into action in defense for KC. The injury comes at a bad time as the team is still without Matt Besler and Nuno Coelho is just starting to return to form. With the busy stretch ahead the defensive Kann came up big again on another cross by Barrios, this time palming the cross away before it could get to Urruti who had gotten himself space on in the middle of KC's defense.
Kann continued to keep Kansas City in the game in the second half as he made a good save on a header by Walker Zimmerman off a Mauro Diaz free kick. The rebound was put off the post, but Kann appeared to have that shot covered as well. Dallas did finally beat Kann in the 66th minute as Tesho Akindele ghosted into the box completely unmarked by the KC defense and headed home a cross by Atiba Harris to put Dallas on top 1-0. The lead didn't last long for Dallas though as just two minutes later Kansas City was level. Brad Davis received the ball cutting towards the box and fired a shot that Dwyer intercepted as Seitz went to ground, Dwyer was able to turn and fire a shot into the roof of the net over Seitz to level the game at 1-1. Five minutes later Kansas City grabbed the lead. Benny Feilhaber fed the ball into Dwyer who flicked the ball up to himself but Zimmerman knocked the ball into the air. Dwyer followed the ball and one timed a shot past Seitz and into the net putting Kansas City on top 2-1. Once again the lead didn't last long though as three minutes later, Dallas was level. On a cross toward the near post, Kann tried to nonchalantly tip the ball over the bar for a corner, but missed. The ball bounced off the post to Urruti who biked the ball into the net as Kann tried to punch the ball away as he recovered. For as good as Kann played all night it was a glaring mistake that leveled the game at 2-2. Dallas almost retook the lead in the 82nd when Akindele was played in behind the KC defense, but as Kann came out, Akindele attempted to chip the KC goalkeeper, but he put it just wide of the post. Minutes later Dallas had another great opportunity as Dallas countered a KC corner and got a four on one break against Saad Abdul-Salaam, but after a ball played wide, all Dallas got out of the counter was an offside header wide of the post. KC was able to escape that chance and get out of Dallas with a point and will now move on to Trinidad to kick off their Champions League campaign.
Wizards Man of the Match - Alec Kann - The gaff on the second goal for Dallas aside, Kann came up big for Kansas City tonight he made some exceptional saves to keep the game scoreless and to keep Kansas City in the game. He had one miss step and it cost KC the lead.
Honorable Mention - Dom Dwyer
Player Ratings - Kann 7, Medranda 5, Olum 6, Opara 5, Abdul-Salaam 6, Coelho 6, Appiah 5, Feilhaber 5, Peterson 4, Dwyer 7, Zusi 5. Subs Ellis 5, Davis 6, Nagamura NR.
Kann continued to keep Kansas City in the game in the second half as he made a good save on a header by Walker Zimmerman off a Mauro Diaz free kick. The rebound was put off the post, but Kann appeared to have that shot covered as well. Dallas did finally beat Kann in the 66th minute as Tesho Akindele ghosted into the box completely unmarked by the KC defense and headed home a cross by Atiba Harris to put Dallas on top 1-0. The lead didn't last long for Dallas though as just two minutes later Kansas City was level. Brad Davis received the ball cutting towards the box and fired a shot that Dwyer intercepted as Seitz went to ground, Dwyer was able to turn and fire a shot into the roof of the net over Seitz to level the game at 1-1. Five minutes later Kansas City grabbed the lead. Benny Feilhaber fed the ball into Dwyer who flicked the ball up to himself but Zimmerman knocked the ball into the air. Dwyer followed the ball and one timed a shot past Seitz and into the net putting Kansas City on top 2-1. Once again the lead didn't last long though as three minutes later, Dallas was level. On a cross toward the near post, Kann tried to nonchalantly tip the ball over the bar for a corner, but missed. The ball bounced off the post to Urruti who biked the ball into the net as Kann tried to punch the ball away as he recovered. For as good as Kann played all night it was a glaring mistake that leveled the game at 2-2. Dallas almost retook the lead in the 82nd when Akindele was played in behind the KC defense, but as Kann came out, Akindele attempted to chip the KC goalkeeper, but he put it just wide of the post. Minutes later Dallas had another great opportunity as Dallas countered a KC corner and got a four on one break against Saad Abdul-Salaam, but after a ball played wide, all Dallas got out of the counter was an offside header wide of the post. KC was able to escape that chance and get out of Dallas with a point and will now move on to Trinidad to kick off their Champions League campaign.
Wizards Man of the Match - Alec Kann - The gaff on the second goal for Dallas aside, Kann came up big for Kansas City tonight he made some exceptional saves to keep the game scoreless and to keep Kansas City in the game. He had one miss step and it cost KC the lead.
