"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.
Winners of two straight matches and boasting a 4-1-1 record since beginning of May, Sporting Kansas City will look to continue their uptick on Saturday when they cross the Canadian border to face Vancouver Whitecaps FC at BC Place. Kickoff is slated for 9:30 p.m. CT with live coverage for free on Apple TV, Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340 AM.
No Western Conference club secured more points during the month of May than Sporting, whose 13-point haul has lifted the side within two points of playoff position. Vancouver, meanwhile, led MLS with 14 goals during the month, including a record-setting 6-2 home victory over Houston Dynamo FC on Wednesday.
Indeed, two teams with plenty of momentum are on a collision course in British Columbia as the MLS calendar turns to June. We take a statistical look at the matchup in our newest edition of By the Numbers, presented by Compass Minerals.
Head-to-Head
- Sporting are 11-6-4 against Vancouver in the MLS regular season, scoring 40 goals and conceding 23.
- Sporting own a 5-4-2 regular season record at BC Place, scoring 19 goals and conceding 14.
- Vancouver swept the 2022 series with a pair of 1-0 wins. The Whitecaps have won each of the last three regular season meetings since October 2021, but suffered a 3-1 loss to Sporting in the first round of the 2021 playoffs at Children’s Mercy Park.
- Sporting went 5-1-1 in seven regular season meetings against Vancouver from April 2018 to May 2021, scoring 21 goals and conceding just five.
- Sporting have gone 6-3-2 in the last 11 meetings across all competitions since 2018, scoring 24 goals and conceding eight.
- Sporting forward Alan Pulido has three goals in two regular season appearances against Vancouver. On Feb. 29, 2020, he scored in his MLS debut to spark a 3-1 opening-day win at BC Place. On May 16, 2021, he struck twice in Sporting’s 3-0 home win at Children’s Mercy Park.
- Sporting forward Daniel Salloi has three goals and two assists in seven regular season appearances against Vancouver.
- Vancouver forward Brian White has a goal and two assists in four regular season appearances against Sporting.
Sporting Kansas City
- 2023 MLS record: 4-8-4, 16 points (11th in West | 15 GF, 23 GA)
- 2023 MLS away record: 1-5-3 (5 GF, 14 GA)
- Last five MLS matches: 3-1-1 (W-T-L-W-W)
- Sporting enters June after equaling its best May in club history, totaling 13 points throughout the month with a 4-1-1 record. Sporting’s 13 points in May 2023 were tied for the fourth most in a single month in club regular season history during the non-shootout era (since 2000).
- Sporting’s 12 goals scored during the month of May were tied for third most in MLS. The club has scored 12 goals in its last six MLS matches after scoring just three in its first 10.
- Sporting’s four wins during the month of May were also tied for third most in the league. No Western Conference club secured more wins or points than Sporting during the month of May.
- Sporting are 5-0-0 when scoring multiple goals this season in all competitions and 0-9-4 when scoring one or fewer.
- Sporting have scored four goals in the first 15 minutes of matches this season, tied for third most in MLS.
- Sporting lead MLS with 81 shots on target (5.1 per game).
- Sporting lead MLS with 3.1 fouls suffered in the attacking third.
- Forward Daniel Salloi has scored match-winning goals in consecutive games, a 4-1 home victory over Portland on Sunday and a 2-1 home victory over FC Dallas on Wednesday. He has scored or assisted on nine of Sporting’s 18 goals this season in all competitions with team-highs in both goals (five) and assists (four). Salloi ranks second in progressive carries (62), second in shots on target (20), fourth in successful crosses from open play (14), fourth in carries into the penalty area (23), sixth in expected assists (3.7) and 10th in chances created (31).
- Midfielder Erik Thommy had two goals and two assists in six MLS appearances during the month of May. He bagged the equalizer in Sunday’s 4-1 win over Portland as Sporting improved to 5-0-0 when Thommy scores in the regular season (dating back to his arrival in 2022). Thommy ranks seventh in MLS in both shots (44) and shots on target (18).
- In Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Dallas, midfielder Gadi Kinda recorded a goal and an assist in the same match for the fourth time in his MLS career, and for the first time since Oct. 3, 2021. Like Thommy, Kinda had two goals and two assists during the month of May.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
- 2023 MLS record: 5-5-5, 20 points (6th in West | 25 GF, 19 GA)
- 2023 MLS home record: 5-1-2 (19 GF, 7 GA)
- Last five MLS matches: 2-3-0 (L-L-W-L-W)
- Vancouver earned a 6-2 home win over Houston Dynamo FC on Wednesday, setting the club record for most goals in an MLS match.
- Vancouver have scored five or more goals in three homes games across all competitions this season, including a 5-2 Concacaf Champions League win over Real España on March 8 and a 5-0 regular season triumph over CF Montreal on April 1.
- Vancouver are unbeaten in seven home matches since losing their season opener to Real Salt Lake on Feb. 25. The club has gone 5-0-2 at BC Place during the seven-game stretch while outscoring opponents 18-5.
- Vancouver rank second in MLS in home goals scored (19) and third in home goal differential (+12).
- Vancouver rank third in MLS in shots per game (14.9) and fourth in shots on target per game (5.1).
- Vancouver have outshot opponents by an average of 14.9 to 11.7 this season.
- Vancouver’s six goals from the 16th to 30th minute and seven goals in the first 15 minutes of the second half are both the most in MLS.
- Vancouver are tied for fifth in MLS with 1.67 goals per game and led MLS with 14 goals scored during the month of May.
- Vancouver will play for their second straight Canadian Championship title on Wednesday, June 7, when they host CF Montreal at BC Place.
- Vancouver’s 443-minute shutout streak from March 25 to April 29 remains the longest in MLS this season.
- In Wednesday’s 6-2 win over Houston, Vancouver became the first team in MLS history to score in the first 15 seconds of each half.
- Midfielder Julian Gressel leads MLS with 12 big chances created and is tied for fifth with 33 total chances created. He has a team-high five assists in MLS play and on Wednesday had the first multi-goal game of his seven-year MLS career.
- Forward Brian White leads MLS with 8.11 expected goals per Opta. He leads the team with six regular season goals and is tied for third in MLS with three match-winning goals.
- White leads Vancouver with eight goals in all competitions, while fellow forward Simon Becher is one behind with seven, including four in MLS play.
- Midfielder Ryan Gauld is tied for third in MLS with 34 chances created. He has a goal and two assists in MLS play.
- Midfielder Pedro Vite has logged a team-high 21 appearances in all competitions, while Gressel is one behind with 20. Vite scored Vancouver’s fastest goal in club history on Wednesday, striking 15 seconds into the 6-2 win over Houston.
- Goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka ranks fifth in MLS with five shutouts and owns the longest shutout streak of any MLS goalkeeper this season (443 minutes).
Milestones and Miscellany
- Manager Peter Vermes has won a combined 293 MLS matches as a player or a coach, one ahead of Bruce Arena for the most in league history (regular season and playoffs). He passed Arena on Wednesday when Sporting beat Dallas 2-1 and New England drew Atlanta 3-3.
- 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 fifth.
- Midfielder Gadi Kinda is one shy of his 50th start for Sporting in all competitions.
- Forward Khiry Shelton is one shy of 100 starts in his MLS regular season career.
- Forward Johnny Russell ranks third in club history in both regular season goals (50) and goals across all competitions (55), trailing only Preki (71/81) and Dom Dwyer (57/67).
- Midfielder Roger Espinoza has made 285 regular season starts for Sporting, tied with Matt Besler for second most in club history.
