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.