Honorable Mention - Dom Dwyer
Player Ratings - Kann 7, Medranda 5, Olum 6, Opara 5, Abdul-Salaam 6, Coelho 6, Appiah 5, Feilhaber 5, Peterson 4, Dwyer 7, Zusi 5. Subs Ellis 5, Davis 6, Nagamura NR.
Friday, July 29, 2016
Vermes Denies Latest Dwyer to Greece Rumors
The Dom Dwyer to Greece rumors continue while Sporting Kansas City continues to deny them. The latest reports do seem a little dubious though as The Blue Testament reports. The front page of a Greek newspaper reported that Kansas City had supposedly accepted a 4.5 million Euro deal ($5 million US) from Olympiakos and is just waiting on Dwyer to approve the move. The $5 million supposed bid is $2 million more than the initial bid that was reported on Sunday night. Inside the Greek paper though there was no mention of Dwyer, instead it mentioned a 4.5 million Euro bid for Gia Gonzalez according to TBT.
The rumor speculation was quickly put down by Peter Vermes today at practice saying that there was no truth to the reports that the club had sold Dwyer.
The reported fee, if true, is certainly a hard one to turn down for the club. A $5 million transfer fee would be the second largest in team history behind the reported $6 million that Kansas City received from Fulham in early 2008 for Eddie Johnson. It would also allow the club to look to build for the future bringing in new players over the winter, the preferred window for Vermes to bring in players to the team.
On the other hand there are other reasons for KC to not want to do this deal, both on and off the field. On the field Kansas City's offense has finally started to click and a main part of that has been Dwyer, who leads the team in scoring with 10 goals so far this season. The team's next highest scorer is Benny Feilhaber with five goals, but only two didn't come from the penalty spot. After that it's the likes of Brad Davis, Lawrence Olum, and Jacob Peterson with two. Replacing Dwyer's output won't be easy, and with the transfer (and trade) window closing in less than a week, KC's options would quickly become very limited in their options to bring in another forward.
A sale of Dwyer would be seen as the team waving the white flag on this season by many fans, and off the field it's really not a good time for that. The club just this week started season ticket renewal for the 2017 season, and selling one of the team's more popular players and top scorers is not the type of thing that will get people excited to spend quite a bit of money on the team. I've already seen a few fans that have said that they would question whether they should renew if Dwyer is sold. Not necessarily because they are a Dwyer fan, but because of the message that sends about the team less than a year after the club sold also sold Krisztian Nemeth. Kansas City has long seen teams in city trade or let their best players go for nothing over the past few years; it's what helped create the perfect storm that made Sporting KC what it is in the city in 2011. Now if Sporting gives the impression that they are falling into that same path, they're going to create a lot of apathy among many fans of the team.
The rumor speculation was quickly put down by Peter Vermes today at practice saying that there was no truth to the reports that the club had sold Dwyer.
The reported fee, if true, is certainly a hard one to turn down for the club. A $5 million transfer fee would be the second largest in team history behind the reported $6 million that Kansas City received from Fulham in early 2008 for Eddie Johnson. It would also allow the club to look to build for the future bringing in new players over the winter, the preferred window for Vermes to bring in players to the team.
On the other hand there are other reasons for KC to not want to do this deal, both on and off the field. On the field Kansas City's offense has finally started to click and a main part of that has been Dwyer, who leads the team in scoring with 10 goals so far this season. The team's next highest scorer is Benny Feilhaber with five goals, but only two didn't come from the penalty spot. After that it's the likes of Brad Davis, Lawrence Olum, and Jacob Peterson with two. Replacing Dwyer's output won't be easy, and with the transfer (and trade) window closing in less than a week, KC's options would quickly become very limited in their options to bring in another forward.
A sale of Dwyer would be seen as the team waving the white flag on this season by many fans, and off the field it's really not a good time for that. The club just this week started season ticket renewal for the 2017 season, and selling one of the team's more popular players and top scorers is not the type of thing that will get people excited to spend quite a bit of money on the team. I've already seen a few fans that have said that they would question whether they should renew if Dwyer is sold. Not necessarily because they are a Dwyer fan, but because of the message that sends about the team less than a year after the club sold also sold Krisztian Nemeth. Kansas City has long seen teams in city trade or let their best players go for nothing over the past few years; it's what helped create the perfect storm that made Sporting KC what it is in the city in 2011. Now if Sporting gives the impression that they are falling into that same path, they're going to create a lot of apathy among many fans of the team.
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