"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 host the Houston Dynamo in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 16, Wednesday night at Children’s Mercy Park. Kickoff for what promises to be an exciting cup tie between two rival clubs is set for 7:30 p.m. CT with tickets available at SeatGeek.com.
Wednesday will be the 10th highly consequential meeting between Sporting and the Dynamo in the last 10 years with the two sides meeting in various cup battles seemingly every year. The match is also a homecoming for a pair of Dynamo staff members as head coach Paulo Nagamura and assistant coach Jimmy Nielsen return to Children’s Mercy Park after winning both an MLS Cup and Open Cup title as members of Sporting KC.
Below, we provide a statistical preview of the Open Cup clash between Sporting Kansas City and the Houston Dynamo.
Head-to-Head
- Over the last 10 years, Sporting have met Houston in five editions of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018) and four editions of the MLS Cup Playoffs (2011, 2012, 2013, 2017).
- Including this season, Sporting and Houston have met in five of the last six Open Cup tournaments since 2015. In the previous four matchups, the winner has gone on to win the tournament three times.
- The all-time MLS regular season series is dead even through 39 meetings with both teams going 13-13-13.
- Sporting are 8-3-2 in their last 13 regular season meetings against Houston dating back to October 2017.
- The last five meetings between Sporting and Houston at Children’s Mercy Park have produced 23 goals, an average of 4.6 goals per game.
Sporting Kansas City
- 2022 MLS record: 3-7-4, 13 points (13th in Western Conference)
- 2022 MLS home record: 3-1-2, 11 point (7 GF, 5 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 have won four Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup titles, tied with Chicago Fire FC and Seattle Sounders FC for the most among MLS clubs and one behind Maccabi Los Angeles and Bethlehem Steel for most in the tournament’s 107-year history.
- Sporting owns a 22-7-3 home record in the U.S. Open Cup and hasn’t lost at home in the competition since falling in the 2014 Round of 16 to the Portland Timbers.
- Sporting have lost just once in their last seven matches across all competitions, posting a 2-1-4 record.
- Sporting is currently navigating a stretch of seven competitive matches in 22 days between May 7-28, including two in the U.S. Open Cup.
- Sporting are 4-1-2 at home in all competitions, with the lone loss coming to Nashville SC on April 9.
- Forwards Johnny Russell and Daniel Salloi are tied for the team lead with four goals this season.
- Salloi’s five goals in the U.S. Open Cup are one shy of tying Dom Dwyer for the most in club history.
- Sporting KC Academy products Cam Duke and Felipe Hernandez are tied for the team lead with three assists this season.
- Midfielder Remi Walter leads MLS in distance covered (99.7 miles), minutes played (1,260) and recoveries among field players (122). His two goals this year have equaled his career-high for a single league season dating back to 2013.
- Goalkeeper Tim Melia owns an 8-1-2 record in the U.S. Open Cup as a member of Sporting. His two draws were shootout victories in the 2015 final at Philadelphia and the 2017 semifinal against San Jose.
Houston Dynamo
- 2022 MLS record: 5-5-3, 18 points (7th in Western Conference)
- 2022 MLS road record: 2-3-0 (7 GF, 6 GA)
- 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs: N/A
- All-time Honors: Two MLS Cups (2006, 2007), one US Open Cup (2018)
- Houston is 2-3-0 on the road this season after going winless away from home in 2021 with a dismal 0-11-6 record. Their two road wins are more than the single away win they mustered in the regular season from 2020 and 2021 combined.
- Houston currently occupies the seventh and final playoff spot in the West. They have failed to reach the playoffs in seven of the last eight seasons, including each of the last four.
- Houston has played 10 of 15 matches at home this season, including their first two wins in the U.S. Open Cup over the Rio Grande Valley FC Toros and San Antonio FC.
- Both of Houston’s previous Open Cup wins this season have been settled late. Sam Junqua scored a game-winner in second-half stoppage time against RGV and Sebastian Ferreira scored in the 82nd minute of a 1-0 triumph against San Antonio.
- Four of Houston’s five losses have come by a single goal. The lone multi-goal defeat was a 2-0 decision at D.C. United on May 7.
- Forward Sebastian Ferreira leads Houston with six goals in all competitions. He was named MLS Player of the Week on Monday after bagging a goal and two assists in a 3-0 road win over the LA Galaxy on Sunday.
- Darwin Quintero’s five regular season goals are tied with Ferreira for the team lead. Quintero also leads the team with 21 chances created, 12 more than any other Dynamo player.
- Goalkeeper Steve Clark ranks sixth in MLS with 41 saves.
Milestones and Miscellany
- Manager Peter Vermes has coached in exactly half of Sporting’s regular season matches all-time (417 of 834) and over half of the club’s matches in all competitions (493 of 983).
- Forward Johnny Russell ranks third in club history with 44 regular season goals and fourth with 47 goals in all competitions.
- Forward Daniel Salloi has 12 career game-winning goals in the regular season, one shy of tying the club record held by Preki and Dom Dwyer.
- Midfielder Roger Espinoza is one shy of passing Matt Besler for most Open Cup starts in club history (19) and 54 minutes shy of becoming the first player in SKC history to eclipse 2,000 minutes in Open Cup competition.
