Sporting Kansas City isn't yet at the top of the Western Conference standings, but after a dominant stretch and multiple matches in hand against each team it trails, a stay atop its new table seems likely.
The club has gotten back to its defensive roots with five shutouts in its last six league matches, and that could continue with consecutive home dates beginning Saturday night against former East foe Montreal.
Since the beginning of May, Sporting (8-3-6) has gone 6-1-2 in MLS play with a 15-5 scoring advantage. It hasn't dropped a point in five home matches in that time, is the only club not to have lost at home (6-0-3) and has added two home U.S. Open Cup wins.
In league play, it hasn't conceded a home goal in the last three matches and 296 minutes. That highlights a seven-match winning streak across both competitions, which equals three previous spans - single season or otherwise - for a franchise-best streak.
Kansas City also won 1-0 at Vancouver on Sunday, and the run of success has it earning a league-leading 1.76 points per game, though it enters the weekend in sixth having played at least two fewer matches than the other five clubs in playoff position.
"Obviously our confidence is high right now, we feel pretty good about playing at home then on the road and grabbing points," Benny Feilhaber told the club's official website.
"One thing for us, we have a lot of games in hand on a lot of teams but, those don't mean anything if we cannot get the results. We made a point of coming here and telling (every) guy that, look, we've got to get it done, we've got to keep moving up the table."
Kevin Ellis scored in the 52nd minute, giving the defender two in five matches after going without a goal in his first 30 league appearances, but Sporting hasn't needed unexpected goal scorers against the Impact.
Kansas City won all three matches against Montreal last season on a 9-1 aggregate, and Dom Dwyer scored two goals in each contest.
Montreal (6-7-3) had plenty going in its own attack in last Saturday's 3-0 home win over Columbus with Dominic Oduro bagging his own brace. The club hadn't won in its last three matches while conceding seven times.
"We're making progress and trying to maintain it," Oduro told the club's official website. "We have a couple of tough games to come. Hopefully we do the same again as we need to have that killer instinct. When we get our chances we have to bury them, and today we did that."
It almost never happens away from Stade Saputo with the Impact going 1-5-2 on the road while conceding a 16-6 aggregate. Since the start of last season, they're 1-17-7 in away MLS matches, and they've gone 0-5-2 in Western Conference stadiums since a 2-1 victory in Portland on March 9, 2013.
Montreal will have some midfield help trying to crack that spell going forward.
The Impact acquired Kyle Bekker from Dallas for Bakary Soumare on Thursday after the former Montreal defender requested a trade. Bekker participated in the Gold Cup for Canada, which was eliminated after group play, so the midfielder and fellow Canadian Maxim Tissot could be with the club.
Sporting will have Marcel de Jong back from the Canadian side, but midfielders Graham Zusi (United States) and Soni Mustivar (Haiti) remain with their national teams for Saturday's quarterfinal matches.
