"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 will begin its Leagues Cup 2023 campaign in earnest on Sunday when the club visits MLS Supporters' Shield leaders FC Cincinnati at 6:30 p.m. CT.
The inaugural edition of the newly expanded Leagues Cup will feature all 47 clubs from MLS (29 teams) and Liga MX (18 teams) in a World Cup-style tournament from July 21 to Aug. 19, with the top three teams qualifying for the 2024 Concacaf Champions League.
The opening match for Group 3 of the Central Region between Sporting and Cincinnati will be shown on Apple TV in English and Spanish for MLS Season Pass subscribers. Local radio coverage will also air on Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340 AM with streams in the Sporting KC app.
As Sporting prepares for its first ever visit to TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, 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 Cincinnati are meeting for the third time in all competitions. Each of the previous two encounters have taken place at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati.
- Sporting own a 1-0-1 record in the series, earning a 1-1 road draw in 2019 and a 1-0 road win in 2020.
- Sporting midfielder Gianluca Busio and Cincinnati forward Darren Mattocks traded goals in the first meeting on April 7, 2019, at Nippert Stadium. Neither player remains in MLS.
- Sporting midfielder Roger Espinoza scored the decisive goal in his team’s 1-0 win at Nippert Stadium on Oct. 28, 2020. Forward Alan Pulido and midfielder Gadi Kinda were credited with assists on the goal.
- Sunday will mark the first time that Sporting has played at TQL Stadium.
Sporting Kansas City
- 2023 MLS record: 6-11-8, 26 points (11th in West | 31 GF, 36 GA)
- 2023 MLS away record: 1-6-6 (11 GF, 21 GA)
- Last five MLS matches: 1-2-2 (L-W-T-T-L)
- Since the start of May, Sporting lead MLS with 28 goals scored (1.87 goals per match). The club scored just three goals in its first 10 matches through the end of April.
- Sporting rank second in MLS with 12 goals scored in the first 30 minutes of matches this season.
- Sporting have dropped 17 points from winning positions this season, tied with Charlotte FC for the most in MLS.
- In all competitions this season, Sporting are 7-0-3 when scoring multiple goals and 0-12-5 when scoring one or fewer.
- Sporting have committed 9.6 fouls per match, the fewest in MLS this season. Conversely, Sporting rank second in MLS with 3.0 fouls suffered in the attacking third per game.
- Since Aug. 14, 2021, Sporting are 5-1-4 in the regular season with all three Designated Players in the starting lineup. Alan Pulido, Johnny Russell and Gadi Kinda were DPs from 2021-2022. Pulido, Kinda and Erik Thommy are DPs in 2023.
- Forward Alan Pulido has a team-high 10 MLS goals and 11 goals in all competitions this season. His 10 league goals (tied for fifth most in MLS) and 11 goals in all competitions are his most for Sporting in a single season since joining the club in 2020.
- Pulido leads Sporting with 14 total goal contributions in all competitions this year (11 goals, three assists).
- Pulido is the third player in club history to score nine goals in a seven-game stretch of the regular season, having done so from June 3 to July 8. His nine goals since the start of June are the most in MLS and three more than any other player during that time.
- Among players with at least 20 regular season matches played for Sporting, Pulido ranks first in club history with 0.453 goals per game (24 goals in 53 matches). Fellow forward and teammate Willy Agada ranks second in club history with 0.45 goals per game (nine goals in 20 matches).
- Among players with at least 600 minutes this season, midfielder Gadi Kinda ranks second in MLS with 0.56 primary assists per 90 minutes (four primary assists in 645 minutes).
- Kinda has 29 goal contributions (13 goals, 16 assists) in 58 career regular season appearances. Sporting are 19-3-2 in the regular season when Kinda scores or assists.
- Midfielder Erik Thommy has nine goal contributions (three goals and six assists) since the start of May, second most on the team behind Alan Pulido (12). His six assists during that time are tied for fourth most in MLS.
- Forward Daniel Salloi ranks second in MLS in progressive carries (97), second in successful crosses from open play (20), fifth in expected assists (5.8), ninth in shots on target (24) and 12th in chances created (45). He also ranks second on Sporting with 12 goal contributions this season in all competitions (six goals, six assists).
- Salloi is the only player in MLS to start 25 matches this season and leads MLS with 2,169 minutes played in 2023.
- Salloi and Thommy are the only MLS players to play in 25 league matches this season.
- Midfielder Remi Walter ranks second among MLS field players with 173 recoveries this season.
- Midfielder Felipe Gutierrez has recorded 28 goal contributions (19 goals and nine assists) in 64 appearances for Sporting in all competitions. He began his second stint with the club earlier this month and on July 15 made his first appearance for Sporting since Oct. 6, 2019.
FC Cincinnati
- 2023 MLS record: 15-2-6, 51 points (1st in East | 39 GF, 25 GA)
- 2023 MLS home record: 10-0-1 (24 GF, 8 GA)
- Last five MLS matches: 2-1-2 (L-T-T-W-W)
- Cincinnati sit atop the MLS Supporters’ Shield standings with a 15-2-6 record and 51 points through 23 matches. The club has an eight-point lead atop the Supporters’ Shield table while leading the league in both wins (15) and fewest losses (two).
- Cincinnati are currently on pace to finish with over 75 points in the regular season (2.22 points per match). That would break the league’s single-season points record, which was set in 2021 when the New England Revolution finished the regular season with 73 points (2.15 points per match).
