"By The Numbers" is a season-long series that gives a statistical preview of every Sporting match. To visit the series archive, click here.
Sporting Kansas City will head down to Frisco, TX for a Decision Day duel with FC Dallas on Sunday at 4 p.m. CT. The conclusion to the 2022 season will begin at 4 p.m. CT and coverage will be provided by 38 The Spot, starting 30-minutes prior to kickoff with the Sporting KC Pregame Show.
These two Western Conference clubs have faced off twice this season in all competitions. Sporting knocked FC Dallas out of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in a 4-2 extra-time thriller at Children's Mercy Park and fought to a 2-2 draw at home as well.
Below is the final By The Numbers of the 2022 campaign, providing a statistical preview of Sunday's Decision Day matchup between Sporting Kansas City and FC Dallas.
Head-to-Head
- FC Dallas holds a narrow edge in the all-time regular season series between the MLS charter members, posting a 28-27-14 record through 69 meetings.
- Sporting have three regular season road wins at FC Dallas over the last five seasons. No other MLS opponent has more than one during that time. FC Dallas have gone 41-12-26 at Toyota Stadium since 2018, with three losses to Sporting and one to nine other opponents.
- Sporting have prevailed in each of their last two visits to Toyota Stadium, winning 2-0 on Aug. 14 and 3-1 on Sept. 29 of last year.
- Sporting forward Johnny Russell has six goals and one assist in 10 regular season appearances against FC Dallas.
- Sporting forward Daniel Salloi has six goals and two assists in 12 regular season appearances against FC Dallas, including three goals in his last two matches at Toyota Stadium.
- FC Dallas forward Jesus Ferreira has four goals in eight regular season appearances against FC Dallas, including a goal in the 2-2 draw between the sides on April 30 in Kansas City.
Sporting Kansas City
- 2022 MLS record: 11-15-7, 40 points (12th in Western Conference)
- 2022 MLS road record: 2-9-5 (16 GF, 35 GA)
- 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs: Lost to Real Salt Lake in Western Conference Semifinals
- All-time Honors: Two MLS Cups (2000, 2013), four Open Cups (2004, 2012, 2015, 2017), one Supporters' Shield (2000)
- Sporting are unbeaten in seven regular season matches for the first time since 2017 and hold the longest active unbeaten run in MLS, posting a 5-0-2 record since Aug. 21.
- Sporting ended the 2022 MLS campaign with six straight regular season home wins, equaling their longest home win streak during the Children’s Mercy Park era and one shy of the club record set in 1998 and 2000.
- Sporting have four clean sheets in their last six matches since Aug. 27. The last time the club posted four shutouts in six regular season games was August to September in 2018.
- Sporting are 10-3-2 when scoring first and 1-12-2 when conceding first this season. Similarly, Sporting is 7-2-1 when leading at halftime and 0-8-3 when down at halftime.
- Forward Willy Agada has eight goals and two assists in his last eight starts dating back to Aug. 6. Among players with 500 minutes this season, he ranks second in MLS with 0.87 goals per 90 minutes.
- Agada and forward Johnny Russell are tied for the team lead with eight regular season goals, while forward Daniel Salloi is one behind with seven. Russell leads the team with 10 goals in all competitions.
- Salloi assisted Agada’s decisive goal in a 1-0 home win over Seattle on Sunday and leads the team in total goal contributions (12) and assists (five) during the regular season.
- Russell has become the first player in Sporting history to score six goals in five consecutive regular seasons. His 80 combined goals (48) and assists (32) in the regular season are third most in MLS since the start of 2018.
- Salloi is one of three players with at least 20 goals and 15 assists over the last two regular seasons alongside Hany Mukhtar and Carles Gil.
- Defender Ben Sweat has a 9-6-2 record in 17 regular season starts this season.
- Defender Andreu Fontas ranks fifth in MLS in goals added, an advanced metric that measures a player’s total on-ball contribution in attack and defense.
- At 21 years and five months, John Pulskamp is the second-youngest MLS goalkeeper to post three or more shutouts this season behind 18-year-old Chicago keeper Gaga Slonina.
FC Dallas
- 2022 MLS record: 13-9-11, 50 points (3rd in Western Conference)
- 2022 MLS home record: 9-3-4, (26 GF, 14 GA)
- 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs: N/A
- All-time Honors: Two Open Cups (1997, 2016), one Supporters' Shield (2016).
- Dallas have conceded 36 goals through 33 regular season matches, the second fewest in MLS.
- Dallas have conceded 14 goals at home, an average of 0.88 per match and tied for the second fewest in MLS.
- Dallas have been awarded one penalty kick this season, the fewest in MLS.
- Dallas are 9-1-7 when scoring the first goal and 4-8-2 when conceding the first goal.
- Dallas have three wins when trailing at halftime, tied for the most in MLS (3-6-0 record in such games).
- Forward and U.S. international Jesus Ferreira ranks fourth in MLS with 18 goals. His six match-winning goals are tied for the league lead, while his five multi-goal games are second most in MLS.
- Winger Paul Arriola is one of 14 MLS players with at least nine goals and six assists this season. He also leads Dallas with 57 chances created.
- Center back Jose Antonio Martinez, who has 30 starts and appearances during the regular season, ranks fourth in MLS with 127 clearances.
- Dallas are 10-3-9 when center backs Jose Antonio Martinez and Matt Hedges start together. The team is 3-6-2 when at least one of the two does not start.
- Midfielder Paxton Pomykal has hit regular season career-highs in starts (29), appearances (32), minutes (2,360) and assists (five).
Milestones and Miscellany
- Forward Johnny Russell is one shy of 50 goals in MLS competitions. Additionally, his 92 goals and assists in all competitions are fifth most in club history, one shy of tying Benny Feilhaber for fourth.
- Forward Daniel Salloi’s 38 regular season goals are tied with Kei Kamara for seventh most in club history and one shy of tying Chris Klein for sixth.
- Midfielder Roger Espinoza has 43 regular season assists for Sporting, tied with Benny Feilhaber for fourth most in club history and two shy of tying Chris Klein in third.
- Defender Graham Zusi is the first player in MLS history to play 14 seasons all with one club. His 30 regular season goals are one shy of tying Benny Feilhaber and Mo Johnston for ninth most in club history.
