"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 travels north of the border this weekend to face Toronto FC on Saturday. Kickoff at BMO Field is slated for 6:30 p.m. CT with live coverage on Apple TV for MLS Season Pass subscribers and local radio broadcasts on ESPN KC 94.5 FM, 1510 AM and La Grande 1340 AM.
In the first meeting between Sporting and Toronto in nearly five years, both sides will want to continue their encouraging starts to the 2024 campaign. Sporting opened the year unbeaten in four before falling to the LA Galaxy by the slimmest of margins last weekend, while Toronto has shown palpable defensive grittiness after wallowing in the East for each of the previous three seasons.
We take a statistical look at the matchup in our newest edition of By The Numbers, presented by Compass Minerals.
Head-to-Head
- Sporting and Toronto have not met since June 7, 2019, when they played to a 2-2 draw at BMO Field. Saturday will mark 1,758 days since the clubs last met.
- Sporting have dominated the regular season series with a 14-4-8 record (41 goals scored, 22 allowed).
- Sporting own a 5-3-5 road record at Toronto, including a 5-2-5 record at BMO Field.
- Sporting are 6-0-4 in the last 10 regular season meetings since July 2013.
- Sporting last lost to Toronto on March 9, 2013, falling 2-1 in a match played at the Rogers Centre.
- Sporting have not lost at BMO Field since April 26, 2009, when Peter Vermes had not yet become Kansas City’s manager. Since 2010, Sporting are 4-0-4 at the stadium with four shutouts.
- Vermes has an 11-1-6 regular season record against Toronto with the lone loss coming on March 9, 2013, at Rogers Centre.
- The last three meetings between the clubs since 2017 have ended in draws, including each of the last two by a 2-2 scoreline.
- The most recent meeting on June 7, 2019, featured three Sporting players still with the club (Tim Melia, Andreu Fontas and Daniel Salloi) and one Toronto player still with the club (Richie Laryea).
Sporting Kansas City
- 2024 MLS record: 1-1-3, 6 points (9th in West | 6 GF, 6 GA)
- 2024 MLS away record: 0-0-2 (1 GF, 1 GA)
- First five matches: T-T-T-W-L
- In last weekend’s 3-2 home loss to the LA Galaxy, Sporting finished with an expected goal total of 3.07 (per Sportec). Sporting’s 3.07 xG was more than the team’s total xG through the first four matches of the season (2.76).
- Last weekend was the first time that Sporting had at least 25 total shots, eight shots on target and two goals in a regular season match since May 9, 2021, against Austin FC.
- Sporting have trailed for a total of 17 minutes this season, fourth fewest in MLS (zero minutes for Cincinnati, one minute for Montreal, seven minutes for Columbus).
- In last weekend’s 3-2 home loss to the LA Galaxy, midfielder Nemanja Radoja bagged his first professional goal since Nov. 2, 2019, when he scored in a 3-1 La Liga win over Lionel Messi and Barcelona.
- With a goal in last weekend’s loss to LA, forward Willy Agada has now scored 10 goals in 10 career regular season starts at Children’s Mercy Park. He has also hit 50 goals in his professional club career.
- With two assists last weekend against LA, forward Daniel Salloi recorded the fifth multi-assist game of his regular season career.
- Salloi has appeared in 57 straight regular season matches for Sporting since June 19, 2022, tied for the fifth longest streak in club history.
- Defender Dany Rosero has scored four of Sporting’s seven headed goals since the start of 2023, all coming off set pieces. The center back has scored all four of his goals for the club on headers.
- Midfielder Erik Thommy has appeared in 51 straight regular season matches since debuting for Sporting on July 23, 2022, the 10th longest streak in club history.
- Defender Jake Davis has started in each of Sporting’s last 32 matches in all competitions since May 28, 2023.
Toronto FC
- 2024 MLS record: 3-1-1, 10 points (5th in East | 5 GF, 2 GA)
- 2024 MLS home record: 2-0-0 (2 GF, 0 GA)
- First five matches: T-W-W-L-W
- Toronto leads MLS with four shutouts through five matches this season. The club had just two clean sheets during the 2021 regular season, three in 2022 and six in 2023.
- Toronto’s two goals allowed through five matches are tied for the fewest in MLS (Cincinnati).
- With a 3-1-1 record and 10 points, Toronto has equaled their best five-game start to a regular season (3-1-1 in 2019).
- Toronto has three wins this season after managing just four wins during the entire 2023 regular season when the club finished last in the Supporter’s Shield standings with 22 points (4-20-10 record).
- Toronto has trailed for only 25 minutes this season—the final 25 minutes of a 2-1 loss at New York City FC on March 16.
- Toronto has scored the first goal in four matches this season, more than any other MLS team.
- With a 1-0 win over Charlotte on March 9 and a 2-0 win over Atlanta on March 23, Toronto has secured back-to-back shutout home wins in the same regular season for the first time since 2017 when the club won its historic treble (MLS Cup, MLS Supporters’ Shield and Canadian Championship).
- Lorenzo Insigne leads Toronto with two goals this season, while fellow Italian forward Federico Bernardeschi ranks fourth in MLS in shots (24) and ninth in key passes (11).
- Insigne and Bernardeschi have accounted for 11 of Toronto’s 20 shots on target.
- Defender Kevin Long leads MLS with 29 clearances.
- Defender Shane O’Neill and forward Prince Owusu are tied for fourth in MLS with 13 fouls committed.
- Bernardeschi is the only Toronto player to play all 450 minutes through five matches. Bernardeschi, Insigne, Long, O’Neill and Alonso Coello are the five TFC players who have started all five matches this season.
Milestones and Miscellany
- Forward Johnny Russell has 56 regular season goals for Sporting, one shy of tying Dom Dwyer for second most in club history.
- Forward Daniel Salloi has 97 goal contributions (58 goals, 39 assists) for Sporting in all competitions, tied with Chris Klein for fourth most in club history and nine shy of Johnny Russell in third.
- Goalkeeper Tim Melia has 237 regular season appearances for Sporting, one shy of passing assistant coach Kerry Zavagnin for sole possession of fifth most in club history.
- Midfielder Erik Thommy is one shy of his 300th professional club appearance.
- Midfielder Remi Walter is one shy of his 100th regular season appearance for Sporting.
