Death. Taxes.
And Dom Dwyer scoring against the Montreal Impact.
Sporting Kansas City’s English striker continued his dominance of the Canadian side on Saturday, bagging a brace in a highly entertaining 2-2 draw north of the border. Dwyer now has a remarkable nine goals in his last five MLS appearances versus Montreal, including six in three games at Stade Saputo.
So that begs the question: where does Dwyer’s five-game reign over the Impact stack up against similar performances in MLS history? Below is a chart of the most goals scored by a single player over a five-game span against the same opponent.
As the table shows, Dwyer entered rare company on Saturday, becoming just the third player in MLS history to score nine goals over a five-game span against a single foe. Tampa Bay Mutiny forward Mamadou Diallo hit nine past LA Galaxy in four games from July 2000 to June 2002. Dwyer then replicated a feat versus Montreal that was first accomplished by his long-time soccer idol, Thierry Henry. The legendary Frenchman netted nine goals in five meetings with Montreal between March 2012 and August 2014.
Only four other players in MLS history have scored at least eight goals against the same team over a five-game span. Raul Diaz Arce is the only player to do it twice, while MLS Best XI members Landon Donovan, Taylor Twellman and Clint Mathis also managed the trick.
MOST GOALS IN FIVE-GAME SPAN VS. SAME OPPONENT
(ALL-TIME MLS REGUAR SEASON)
<strong>Player (club)</strong> |
<strong>Opponent</strong> |
<strong>Goals</strong> |
<strong>Dates</strong> |
Mamadou Diallo (TB) |
LA Galaxy |
9 in 4 games |
July 2000 - June 2002 |
<strong><em>Dom Dwyer (SKC)</em></strong> |
<strong><em>Montreal Impact</em></strong> |
<strong><em>9 in 5 games</em></strong> |
<strong><em>April 2014 - June 2016</em></strong> |
Thierry Henry (NY) |
Montreal Impact |
9 in 5 games |
March 2012 - August 2014 |
Raul Diaz Arce (DC) |
Colorado Rapids |
8 in 5 games |
June 1996 - August 1997 |
Raul Diaz Arce (DC/NE) |
FC Dallas |
8 in 5 games |
July 1996 - June 1998 |
Landon Donovan (LA) |
D.C. United |
8 in 5 games |
September 2008 - September 2010 |
Taylor Twellman (NE) |
D.C. United |
8 in 5 games |
June 2002 - July 2003 |
Clint Mathis (LA/NY) |
FC Dallas |
8 in 4 games |
April 2000 - April 2001 |
In addition to making league history, Dwyer also continued his ascension on Sporting Kansas City’s all-time goal charts. The 25-year-old now ranks second with 53 goals across all competitions and 44 goals in regular season play.
SPORTING KC ALL-TIME GOAL LEADERS
<strong>Player</strong> |
<strong>Goals<br>
(all comps)</strong> |
<strong>Goals<br>
(reg season)</strong> |
<strong>Years with club</strong> |
Preki |
81 |
71 |
1996-2000, 2002-2005 |
<strong><em>Dom Dwyer</em></strong> |
<strong><em>53</em></strong> |
<strong><em>44</em></strong> |
<strong><em>2012 - present</em></strong> |
Davy Arnaud |
52 |
43 |
2002-2011 |
Josh Wolff |
46 |
43 |
2003-2006, 2008-2010 |
Chris Klein |
43 |
39 |
1998-2005 |
Another player who gained ground in the Sporting Kansas City record books on Saturday? Midfielder Benny Feilhaber notched an assist for the third straight game (including U.S. Open Cup) and now has 41 helpers across all competitions, fourth most in club history. He has sole possession of fifth place on the regular season ledger with 29 assists.
SPORTING KC ALL-TIME ASSIST LEADERS
<strong>Player</strong> |
<strong>Assists<br>
(all comps)</strong> |
<strong>Assists<br>
(reg season)</strong> |
<strong>Years with club</strong> |
Preki |
104 |
98 |
1996-2000, 2002-2005 |
Graham Zusi |
59 |
47 |
2009 - present |
Chris Klein |
54 |
45 |
1998-2005 |
Benny Feilhaber |
41 |
29 |
2013 - present |
Davy Arnaud |
40 |
35 |
2002-2011 |
