"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.
With the MLS regular season on pause for the next month, Sporting Kansas City will open Leagues Cup 2024 on Sunday by hosting Chicago Fire FC. Kickoff at Children's Mercy Park is slated for 8 p.m. CT with tickets available at SeatGeek.com and live coverage on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV, Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340 AM.
Sporting has navigated a busy three-week stretch since the end of June by taking results in five of seven matches, including three league wins and an Open Cup quarterfinal victory. The next several weeks, however, will see Manager Peter Vermes' men hone in on Leagues Cup, a marquee World Cup-style competition involving every team from MLS and LIGA MX.
Sporting is in West Region Group 4 alongside Chicago and familiar Mexican foe Toluca, with Children's Mercy Park set to host both of Kansas City's group-stage fixtures. During the group stage, each team receives three points for a regulation win and one point if the game is tied after 90 minutes, with an opportunity to earn a second point by prevailing in a penalty shootout.
We take a statistical look at Sunday's matchup in our newest edition of By The Numbers, presented by Compass Minerals.
Head-to-Head
- The 2024 regular season is the first MLS campaign in which Sporting and Chicago will not meet. The teams met in 26 straight regular seasons from Chicago’s inaugural year in 1998 through 2023.
- Sporting and Chicago last met on June 24, 2023, at Children’s Mercy Park. Chicago prevailed behind a second-half goal from Fabian Herbers, giving the Fire their first win in Kansas City since 2012.
- Sporting is 7-2-3 in 12 previous home meetings with Chicago at Children’s Mercy Park. Chicago went winless in nine straight visits to the stadium until prevailing last summer.
- Sporting went 5-0-1 against Chicago from 2017-2021, but the Fire have won each of the last two meetings since 2022.
- Sporting last beat Chicago on Sept. 11, 2021, receiving goals inside the first six minutes from Jose Mauri and Johnny Russell.
- Sporting head coach Peter Vermes and Chicago head coach Frank Klopas both held their current roles when Children’s Mercy Park hosted its inaugural match on June 9, 2011. Vermes was in the third year of his current tenure as Sporting’s manager, while Klopas was an interim coach for Chicago at the time.
- Kansas City defeated Chicago by 1-0 scorelines in the 2000 MLS Cup and 2004 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup finals while also edging the Fire for the 2000 Supporters Shield title.
- Sporting forward Johnny Russell has five goal contributions (two goals and three assists) in six career regular season appearances against Chicago.
- Sporting forward Daniel Salloi has four goal contributions (one goal and four assists) in six career regular season appearances against Chicago.
- Sporting forward Khiry Shelton has four career assists against Chicago, tied for his most against any MLS opponent.
- Chicago midfielder Fabian Herbers has scored or assisted in each of the last two meetings between the clubs, an assist in a 3-1 home win in March 2022 and the decisive goal in the 1-0 away win last year.
Sporting Kansas City
- 2024 MLS record: 6-14-6, 24 points (12th in West | 41 GF, 52 GA)
- 2024 MLS home record: 4-5-4 (26 GF, 26 GA)
- Last five matches in all competitions: 3-1-1 (W-W-W-L-T)
- Leagues Cup 2023: Lost in Round of 32
- In Leagues Cup 2023, Sporting finished second in its group behind FC Cincinnati (lost on penalties after a 3-3 draw) and ahead of Chivas Guadalajara (won 1-0). Sporting then fell 4-1 to Toluca—an opponent in this year’s group stage—in the Round of 32 at Children’s Mercy Park.
- Sporting played seven competitive matches in 22 days from June 29 to July 20, posting a 4-2-1 record during that stretch.
- From July 7-13, Sporting won three competitive matches in a seven-day period for the first time in club history. The stretch included a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal win over FC Dallas on July 10.
- Sporting ranks seventh in MLS in non-penalty goals scored (41).
- Sporting’s 1.58 goals per match during the 2024 regular season are the club’s fourth most since the Peter Vermes era began in 2009 (SKC had more goals per match in 2018, 2020 and 2021).
- Sporting has scored multiple goals in nine of 13 MLS home matches this season and in 11 of 15 home games across all competitions.
- Sporting has fielded 21 different starting lineups in its last 21 matches across all competitions. Sporting has utilized 25 different starting lineups in 29 total matches this season.
- Prior to last weekend’s 1-1 tie with rivals St. Louis City SC, Sporting went 19 straight matches without a draw in all competitions, the second longest streak in club history. Sporting’s last two draws have both come at home against St. Louis, including a 3-3 result that preceded the 19-game stretch without a tie.
- Sporting has reached the semifinals of the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Sporting is competing for a record-tying fifth Open Cup title in club history and will host USL Championship side Indy Eleven in the semifinals on Tuesday, Aug. 27.
- Forward Willy Agada leads Sporting with 10 goals this season in all competitions, including nine in the MLS regular season. He has scored in each of his last two matches and has five goals in his last five appearances.
