KANSAS CITY, Kan. – That's how you halt your own skid and your opponent's hot streak in one shot.
Three shots, really – and two of them from Benny Feilhaber.
Sporting Kansas City's No. 10 reached double-digit goals in league play for the first time in his career, delivering a second-half brace as Sporting halted a five-match winless streak with a 3-1 victory over FC Dallas on Friday night.
Feilhaber scored on a free kick in the 65th minute and from the penalty spot in the 76th and now has 10 goals in MLS play for Sporting (12-8-8). Dom Dwyer also notched his 10th goal of the year for Kansas City with an insurance strike in the 83rd minute, moving him back into a share of the team lead with Feilhaber.
The two also gave Sporting their first double-digit scoring tandem in one league season since 1998 – and winger Krisztian Nemeth is right behind with nine goals in MLS play.
Dallas (14-9-5) had a three-match winning streak broken – and only a six-save performance from keeper Jesse Gonzalez kept the scoreline from turning ugly for the visitors.
The match started slowly, with neither team able to convert through a scoreless first half.
Dallas' Michael Barrios got off a near-post blast that forced Jon Kempin into a save with just over a minute gone in the match, but the visitors didn't put another shot on frame before the break.
Sporting's best chances of the half came late, but the hosts came away empty after Dwyer pushed his header wide left in the 38th minute and Gonzalez made a diving save of Chance Myers' shot off a corner kick in stoppage time.
Gonzalez came up big again in the 53rd minute, diving to his left to parry Graham Zusi's header and then stopping Zusi's close-range putback attempt, but there was nothing he could do about Feilhaber's free kick in the 65th.
Feilhaber, who set up the opportunity when he was fouled by Ezequiel Cirigliano just outside the box, sent in a low blast that found the lower right corner of the net. Eleven minutes after that, Gonzalez hauled down Dwyer just inside the penalty area and Feilhaber converted the spot kick after a stutter-step run-up.
Dallas pulled one back through Victor Ulloa 10 minutes from time, raising the visitors' hopes for salvaging a road point or more, but Dwyer drove Paulo Nagamura's pass into the upper right corner three minutes later to seal Sporting's first victory since they beat Vancouver 4-3 at home on Aug. 15.
Sporting are back on the road on Wednesday, when they face the Houston Dynamo, while FC Dallas are off until they visit the Los Angeles Galaxy on Sept. 26.
Steve Brisendine covers Sporting Kansas City for MLSsoccer.com.
