"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's busy summer slate continues Wednesday as Manager Peter Vermes' men visit Dignity Health Sports Park for a showdown with the LA Galaxy at 9:30 p.m. CT. Fans can catch the Western Conference clash on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV, Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340 AM.
Despite a last-gasp loss to reigning MLS Cup champion LAFC on Saturday, Sporting hits the road for this midweek matchup as one of the hottest teams in the West. No club in the conference has more wins (five), points (17) or goals (18) than Sporting since the start of May. The Galaxy, meanwhile, have yet to hit second gear after stumbling out of the gates in a tumultuous start to 2023.
We take a statistical look at the contest in our newest edition of By the Numbers, presented by Compass Minerals.
Head-to-Head
- Sporting are 7-2-6 against LA in the last 15 regular season meetings since October 2015.
- Sporting are 3-0-2 in the last five regular season meetings since losing twice to the Galaxy in 2019.
- Sporting are 3-1-2 in their last six regular season visits to Dignity Health Sports Park since 2016, including wins in 2017, 2018 and 2021.
- LA head coach Gregg Vanney is 0-5-5 in 10 MLS meetings against Peter Vermes and Sporting, including a 0-2-3 mark with Toronto and a 0-3-2 record with LA.
- The clubs last met on March 11 at Children’s Mercy Park, battling to a 0-0 draw. The most recent meeting at Dignity Health Sports Park resulted in a 2-2 stalemate on Sept. 4, 2022, with Chicharito scoring twice for LA and Sporting receiving goals from Johnny Russell and Felipe Hernandez.
- Sporting took four points from two meetings in 2022, prevailing 4-2 at Children’s Mercy Park on Aug. 6 and drawing 2-2 at LA on Sept. 4.
- 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 eight regular season appearances against LA.
- In five regular season starts against Sporting, LA goalkeeper Jonathan Bond is 0-3-2 with a 2.00 goals against average.
- Chicharito has scored each of LA’s last four goals against Sporting. The last Galaxy player to score against Sporting other than Chicharito was Zlatan Ibrahimovic in LA’s 7-2 home win on Sept. 15, 2019.
- In 69 regular season meetings all-time, Sporting and LA have 26 wins and 17 draws apiece.
- The 69 regular season meetings dating back to 1996 have produced just four scoreless draws.
Sporting Kansas City
- 2023 MLS record: 5-9-5, 20 points (10th in West | 21 GF, 27 GA)
- 2023 MLS away record: 1-5-4 (6 GF, 15 GA)
- Last five MLS matches: 3-1-1 (W-W-T-W-L)
- Since the start of May, Sporting lead the Western Conference in wins (five) and points (17). No other Western Conference team has more than 12 points during that time.
- Since the start of May, Sporting lead MLS in goals (18) and rank third in goals per game (2.0).
- Sporting are 6-0-0 when scoring multiple goals this season in all competitions and 0-10-5 when scoring one or fewer.
- In Sporting’s last 15 home matches since August 2022, the team has scored at least four goals five times and at least three goals seven times.
- Sporting rank second in MLS with 96 shots on target (5.1 per game).
- Sporting lead MLS in progressive carries (395) and rank third in progressive passes (836). Progressive carries and passes advance the ball 10 or more yards to goal, or into the penalty box.
- Sporting have conceded five penalty kicks this season, the most in MLS.
- Sporting have committed 9.8 fouls per match, the second fewest in MLS. Conversely, Sporting lead MLS with 3.1 fouls suffered in the attacking third.
- Sporting striker Alan Pulido has scored in three straight MLS matches and leads the team in both MLS goals (five) and goals across all competitions (six) this season.
- Pulido is tied for the MLS lead with five total goal contributions since the start of June (four goals, one assist).
- Among players with at least 50 appearances for Sporting in all competitions, Pulido ranks second in club history in goal contributions per game (0.63) and third in goal contributions per 90 minutes (0.76). He has 21 goals and 11 assists in 51 competitive appearances (3,774 minutes) for the club.