- Nine of Agada’s 10 goals this season have come at home. He has scored 17 goals in 17 regular season starts at Children’s Mercy Park since debuting for the club in July 2022.
- Agada ranks second in MLS in both expected goals per 90 minutes (0.78) and non-penalty expected goals per 90 minutes (0.73). He also ranks sixth in total shots per 90 minutes (4.54) and seventh in total expected goals (11.0).
- Midfielder Erik Thommy is tied for second on the team with five goals this season in all competitions, each coming in the regular season. He ranks seventh in MLS with 100 progressive carries (dribbles that advance the ball 10 or more yards closer to the opponent’s goal or into the penalty box).
- Forward Alan Pulido came off the bench to assist Willy Agada’s equalizing goal in last weekend’s 1-1 draw against St. Louis. Pulido is tied for second on the team in both assists (four) and goals across all competitions (five).
- Forward Johnny Russell has seven goal contributions (four goals, three assists) in his last 10 MLS starts since May 18. Russell is tied with Rodriguez for the team lead with six assists this season in all competitions, including four in MLS and two in the Open Cup.
- Midfielder Nemanja Radoja leads Sporting in starts across all competitions (27) and minutes played across all competitions (2,363).
- Defender Dany Rosero has scored six goals for Sporting in all competitions since joining the club in early 2023, all headers from set pieces.
- Defender Robert Castellanos ranks eighth in MLS with 71.9% of his aerial duels won.
- Goalkeeper Tim Melia is the only player to start in each of Sporting’s last seven matches since June 29, playing every minute during that stretch.
Chicago Fire FC
- 2024 MLS record: 6-12-7, 25 points (14th in East | 30 GF, 42 GA)
- 2024 MLS away record: 2-7-4 (15 GF, 22 GA)
- Last five matches in all competitions: 2-2-1 (W-L-T-W-L)
- Leagues Cup 2023: Lost in Round of 32
- In Leagues Cup 2023, Chicago finished first in its group with a 3-2 win at Minnesota United FC and a 1-1 home draw to Puebla (lost on penalties) before falling 1-0 at home to Club America in the Round of 32.
- Chicago has six wins through 25 MLS matches this season, tied for the fewest in the Eastern Conference (6-12-7 record). Chicago’s two away wins are also tied for fewest in the East (2-7-4 record).
- Forward Hugo Cuypers leads Chicago with nine MLS goals and is the only Fire player to start in all 25 regular season matches this year. He ranks ninth in MLS in non-penalty expected goals (8.8).
- Chicago has scored one goal in the first 15 minutes of league matches this season and four goals in the first 30 minutes, both the lowest totals in MLS.
- Chicago has scored 70% of its MLS goals in the second half (21 of 30) and a third of its goals (10 of 30) after the 75th minute.
- Chicago has a -11 goal differential in the first half (9 GF, 20 GA) and a -1 differential in the second half (21 GF, 22 GA) this season.
- Chicago’s nine first-half goals this season are the fewest in MLS.
- Five of Chicago’s six MLS wins this season have come by a single goal. Seven of the club’s 12 losses have come by a single goal.
- Chicago is 4-1-2 when scoring the first goal and 2-11-2 when conceding the first goal this season.
- Chicago is 1-1-1 when leading at halftime and 2-6-2 when trailing at halftime. Their three halftime leads this season are the fewest in MLS.
- Chicago ranks second in MLS in both tackles won (287) and tackles won in the midfield third (186). The Fire also rank second in MLS in interceptions (259)
- Midfielder Maren Haile-Selassie is tied with Cuypers for the Chicago lead in MLS goal contributions (11) with five goals and a team-leading six assists.
- Midfielder Brian Gutierrez leads Chicago in key passes (33) and is tied with Haile-Selassie for second on the team with five goals.
- Midfielder Kelyn Acosta has appeared in all 25 regular season matches this season, his first with Chicago after spending his first 11 MLS seasons with Dallas (2013-2018), Colorado (2018-2021) and LAFC (2022-2023).
- Defender Rafael Czichos ranks sixth in MLS in blocks (36), while defender Carlos Teran leads MLS in dribblers tackled percentage (87.5%).
- Goalkeeper Chris Brady ranks sixth in MLS in saves (86). His 12 league defeats this season are tied for most in MLS.
Milestones and Miscellany
- Sporting is two shy of 500 goals scored in competitive matches at Children’s Mercy Park.
- Forward Daniel Salloi has 99 goal contributions (59 goals, 40 assists) for Sporting in all competitions, fourth most in club history.
- Forward Alan Pulido has 35 goals for Sporting in all competitions, tied with Benny Feilhaber and Graham Zusi for ninth in club history and six behind Kei Kamara in eighth.
- Midfielder Remi Walter is one shy of his 300th professional club appearance.
- Midfielder Memo Rodriguez is one shy of his 250th professional club appearance.
