KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Dom Dwyer is one goal away from matching Sporting Kansas City's single-season scoring record and two away from making it his own – but that's just a means to an end for the young center forward.
“Obviously, it's something that I've set in my targets that I want to do,” Dwyer told MLSsoccer.com earlier this week. “But there's a lot more to achieve than that. I want to win. We haven't won two championships in a row, so I want to do that. That's what's important for me.”
In the shorter term, Dwyer – who had to sit out Wednesday's 3-1 loss at New England on yellow-card accumulation – will try to help Sporting snap a rare three-match losing streak when they visit New York on Saturday (7:30 pm ET, NBCSN).
If he does so by adding a goal to his 17 tallies this season, Dwyer will match Preki's club scoring record set in MLS' inaugural season in 1996.
“I think it would be good, because it's shown a lot of progression from his perspective as well,” Sporting KC head coach Peter Vermes said of the 24-year-old Dwyer. “He's worked very hard this year. Is it possible? Yeah. Is he going to do it this year? I think so.”
Dwyer would have three record-breaking performances in two years and as many leagues if he pulls level with Preki. Dwyer set a USL PRO single-season mark with 15 goals in 13 matches last year while on loan to Orlando City SC, then returned for a one-off encore that saw him score a record four goals in the Lions' 7-4 win over Charlotte in the USL PRO title match.
“I think if you work hard, you get your rewards,” Dwyer said. “You get out what you put into it. I'd definitely say I've put what I can into it, and I definitely think I have a lot more, too. I'm going to improve as a person and a player. I think I'm maturing, and I think that in time I'd like to establish myself and be seen as one of the top forwards in this league and one of the best players in this league.
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“I'm enjoying myself right now, and I'm ready to be somewhere for a long time.”
“Somewhere” meaning Kansas City, where he could take shots at his own scoring record for years to come?
“If I'm wanted here for a long time, that's where I'd like to be,” he said. “I'm here. I'm settled. I'm happy. It's not anything that's in my control. I'm always looking to improve stuff, and if I get settled down here and enjoy it, then yeah, I'd like to start breaking my own records.”
Steve Brisendine covers Sporting Kansas City for MLSsoccer.com.