- Since the start of 2020, Sporting are 25-13-9 in the regular season when Pulido plays (1.79 points per game and 1.77 goals per game). The club is 20-28-13 when he does not play (1.2 points per game, 1.25 goals per game).
- Since the start of 2020, Sporting are 21-9-7 when both Pulido and midfielder Gadi Kinda play in the regular season (1.89 points per game, 1.89 goals per game). The club is 14-20-11 in games without both of them (1.18 points per game, 1.2 goals per game).
- With midfielder Nemanja Radoja on the field this season, Sporting are 4-3-4 with a +3 goal differential. Without him, Sporting are 1-6-1 with a -9 goal differential.
- Forward Daniel Salloi is one of three Western Conference players with seven goals and seven primary assists since the start of August 2022 alongside Cristian Espinoza (San Jose) and Carlos Vela (LAFC).
- Salloi leads Sporting with nine goal contributions this season in all competitions (five goals, four assists). He leads MLS in progressive carries (73) while ranking second progressive passes received (172), second in successful crosses from open play (17), fifth in carries into the penalty area (27), fifth in shots on target (21), fifth in expected assists (4.6) and sixth in chances created (37).
- Midfielder Erik Thommy leads Sporting with five assists in all competitions. Sporting are 5-0-0 when he scores a goal in MLS play.
- Thommy has two goals and four assists since the start of May. He ranks eighth in MLS in shots (50) and seventh in shots on target (20).
- Midfielder Remi Walter leads MLS field players with 141 recoveries this season.
LA Galaxy
- 2023 MLS record: 3-9-4, 13 points (13th in West | 14 GF, 27 GA)
- 2023 MLS home record: 2-4-1 (9 GF, 11 GA)
- Last five MLS matches: 1-3-1 (L-L-L-W-T)
- LA has a goal differential of -13, tied with the Colorado Rapids for the worst in MLS (14 GF, 27 GA). LA’s home goal differential of -2 (9 GF, 11 GA) is third worst in MLS ahead of only Colorado and Real Salt Lake.
- LA has a home record of 2-4-1, the second worst in MLS ahead of only the Colorado Rapids (0-4-4).
- LA has conceded 27 goals this season, tied for the fourth most in MLS.
- LA lead MLS in passing accuracy (87.2%) while ranking fourth in possession (56.4%).
- LA ranks second in MLS in shots per game (15.3) and seventh in shots on target per game (4.8) but rank third to last in goals per game (0.88).
- According to Opta, LA has underperformed its expected goal total by 9.78, the second worst in MLS (14 goals scored, 23.78 expected goals).
- LA is the only MLS team yet to score in the first 30 minutes of a match this season, during which time they have been outscored 5-0.
- LA has been outscored 11-1 between the 61st and 75th minutes this season.
- LA is 3-1-0 when scoring first and 0-8-2 when conceding first this season.
- LA has led at halftime just once in 16 games this season, a 3-2 road win over Real Salt Lake on May 31. The team is 0-5-0 when trailing at halftime.
- Forwards Tyler Boyd and Dejan Joveljic are tied for the team lead with two MLS goals apiece. Ten other Galaxy players have scored once.
- Boyd, defender Jalen Neal and midfielders Gaston Brugman and Marky Delgado have appeared in all 16 matches for LA this season. Brugman and Delgado have earned 15 starts, tied with midfielder Riqui Puig for the team lead.
- Puig leads LA in shots (43), key passes (27), assists (two) and fouls suffered (29). In 2022, LA lost once in the 10 games that Puig played (4-1-5 record) and lost 11 times in the 24 games he did not play (10-11-3 record).
- LA has won a league-record five MLS Cups, the last of which came in 2014.
Milestones and Miscellany
- Forward Daniel Salloi has 42 regular season goals for Sporting, sixth most in club history and one shy of Davy Arnaud and Josh Wolff in fourth.
- Defender Andreu Fontas is one shy of his 100th start for Sporting in all competitions.
- Forward Khiry Shelton is one shy of his 100th start in his MLS regular season career.