- Cincinnati boast a remarkable 14-0-1 home record this season in all competitions, including three wins in the 2023 U.S. Open Cup.
- Cincinnati have outscored opponents 29-9 across 15 home games at TQL Stadium this season, a stretch that includes eight shutouts.
- Cincinnati’s home dominance is a stark departure from the club’s home form in its first three seasons. Cincinnati went 5-26-12 in its first 43 MLS home matches from 2019-2021 and entered the 2023 campaign with an 11-31-18 home record in MLS competition.
- Dating back to June 2022, Cincinnati have lost just four of their last 43 MLS regular season matches (21-4-18 record).
- Cincinnati have scored 17 MLS goals after the 60th minute this season, third most in the league.
- Cincinnati have outscored opponents 17-3 after the 60th minute this season. They have scored and conceded 22 goals apiece in the first 60 minutes of MLS matches this year.
- Cincinnati’s three goals conceded after the 60th minute are the fewest in MLS this season.
- Cincinnati own a perfect 11-0-0 record in one-goal games during the regular season and a 13-0-0 record in one-goal games across all competitions. In games decided by a goal or fewer, Cincinnati is 13-0-7 this season in all competitions.
- Cincinnati are 16-0-5 when scoring first this season in all competitions. The team is 2-2-1 when conceding first, good for the best record when falling behind in MLS.
- Similarly, Cincinnati are 7-0-1 when leading at halftime this season in all competitions.
- Midfielder Lucho Acosta is tied for second in MLS with 12 goals, one behind leader Hany Mukhtar. He also ranks second in MLS with 62 chances created, three behind leader Thiago Almada, and has a team-best eight assists.
- Acosta ranks second in MLS with 20 total goal contributions (12 goals, eight assists), one behind leader Hany Mukhtar.
- Acosta has scored five penalty kick goals this season, second most in MLS behind Daniel Gazdag’s eight.
- Acosta leads MLS with 27 successful through balls.
- Midfielder Obinna Nwobodo ranks fourth in MLS in interceptions (42) and second in tackles won (47).
- Defender Yerson Mosquera ranks third in MLS in interceptions (43) and eighth in tackles won (33).
- Goalkeeper Roman Celentano leads MLS this season in wins (15) while ranking second in shutouts (nine) and sixth in goals against average (1.09).
- Forwards Dom Badji, Sergio Santos and Brandon Vazquez are tied for second on Cincinnati with four MLS goals apiece. During the 2022 regular season, Vazquez led Cincinnati in goals (18) while also adding eight assists.
- Center back Matt Miazga ranks fifth in MLS in blocks (21) and seventh in clearances (99)
- Cincinnati will play their second international match in club history on Sunday after earning a 3-1 home win over Chivas Guadalajara in the 2022 Leagues Cup Showcase last September. Chivas took a 1-0 halftime lead through Pavel Perez, but Cincy responded with three straight second-half goals from Yuya Kubo, Brandon Vazquez and current Colorado Rapids winger Calvin Harris.
- Cincinnati and Chivas will meet again at TQL Stadium on Thursday, July 27, in the second game of Central Region Group 3.
- Cincinnati finished last in the overall MLS standings in each of its first three seasons from 2019-2021 before reaching the playoffs in 2022, finishing fifth in the East and advancing to the conference semifinals before losing to MLS Cup finalist Philadelphia Union.
Milestones and International Stats
- Forward Daniel Salloi is one shy of his 200th career appearance for Sporting in all competitions.
- Forward Marinos Tzionis is one shy of his 50th career appearance for Sporting in all competitions.
- Sporting are competing in an international tournament for the first time since participating in Leagues Cup 2021, which then featured only eight teams in a single-elimination format. Sporting played one game in the competition, falling 6-1 at home in the quarterfinals against eventual champion Club Leon on Aug. 10, 2021.
- Sporting have lost their last three matches in international competitions by a combined score of 16-3, conceding at least five goals in each game.
- Sporting own a 5-10-3 road record in international matches, scoring 22 goals (1.22 per game) and conceding 39 goals (2.17 goals).
- Sporting last won an international away match on Feb. 28, 2019, earning a 2-0 win at Liga MX side Toluca to seal a 5-0 aggregate win in the 2019 Concacaf Champions League Round of 16.
- Sporting own a 13-16-9 record in 38 international matches all-time, scoring 51 goals (1.34 per game) and conceding 63 goals (1.66 per game).
- Sporting’s best finishes in an international competition came in 2002 and 2019 when the club reached the semifinals of the Concacaf Champions Cup and Concacaf Champions League, respectively.
- When they meet FC Cincinnati on Sunday, Sporting will play an American opponent in an international competition for the first time since facing the New England Revolution in the 2009 SuperLiga.
- Midfielder Felipe Gutierrez has made 46 career appearances in international club competitions, the most on Sporting’s current roster.
- Defender Dany Rosero is second on Sporting’s current roster with 42 international club appearances, all of which have come in South America.
- Defender Graham Zusi has made 13 international appearances for Sporting, the most on the current roster and fourth most in club history. Zusi is also tied for third in Sporting history with three assists for the club in international competitions.
- Sporting goalkeeper Tim Melia has a 3-3-0 record for the club in international matches, posting shutouts in each of his three wins.
- Midfielders Cam Duke and Roger Espinoza are the only current Sporting players who have scored for the club in an international competition. Duke scored in the Leagues Cup 2021 quarterfinals, while Espinoza scored in the 2019 Concacaf Champions League quarterfinals.
