SANDY, Utah – Tim Melia’s acrobatics against Real Salt Lake on Sunday gave Sporting Kansas City their first shutout in nearly two months.
The scoreless draw wasn’t enough to clinch a playoff spot. But short of that, Melia said, the all-around defensive performance was just what his team needs going into the final game of the season – and hopefully a sixth straight year of postseason play.
“Most importantly, we’ve got to keep zeroes,” Melia, who has battled back problems this season, said after earning his first clean sheet since late July.
That’s something Sporting hadn’t been able to do in recent weeks, having given up 16 goals in their previous eight games. Despite that, Melia said he never lost faith in Sporting’s backline.
“These guys have done such a good job protecting me all year,” he said. “We’ve usually only given away a few shots a game.”
The match, which Sporting manager Peter Vermes said “really came down to the performance of the 'keepers on both teams” may have been epitomized by a 61st-minute sequence that didn’t wind up on the score sheet.
Having deflected a cross from left winger Burrito Martinez onto the waiting foot of right winger Joao Plata, Melia stopped the rocketed volley with a diving save that started from a foot outside his goal.
Neither save counted, as Martinez was deemed to have played the ball from across the end line. Still, Melia’s actions seemed to pump up his side, who spent the better part of the rest of the game on the attack.
Sporting came up empty, though, despite getting off 12 shots in the match – nine of those in the second half. The scoreless draw meant Kansas City lost a bit of ground on Portland, who will be fighting to wrest away the sixth and final spot in the Audi 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs next Sunday on Decision Day.
But Vermes praised his team’s effort, and particularly its defense, noting Melia’s “fantastic” outing and left back Seth Sinovic’s solid play play – at altitude, no less – in his first start since August.
Vermes also credited center back Matt Besler for having “one of his better performances in a long time” after two games on the bench.
For his part, Besler said it was time to put controversies about his playing time in the past – along with the other 33 games his team has played this season.
“All that matters now,” Besler said, “is one game.”
