Beyond The Box Score: Tim Melia keeps Sporting KC close as historic start comes to an end

Sporting Kansas City’s unbeaten start to the season ended Saturday, but not before Tim Melia delivered another sterling performance to keep his team in contention for a result at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.

FC Dallas became the last remaining undefeated side in MLS thanks to Maynor Figueroa’s 77th-minute header, which gave the hosts a 1-0 victory and broke Sporting Kansas City’s club-record four-game road shutout streak. Yet Saturday’s showdown was delicately poised from kickoff until the final whistle, and Melia was a big reason why.

The Sporting KC goalkeeper made five saves during a busy first half, tied for the most by a Sporting KC goalkeeper in a single half since the start of the Opta era in 2010. Melia fell two shy of the all-time club record for saves in a half and equaled the season-high for any MLS keeper in 2017.

MOST SAVES BY A SPORING KC GOALKEEPER IN A SINGLE HALF
MLS REGULAR SEASON, OPTA ERA (2010 - PRESENT)

Melia ends Week 8 among the top five MLS goalkeepers in just about every relevant category, currently posting a 0.43 goals against average (second), four shutouts (first), 23 saves (fifth) and an 82.1 save percentage (second).

With Figueroa’s match-winning goal came an end to a historic run that Sporting KC began when the current campaign kicked off almost two months ago. Manager Peter Vermes’ men became just the fourth side to go the first six games of a season without trailing, playing 616 minutes before falling behind for the first time in 2017.

LONGEST START TO MLS SEASON WITHOUT TRAILING