"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.
A pair of MLS originals will lock horns Saturday as Sporting Kansas City visits the LA Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. Kickoff is set for 9:30 p.m. CT with live coverage on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV, Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340 AM.
Sporting bounced back into the win column last weekend with a 2-1 home triumph over Seattle Sounders FC, generating newfound momentum ahead of a daunting trip to the high-scoring Galaxy. With matches coming thick and fast in early summertime, we take a statistical look at the fixture in our newest edition of By The Numbers, presented by Compass Minerals.
Head-to-Head
- Sporting is 7-2-7 against LA in the last 16 regular season meetings since October 2015.
- Sporting is 3-0-3 in the last six regular season meetings since losing twice to the Galaxy in 2019.
- Sporting is 3-1-3 in its last seven regular season visits to Dignity Health Sports Park since 2016, including wins in 2017, 2018 and 2021. The lone loss during that stretch came in September 2019.
- LA head coach Gregg Vanney is 1-5-6 in 12 MLS meetings against Peter Vermes and Sporting, including a 0-2-3 record with Toronto and a 1-3-3 record with LA.
- The clubs last met on March 23 at Children’s Mercy Park. Sporting took a 2-0 halftime lead through Nemanja Radoja and Willy Agada before LA scored three unanswered goals in the second half—one each from Eriq Zavaleta, Dejan Joveljic and Mark Delgado—to secure a 3-2 comeback win.
- Sporting and LA drew both meetings in 2023, a 0-0 decision at Children’s Mercy Park and a 2-2 stalemate at Dignity Health Sports Park.
- In 71 regular season meetings all-time, LA holds the narrow edge over SKC with a 27-26-18 record.
- The 71 regular season meetings dating back to 1996 have produced just four scoreless draws.
- Sporting goalkeeper John Pulskamp has a 2-0-2 regular season record against LA with two shutouts and a 1.00 goals against average. He developed in the LA Galaxy Academy as a youth player.
- Sporting forward Johnny Russell has six goals in nine regular season appearances against LA, tied for his second most against any MLS opponent.
- Sporting forward Willy Agada had three goals and one assist in four regular season appearances against LA. His three goals against LA are his second most versus any opponent (four vs. Portland).
- Sporting forward Daniel Salloi has three goals and four assists in 12 regular season matches against LA.
- Sporting forward Alan Pulido scored two goals in the most recent meeting between the clubs at Dignity Health Sports Park, a 2-2 draw on June 21, 2024.
- Midfielder Memo Rodriguez has two goals in 10 regular season appearances against LA, the club he played for during the first half of the 2023 MLS campaign.
Sporting Kansas City
- 2024 MLS record: 3-9-5, 14 points (12th in West | 26 GF, 32 GA)
- 2024 MLS away record: 1-5-2 (9 GF, 13 GA)
- Last five matches: 1-4-0 (L-L-L-L-W)
- Sporting’s 2-1 home win over Seattle last weekend marked the second straight season that SKC has beaten the Sounders to snap a 10-match MLS winless run.
- Sporting has conceded the first goal in eight of its last 10 matches across all competitions after doing so just once in the first nine games of 2024.
- Sporting ranks ninth in MLS with 1.53 goals per match, fourth most during the club’s 14-year Sporting KC era dating back to 2011.
- Sporting ranks fifth in MLS with 1.53 non-penalty goals per game.
- Sporting has scored seven goals off set pieces this season, tied for the fourth most in MLS. The team has also conceded seven goals off set pieces, fifth most in MLS.
- Sporting leads MLS with nine goals from outside the box and has taken 50% of its shot attempts from outside the box, the highest percentage in MLS.
- Sporting has fielded 11 different starting lineups in its last 11 matches across all competitions. Sporting has utilized 15 different starting lineups in 19 total matches this season.
- Forward Johnny Russell scored Sporting’s equalizer in the 2-1 win over Seattle last weekend. The SKC captain has three goals in his last four starts and now has seven career goals against the Sounders, his most against any MLS opponent.
