USL PRO Feature
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
One of the hallmarks of Dom Dwyer’s time with Orlando City was the manner in which he would apply defensive pressure to the opposing team’s defense, trying to force poor passes that would help the Lions regain possession and quickly spring into attack.
That mentality came from Sporting Kansas City, and the high-pressure work ethic that has proven to be crucial in the side’s success in recent seasons. This past Saturday, it was again in evidence as SKC took a 4-0 win against the Montreal Impact as Dwyer scored twice to move to the top of the MLS Standings.
“Sorry, but he was a pain in the ass for their defenders,” Sporting Kansas City manager Peter Vermes said in his postmatch news conference. “He really was. They were having a hard time with him all night.”
With his two goals, Dwyer doubled his total for the season as he moved into a tie for third in MLS through six games this season. His performance against the Impact also put him at the top of the Weekly Castrol Index player rankings, and earned a place on the MLS Team of the Week.
“I was pleased to get a couple of goals, obviously,” Dwyer said in the news conference. “I needed it. The last game, I thought I played well and was just unlucky. I thought that was coming again today, when the keeper saved it with his face. But I just kept going and got chances, and we closed the game out well.”
If four goals in six games sounds familiar, it’s the same total that Dwyer had for Orlando after the first month of the 2013 USL PRO season. Incidentally, his sixth game last season also had him score twice, against Dayton. That’s not to say the expectation should be that Dwyer will now go on the same tear that saw him record 11 goals in his next seven games for the Lions, but MLSSoccer’s Matt Doyle writes that Dwyer’s finishing could be the final piece for an SKC side that has been excellent in all other facets this season.
“Now it seems the dam may have burst. Dwyer got a pair of goals this weekend, and both were real predator's goals,” Doyle wrote. “The temptation will be to say ‘It's just the Impact,’ but all streaks have to start somewhere. And that will be bad news for the rest of the league, since Sporting's struggles in the 18 have been the only thing preventing them from becoming a juggernaut.”