USL PRO Feature
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
TAMPA, Fla. – Leading up to Sporting Kansas City’s game with the Montreal Impact this past Saturday, Dom Dwyer was hopeful of notching his first hat trick for the MLS side.
His hopes weren’t without foundation, with the former Orlando City loanee and 2013 USL PRO Golden Boot co-winner having scored a pair of goals against the Impact in their last meeting just more than three weeks prior. For the second time in as many games this season, though, Dwyer would settle for a pair of goals to lead his side to a 3-0 victory on Saturday as SKC remained on top of the Eastern Conference standings. Dwyer’s brace moved him to six goals this season, good for fourth in the league, and saw him named to the MLS Team of the Week.
“I think we controlled the game from the start, and it was a very solid performance,” Dwyer said in his post-game interview. “It was one we needed away from home.”
Dwyer’s first goal came from the penalty spot after Montreal’s Collen Warner was whistled for a hand ball on the goal line that also reduced the Impact to 10 men. Dwyer’s shot to the bottom-left corner beat Montreal goalkeeper Troy Perkins in the 18th minute, and he then added a second with just more than 25 minutes to go as a good through ball by Toni Dovale released him behind the defense.
That was Dwyer’s last serious action as he was replaced in the 70th minute, and while he would have liked the chance to complete his hat trick, SKC’s schedule during the upcoming weeks took precedence.
“We have a bunch of games coming up, so at 3-0 the game was over,” Dwyer said. “Honestly, the result is the most important. I want a hat trick, and I’ll get one at some point, but obviously this was a great result and we got the three points we needed.”
Dwyer wasn’t the only USL PRO alum to play an important role in his side’s success this past weekend as 2011 USL PRO All-League selection and Rookie of the Year Luke Mulholland continued his strong first season for Real Salt Lake. Mulholland provided backup to Javier Morales’ hat trick with a goal and an assist in RSL’s 5-2 victory against the Houston Dynamo.
The goal was Mulholland’s third for RSL, with the former Wilmington Hammerheads standout having also added a pair of assists in 10 appearances this season.