"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.
After battling the New York Red Bulls to a 1-1 draw on the East Coast last Saturday, Sporting Kansas City will travel to the West Coast this weekend to battle Seattle Sounders FC at 6:25 p.m. CT Sunday at Lumen Field. The Western Conference clash will be free to watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV and will also be nationally televised on FS1 and FOX Deportes. Radio coverage will air locally on 94.5 FM, 1510 AM and 1340 AM with live audio streams in the Sporting KC App as well as a live broadcast on SiriusXM FC.
Sporting faces a crucial stretch of matches over the next fortnight, with Sunday's fixture against Seattle serving as the first of five games in 14 days. The pivotal period is highlighted by a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final at LAFC on Sept. 25, but before that spectacle arrives, Sporting is looking to build momentum with a run of positive results in league play. Seattle, meanwhile, is hoping to avoid a recent trend of falling to Kansas City on home soil.
With plenty to play for on Sunday, we take a statistical look at the contest in our newest edition of By The Numbers, presented by Compass Minerals.
Head-to-Head
- The regular season series between Sporting and Seattle is dead even through 28 meetings since 2009. Both teams have 12 wins and four draws, including identical 6-6-2 records at home and away with 36 goals scored apiece.
- Sporting has won seven of the last 10 meetings since 2019.
- Sporting went 1-7-1 in its first nine MLS meetings with Seattle from 2009-2014. Since then, Sporting has an 11-5-3 record in the regular season series.
- Sporting has won four of its last five away matches at Seattle since 2019, scoring multiple goals in each of those four victories.
- The away team has won six of the last 10 meetings since 2019.
- Sporting has won each of the last two meetings, including a 2-1 away win in May 2023 and a 2-1 home win on June 8, 2024.
- Sporting and Seattle have gone 11 straight meetings without a draw. The most recent tie between the clubs was a 2-2 stalemate in April 2018 at Children’s Mercy Park. The most recent draw at Lumen Field was a 0-0 result in May 2015.
- Since the Sounders entered MLS in 2009, Sporting and Seattle have met three times outside of the MLS regular season. Sporting beat Seattle in the 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final at Children’s Mercy Park, while the Sounders earned home wins over Kansas City in the 2009 Open Cup quarterfinals and in the Western Conference knockout round of the 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs.
- Sporting goalkeeper Tim Melia has a 10-4-2 regular season record against Seattle with five shutouts and a 1.19 goals against average. His 10 regular season wins against the Sounders are tied for his most versus any MLS opponent (Minnesota).
- Sporting captain Johnny Russell has seven goals in 12 regular season appearances against Seattle. His seven goals against the Sounders are his most versus any MLS opponent.
- Sporting forward William Agada has two goals in 175 minutes played against Seattle.
- Seattle forward Jordan Morris has 10 goal contributions (eight goals and two assists) in 10 regular season appearances against Sporting.
- Seattle winger Cristian Roldan has six goal contributions (three goals and three assists) in 16 regular season appearances against Sporting.
- Seattle forward Danny Musovski has three goal contributions (two goals and one assist) in 207 regular season minutes played against Sporting.
- Seattle winger Leo Chu has five assists in 168 regular season minutes played against Sporting. His five assists against Kansas City are his most versus any MLS opponent.
Sporting Kansas City
- 2024 MLS record: 7-14-7, 28 points (12th in West | 45 GF, 53 GA)
- 2024 MLS away record: 2-9-3 (16 GF, 27 GA)
- Last five MLS matches: 2-1-2 (W-L-T-W-T)
- Sporting is 6-3-2 in the team’s last 11 matches across all competitions since July 7, including a 3-1-2 mark in the MLS regular season and wins in the quarterfinals (July 10) and semifinals (Aug. 27) of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
- Sporting ranks seventh in MLS this season in non-penalty goals scored (45).
- Sporting’s 1.61 goals per match during the 2024 regular season are the club’s fourth most since the Peter Vermes era began in 2009 (Sporting had more goals per match in 2018, 2020 and 2021).
- Sporting has won each of its last six matches in all competitions when scoring at least twice, dating back to June 29.
- Forward Alan Pulido scored Sporting’s go-ahead goal in a 1-1 draw at the New York Red Bulls last Saturday, moving to ninth in club history with 36 goals in all competitions.
- Pulido has a goal contribution in three straight matches and ranks second on the team with six goals in all competitions, trailing only William Agada (11).
- Midfielder Jake Davis assisted Pulido’s goal last Saturday and now has five goal contributions in his last three matches across all competitions (one goal, four assists). He has nine goal contributions on the season (three goals, six assists) and ranks second in MLS with 68 tackles.
