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Sporting Kansas City's 2022 Major League Soccer regular season home finale is set for Sunday at 4 p.m. CT against the Seattle Sounders. Tickets for the annual Fan Appreciation match are on sale at SeatGeek.com with no fees attached. Coverage of the contest will air nationally on FS1 and can be found in the Fox Sports app.
Sporting is perfect in their last five home matches, outscoring opponents 16-4 in those five wins dating back to Aug. 6. Seattle enters the match fighting for their playoff lives, five points back of the playoff line with just two matches to go.
Here is a numerical look at Sunday's duel between Sporting Kansas City and the Seattle Sounders.
Head-to-Head
- Sporting has gone 8-4-3 in the last 15 regular season meetings against Seattle since 2015.
- Sporting has won four of the last six meetings dating back to 2019.
- Seattle won the most recent matchup by a 3-0 scoreline on June 25 with goals from Will Bruin, Jordan Morris and Cristian Roldan at Lumen Field.
- In 2021, Sporting became just the second MLS team to earn two regular season road wins at Seattle in the same year.
- The last eight regular season meetings between the clubs have produced 31 goals, a clip of 3.9 goals per match. The first 16 regular season meetings in the series from 2009-2017 produced just 29 goals, a clip of 1.8 per match.
- Sporting captain Johnny Russell has six goals and one assist in eight career regular season appearances against Seattle. His six goals against Seattle are tied for his most versus any MLS opponent.
- Seattle leads the all-time regular season series with an 11-9-4 record (including a 5-4-2 mark in Kansas City) and went 7-1-1 in the first nine meetings from 2009-2014.
Sporting Kansas City
- 2022 MLS record: 10-15-7, 37 points (12th in Western Conference)
- 2022 MLS home record: 8-6-2 (24 GF, 17 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 is 14-3-5 all-time in regular season home finales, including 7-2-2 at Children’s Mercy Park.
- Sporting is unbeaten in the club’s last 11 October home matches since 2015 with a 9-0-2 record.
- Since the start of August, Sporting has a 5-1-2 record. Their 2.12 points per match and .750 winning percentage during that time are most in the Western Conference and second best in MLS.
- In that span Sporting is averaging 2.63 goals per match, most in the Western Conference and second most in MLS.
- Sporting is 9-3-2 when scoring first and 1-12-2 when conceding first this season. Similarly, Sporting is 6-2-1 when leading at halftime and 0-8-3 when down at halftime.
- Sporting’s four domestic titles over the last 10 seasons are tied with Seattle for the most among American MLS clubs since 2012.
- Forward Johnny Russell, who leads Sporting with eight regular season goals and 10 goals in all competitions, has become the first player in Sporting history to score six goals in five consecutive regular seasons.
- Since the start of August, forward Willy Agada has seven goals (fifth most in MLS during that time) and a team-leading nine goal contributions (two assists) across seven starts.
- Forward Daniel Salloi leads Sporting with 11 goal contributions (seven goals, four assists) in the regular season.
- At 21 years and five months, John Pulskamp is the third-youngest MLS goalkeeper to post two or more shutouts this season, behind 18-year-old Gaga Slonina of Chicago and 20-year-old Rocco Rios Novo of Atlanta).
- Midfielder Remi Walter ranks second in MLS in distance covered (213.3 miles) and third among field players in recoveries (237). His three goals are a career-high for a single league season dating back to 2013. Walter is the only Sporting player to start in all 32 MLS matches this season and ranks fifth in the league amongst field players in minutes played (2,795).
- Midfielder Roger Espinoza has become the third active MLS player to record an assist in 13 different MLS seasons alongside Kei Kamara and Dax McCarty.
Seattle Sounders
- 2022 MLS record: 12-16-4, 40 points (9th in Western Conference)
- 2022 MLS road record: 3-11-12, 11 points (18 GF, 26 GA)
- 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs: Lost to Real Salt Lake in Western Conference Round One
- All-time Honors: Two MLS Cups (2016, 2019), four Open Cups (2009, 2010, 2011, 2014), one Supporters' Shield (2014), one CONCACAF Champions League (2022)
- Seattle has reached the MLS Cup Playoffs in all 13 seasons since entering the league in 2009. The Sounders are at risk of missing the postseason for the first time in club history.
- Seattle is 0-7-1 in their last eight road matches since July 13. The club’s last away win came by a 2-0 scoreline on July 2 at Toronto. The Sounders are 3-11-2 on the road this season.
- Seattle’s club-record 16 losses are the second most in the Western Conference and tied for the fourth most in MLS.
- Seattle has suffered 14 losses by a single goal, four more than any other team this season.
- Seattle has five losses when scoring first, tied for the second most in MLS.
- Seattle has gained 21 points from losing positions, tied for third most in MLS. They have also dropped 17 points from winning positions, tied for fourth most in MLS.
- Seattle has three wins when trailing at halftime this season, tied for the most in MLS.
- Forward Raul Ruidiaz leads Seattle with nine goals this season, but injuries have limited the Peru international to 18 appearances.
- Midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro leads Seattle with 11 assists and 51 chances created. He has five regular season goals and 10 goals in all competitions, bagging five in Seattle’s victorious Concacaf Champions League campaign.
- Midfielder Albert Rusnak leads Seattle in regular season appearances (30), starts (28) and minutes (2,455). His five goal contributions (three goals, two assists) are tied for his fewest since joining MLS in 2017.
- Defender Yeimar Gomez Andrade leads MLS in interceptions (69) while also ranking 13th in the league in clearances (106).
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.
