Sporting Kansas City won their second game in a row, and fourth in five, on Wednesday with a 2-0 victory over the New York Red Bulls at Children's Mercy Park.
Sporting took the lead within in a minute of the restart, as Dom Dwyer was in the right place at the right time to beat Sal Zizzo, playing center back in this match. Dwyer doubled the lead and grabbed his second of the night in the 68th minute.
Goals
Three Things
- SPORTING LEAD THE WAY: Kansas City now sit atop the Western Conference standings (although not all teams have played as many games as them) and continued their strong defensive record in this game. They have only allowed three goals in nine games, by far the lowest number (and rate) in MLS, and while the season is young, are on pace to pulverize the record, which they hold from 2012 (27 goals allowed in 34 games). If they can keep the defense as stingy as they have been, they'll certainly be in the postseason reckoning.
- DWYER CASHES IN FOR POINTS: Of course, wins are more palatable than 0-0 draws, and Dwyer's tallies helped ensure maximum points on the night for Sporting. Dwyer has now scored five goals in five games, and an in-form Dwyer is a very good thing for Kansas City moving forward, especially with finishes being taken with his lesser-used right foot.
- ROTATION GAME FOR RED BULLS: One condition that likely played a role in the result was the lineups used on each side. SKC's Peter Vermes opted for a first-choice XI, while New York's Jesse Marsch made six changes from his usual starting lineup, including the unusual choice of Zizzo in the center of defense. In this particular game, the experienced top group won out, of course, but with both teams in a double-game week, it will be interesting to see the squads selected on each team in the weekend games.
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