- Davis will serve the first of a two-match suspension on Sunday after receiving a red card and hitting caution accumulation last Saturday.
- In last Saturday’s 1-1 draw at New York, defender Khiry Shelton had game-highs in duels won (11), recoveries (10) and interceptions (two). Sporting is 5-1-2 in Shelton’s last eight starts across all competitions.
- Forward Johnny Russell has five goals and a team-best eight assists this season in all competitions. His 13 total goal contributions are second most on the team behind William Agada (11 goals, three assists).
- Russell scored the opening goal in Sporting’s 2-0 Open Cup semifinal win over Indy Eleven on Aug. 27. It was his 67th career goal for Sporting in all competitions, tying Dom Dwyer for second most in club history.
- Russell’s five goals this season in all competitions are tied for third most on the team alongside Erik Thommy (five goals, five assists) and Stephen Afrifa (five goals, three assists).
- Thommy ranks eighth in MLS in both progressive carries (108) and fouls suffered (50).
- Midfielder Memo Rodriguez leads Sporting with six assists in MLS regular season play, while Pulido and Russell are tied for second with five apiece.
- Forward Daniel Salloi scored his second goal of the season in a 3-0 home win over Orlando City SC on Aug. 24. In doing so, he became the fourth player in Sporting history to eclipse 100 goal contributions for the club in all competitions (60 goals, 40 assists), trailing only Preki (181), Graham Zusi (125) and current teammate Johnny Russell (118).
- Forward William Agada leads Sporting with 11 goals this season in all competitions—nine in the MLS regular season, one in the Open Cup and one in Leagues Cup. He also has a team-leading 14 total goal contributions in all competitions (three assists).
- Ten of Agada’s 11 goals this season have come at home. He has scored 20 goals in 32 home appearances at Children’s Mercy Park (including 21 starts) since debuting for the club in July 2022.
- Agada leads MLS in non-penalty expected goals per 90 minutes (0.72) and ranks second in expected goals per 90 minutes (0.77). He also ranks sixth in total shots per 90 minutes (4.51) and seventh in total expected goals (11.5).
Seattle Sounders FC
- 2024 MLS record: 12-9-7, 43 points (6th in East | 19 GF, 11 GA)
- 2024 MLS home record: 6-2-5 (25 GF, 12 GA)
- Last five MLS matches: 3-2-0 (W-L-W-L-W)
- Seattle has won seven of its last nine MLS matches since June 22.
- Seattle has an 8-2-1 MLS record since falling 2-1 at Sporting on June 9.
- Seattle opened the regular season winless in five (0-3-2) and had a 1-5-3 through its first nine matches.
- Seattle has conceded 11 goals in 13 MLS home matches this season, tied for the fewest in the league.
- Seattle’s 32 goals conceded during the regular season are second fewest in the Western Conference.
- Three of Seattle’s last four losses in all competitions have come against LAFC, with shutout home defeats in the regular season, Leagues Cup and Open Cup since July 20.
- Forward Jordan Morris leads Seattle with 15 goals in all competitions. His team-leading 11 MLS goals are one shy of his career-high set in his rookie 2016 season.
- Morris, winger Cristian Roldan and defender Jackson Ragen are tied for the team lead with 35 appearances this season in all competitions.
- Ragen ranks eighth in MLS in touches (1,940), 10th in clearances (106) and 10th in aerial duels won (57). He is also fifth in progressive passing distance (passes that advance the ball at least 10 yards closer to goal or into the box).
- Midfielder Albert Rusnak scored his first career MLS hat trick in Seattle’s 4-0 road win over the Columbus Crew last Saturday. He is second on the team with nine goals this season in all competitions.
- Rusnak is tied for fourth in MLS with 12 assists. He also ranks sixth in the league in primary assists per 90 minutes (0.45) and 10th in goal-creating actions (15).
- Midfielder Obed Vargas ranks fifth in MLS in blocks (40).
- Defender Yeimar led MLS in interceptions for three straight regular seasons from 2021-2023.
- Forward Raul Ruidiaz ranks fourth in MLS in shot attempts per 90 minutes (4.86) and 10th in expected goals per 90 minutes (0.60).
- Goalkeeper Stefan Frei ranks fourth in MLS in goals against average (1.12), fourth in shutouts (seven) and seventh in save percentage (75%).
Milestones and Miscellany
- Manager Peter Vermes will coach his 500th regular season match on Sunday, becoming the third head coach in MLS history to reach that milestone alongside Sigi Schmid (548) and Bruce Arena (545).
- Forward Johnny Russell is tied with Dom Dwyer for second in club history with 67 goals in all competitions, 14 behind leader and current Seattle assistant coach Preki.
- Defender Logan Ndenbe is one shy of his 100th professional club appearance.
