"By The Numbers presented by Compass Minerals" 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 close the month of March with a trip to face FC Dallas on Saturday at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. CT with live coverage on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV, pitting a pair of familiar foes who share a history dating back to the inaugural 1996 MLS campaign.
On the heels of a frustrating home loss to LAFC, Sporting is looking to bounce into the win column against a Dallas side that has uncharacteristically lost two straight home games. Something has to give when the MLS charter members lock horns this weekend. With both sides eager for points in the Western Conference, we take a statistical look at the fixture in our newest edition of By The Numbers presented by Compass Minerals.
Head-to-Head
- Sporting and Dallas met three times last year in all competitions. Sporting won twice in the space of four days at Children’s Mercy Park—prevailing 3-2 in the regular season on July 7 and 2-1 in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals on July 10—before Dallas punctuated Decision Day with 2-1 home victory on Oct. 19.
- Sporting forward William Agada scored four goals across the three meetings last season, including a brace in the 3-2 regular season win on July 7 and one goal in the other two matches.
- Dallas forward Petar Musa also scored in all three meetings last season, including a pair of second-half equalizers in Kansas City and the go-ahead goal in Texas last October.
- Sporting midfielder Memo Rodriguez scored a late winner in Kansas City’s 3-2 regular season victory last July. He has three goals and five total goal contributions (two assists) in 15 regular season appearances against Dallas, both of which are his most against any MLS opponent.
- The three seasons in which Sporting has failed to make the playoffs since 2011 have all ended with Decision Day road matches against Dallas at Toyota Stadium (2019, 2022, 2024).
- The home team in the series has won the last seven meetings across all competitions since May 2022.
- Sporting has lost three straight meetings at Toyota Stadium since 2022, each by a 2-1 scoreline. Sporting’s last road win against Dallas came on Sept. 29, 2021, when Daniel Salloi scored a brace to spark a 3-1 victory.
- Dallas owns a narrow edge in the all-time regular season series, posting a 31-29-14 record through 74 meetings. Sporting’s 31 regular season losses against Dallas are their most versus any MLS opponent.
- Sporting earned two road victories over Dallas in 2021, becoming the first team since 2003 to win twice at Dallas in a single regular season.
- Sporting forward Daniel Salloi has eight goals and two assists in 17 regular season appearances against Dallas. His eight regular season goals versus Dallas are his most against any MLS opponent and the most by any Sporting player in the all-time series.
- Sporting forward Dejan Joveljic has three goals in six regular season appearances against Dallas, all from 2023-2024 as a member of the LA Galaxy. He had a brace in his last meeting against Dallas, a 3-1 home win for LA on May 29, 2024.
- Sporting forward Mason Toye has two goals in six regular season appearances against Dallas, all from 2019-2020 as a member of Minnesota United FC.
- Dallas midfielder Sebastian Lletget has six goal contributions (three goals, three assists) in 14 regular season appearances against Sporting.
- Dallas winger Leo Chu has five assists in five regular season appearances against Sporting, all as a member of Seattle Sounders FC. Four of Chu’s 14 career MLS assists came in Seattle’s 4-1 road win over Sporting on March 25, 2023.
- Dallas head coach Eric Quill played for the Kansas City Wizards from 2002-2003, logging four goals and 11 assists in 49 MLS appearances (including one goal and three assists in six playoff games).
Sporting Kansas City
- 2025 MLS record: 0-4-1, 1 point (15th in West | 5 GF, 10 GA)
- 2025 MLS away record: 0-2-0 (1 GF, 3 GA)
- First Five MLS Matches: L-L-L-T-L
- Sporting leads MLS with 109 progressive carries (dribbles that advance the ball at least 10 yards closer to the opponent’s goal line or into the penalty area) while ranking fourth with 249 progressive passes.
- Sporting leads MLS in dribbles into the penalty area (33) and dribbles into the final third (76).
- Sporting ranks second in MLS in total tackles won (63) and tackles won in the attacking third (20).
- Sporting has a 7-0-1 record in all competitions when scoring at least twice since June 29, 2024.
- Forward Dejan Joveljic leads Sporting with two goals this season. He has nine goals in his last 12 MLS appearances dating back to last year with the LA Galaxy (including playoffs).
- Midfielder Manu Garcia is tied for fourth in MLS in successful take-ons (11) and ranks ninth in shot-creating actions (23).
- Midfielder Memo Rodriguez is tied for 10th in MLS in expected assists per 90 minutes (0.38).
- Forward Shapi Suleymanov leads MLS in progressive passes received (69) while ranking third in carries into the penalty area (15), sixth in fouls suffered (14) and ninth in progressive carries (19).
- Defender Logan Ndenbe is tied for second in MLS with five successful crosses into the penalty area from open play. He also ranks third in progressive carrying distance (830 yards) and fourth in progressive carries (23)
- Midfielder Nemanja Radoja is tied for seventh in MLS in dribblers tackled (eight).
- Three Sporting players have started in all seven of the club’s matches this season across all competitions: goalkeeper John Pulskamp, defender/midfielder Jake Davis and midfielder Erik Thommy.
- Thommy, who scored Sporting’s opening goal in a 2-1 loss at D.C. United on March 8, has captained the team in each of its first seven matches this season across all competitions.
- Davis has started at right back in each of Sporting’s first seven matches this season across all competitions. He is tied for sixth in MLS in tackles won (11) and total tackles (16).
FC Dallas
- 2025 MLS record: 2-2-1, 7 points (8th in West | 7 GF, 8 GA)
- 2025 MLS home record: 0-2-0 (1 GF, 4 GA)
- First Five MLS Matches: W-T-L-L-W
- Dallas has opened the 2025 season with a 0-2-0 home record and a 2-0-1 away record.
- Dallas is looking to avoid its first three-game home losing streak in regular season play since September 2011. The club has never lost each of its first three home matches of a single regular season.
- Dallas has scored three goals from the 31st minute until halftime this season, the most in MLS.
- Dallas has conceded three goals after the 75th minute this season, tied for second most in MLS.
- Dallas has used 18 different players during the 2025 regular season, tied for second fewest in MLS.
- Dallas ranks third in MLS in offsides (15), third in clearances (160) and fourth in tackles won (61).
- Midfielder Luciano Acosta has earned MLS Best XI and MLS All-Star accolades in each of the previous three seasons since 2022, all as a member of FC Cincinnati. The 2023 MLS MVP eclipsed double-digit goals and assists during the 2022, 2023 and 2024 MLS campaigns. His 93 regular season goal contributions (41 goals, 52 assists) from 2022-2024 were the most in MLS.
- Acosta, who has two goals this season, ranks fifth in MLS in shot-creating actions (25), sixth in expected assists (1.7), sixth in successful passes into the penalty area (12) and eighth in key passes (12).
- Forward Petar Musa led the team with 16 goals during the 2024 regular season, his debut campaign in MLS. Musa has two goals and two assists in five games this season.
- Defender Shaq Moore ranks third in MLS in tackles won (12), while defender Sebastien Ibeagha ranks eighth in clearances (38).
- Midfielder Ramiro Benetti is tied for third in MLS in interceptions (11).
Milestones and Miscellany
- Forward Daniel Salloi is one shy of the 300th appearance in his professional club career.
- Goalkeeper John Pulskamp is one shy of his 50th appearance for Sporting in all competitions.
- Defender Robert Voloder is one shy of his 50th start for Sporting in all competitions.
- Defender Dany Rosero is one shy of his 50th regular season start for Sporting.
- Defender Tim Leibold is one shy of his 50th MLS appearance for Sporting (regular season and playoffs combined).