- Forward Alenis Vargas came off the bench as a second-half substitute to score an 85th-minute winner last weekend. He has scored in two of Sporting’s three league wins this season, opening his MLS account in a 3-1 road triumph over Toronto FC on March 30.
- Vargas has recorded the third-fastest top speed in MLS this season at 22.69 miles per hour.
- Forward Khiry Shelton has assisted goals in each of Sporting’s last two home matches, including the game-winning assist to Vargas in last weekend’s victory over Seattle that saw Shelton play at right back.
- Nine of Shelton’s 15 career assists for Sporting in the regular season have been game-winning assists. His nine game-winning assists in the regular season are eighth most in club history.
- Forward Alan Pulido and midfielder Erik Thommy are tied for the Sporting lead with four goals this season in all competitions.
- Midfielder Memo Rodriguez leads Sporting with four assists this season. He also ranks sixth in MLS in successful take-on percentage (70%).
- Defender Tim Leibold ranks fourth in MLS in dribblers tackled (23).
LA Galaxy
- 2024 MLS record: 7-3-7, 28 points (4th in West | 31 GF, 15 GA)
- 2024 MLS home record: 4-0-3 (16 GF, 11 GA)
- Last five matches: 2-1-2 (T-T-W-W-L)
- LA has just three losses midway through the 2024 regular season after suffering 12 or more defeats in each of the last seven seasons since 2017, including an 8-14-12 record in 2023.
- LA is unbeaten at home this season with a 4-0-3 record at Dignity Health Sports Park. The Galaxy are one of three teams with an unbeaten home record in 2024 (LAFC and New York Red Bulls).
- Three of LA’s four home wins have come by a single goal, the lone exception a 3-1 victory over FC Dallas on May 29.
- LA ranks fourth in MLS in goals scored (31) and third in goals per match (1.82).
- LA has overturned a two-goal deficit to avoid defeat in a league-high three matches this season: a 2-2 draw at Nashville on March 10, a 3-2 win at Sporting on March 23 and a 2-2 home draw against Real Salt Lake on May 11.
- During the 2024 regular season, LA has a goal differential of -1 through the 60th minute and a goal differential of +7 after the 60th minute.
- LA has scored five goals in the first 15 minutes of matches this season, tied for the most in MLS.
- LA has scored six goals on counterattacks this season, second most in MLS.
- LA has conceded nine goals off set pieces this season, tied for second most in MLS.
- LA is the only team in MLS to rank in the top five in total shots (fifth with 255) and total shots faced (second with 263). The Galaxy have attempted 15 shots per game and faced 15.5 shots per game.
- LA has a 2-2-3 record when allowing the first goal and is one of only four MLS teams with a .500 record or better when conceding first.
- LA has led at halftime just three times in 17 matches this season, winning all three. Their three halftime leads are the second fewest in the Western Conference.
- LA has been awarded six penalty kicks this season, second most in MLS. The team has converted just three of them.
- LA leads MLS in passes per match (575) and successful passes per match (512) while ranking second in passing accuracy (88.9%).
- Forward Dejan Joveljic is tied for seventh in MLS with nine goals, two shy of tying his career-high, and ranks fourth with 9.99 expected goals.
- Midfielder Riqui Puig is tied for sixth in MLS in assists (eight) and leads the league in fouls suffered (47).
- Puig leads MLS with 1,366 completed passes, over 200 more than any other player.
- Defender Maya Yoshida ranks sixth in MLS in clearances (50).
Milestones and Miscellany
- Forward Johnny Russell is one shy of 150 goals in his professional club career.
- Forward Daniel Salloi has appeared in 69 straight regular season matches since June 19, 2022, the third longest streak in club history (Chris Brown 80, Mark Chung 74).
- Forward Alan Pulido is tied for ninth in Sporting history with 31 regular season goals alongside Benny Feilhaber, Mo Johnston and Graham Zusi.
