"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.
Less than 72 hours removed from a 3-2 league win over FC Dallas on Sunday, Sporting Kansas City will look to replicate the result as the clubs rematch in a pivotal Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal clash on Wednesday at Children's Mercy Park. Kickoff is slated for 8 p.m. CT with tickets available at SeatGeek.com and live coverage on Apple TV, Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340 AM.
In what will be Sporting's biggest match of the season to date, Manager Peter Vermes' men have their sights set on taking another major step toward the club's first trophy since 2017. Standing in their way is a Dallas side that suffered defeat in Kansas City on Sunday and has remained in the Soccer Capital of America since then, preparing for what figures to be a heated encounter with so much on the line.
As excitement builds toward this colossal midweek battle, we take a statistical look at the contest in our newest edition of By The Numbers, presented by Compass Minerals.
Head-to-Head
- Sporting has hosted and won all five previous Open Cup meetings against Dallas, prevailing in the 2004 quarterfinals (won 4-1), the 2015 Round of 16 (won 6-2), the 2017 quarterfinals (won 3-0 in extra time), the 2018 Round of 16 (won 3-2) and the 2022 Round of 32 (won 4-2 in extra time).
- Sporting has averaged four goals per game in the five previous Open Cup meetings between the clubs, outscoring Dallas 20-7.
- Sporting and Dallas last met on Sunday in the MLS regular season at Children’s Mercy Park. Willy Agada scored twice and Memo Rodriguez bagged a late winner to give Sporting a 3-2 home win. Dallas received an own goal and a second-half strike from Petar Musa.
- Sporting has won three straight home meetings against Dallas in all competitions, including a 4-2 extra-time victory in the Open Cup Round of 32 on May 10, 2022. Sporting had previously gone winless in six home meetings against Dallas from 2018-2021 (0-4-2 record).
- The home team in the series is unbeaten in the last six meetings across all competitions since the start of 2022.
- Sporting forward Daniel Salloi has eight goals and two assists in 16 regular season appearances against Dallas. His eight regular season goals versus Dallas are his most against any MLS opponent and the most by any Sporting player in the all-time series.
- Sporting forward Johnny Russell has six goals and one assist in 12 regular season appearances against Dallas.
- Dallas owns a narrow edge in the all-time regular season series, posting a 30-29-14 record through 73 meetings. Sporting’s 30 regular season losses against Dallas are their most versus any MLS opponent.
Sporting Kansas City
- 2024 MLS record: 5-13-5, 20 points (13th in West | 37 GF, 48 GA)
- 2024 MLS home record: 4-5-3 (25 GF, 25 GA)
- Last five matches: 2-3-0 (L-L-W-L-W)
- Best Open Cup finish: Champions (2004, 2012, 2015, 2017)
- Wednesday's winner will have hosting rights for the Open Cup semifinal in late August against either Atlanta United FC or USL Championship side Indy Eleven.
- Sporting has won four Open Cup titles (2004, 2012, 2015, 2017). That ties Chicago Fire FC and Seattle Sounders FC for the most among MLS clubs and is one behind Maccabi Los Angeles and Bethlehem Steel for most in the tournament’s 109-year history.
- Sporting has won three Open Cup titles since 2012, more than any other team.
- Sporting has made five Open Cup quarterfinal appearances since 2015, more than any other team.
- Sporting has prevailed in 27 Open Cup matches since 2012, more than any other team.
- Sporting owns a 26-7-3 home record in the Open Cup and hasn’t lost at home in the competition since falling to the Portland Timbers in the Round of 16 on June 24, 2014.
- Sporting has prevailed in 14 straight Open Cup home matches, posting a 13-0-1 record since 2015. The lone draw accounts for a shootout win following a 1-1 stalemate against the San Jose Earthquakes in the 2017 semifinals.
- Sporting has a 36-18-8 overall record in the Open Cup.
- Sporting has scored multiple goals in nine of 12 MLS home matches this season and in 10 of 13 home games across all competitions.
- Sporting has scored in 14 straight regular season home matches dating back to Sept. 23, 2023, totaling 30 goals during that stretch (2.14 per match).
- Sporting ranks seventh in MLS in non-penalty goals (37) and eighth in non-PK goals per match (1.61).
- 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 (SKC had more goals per match in 2018, 2020 and 2021).
- Forward Daniel Salloi is Sporting’s all-time leader with eight career goals in the Open Cup.
- Forward Johnny Russell has six goal contributions (four goals, two assists) in nine career Open Cup appearances.
- Forward Marinos Tzionis has scored four of his six career goals for Sporting in the Open Cup, including goals in each of Sporting’s first two tournament wins this season. Five of his eight career goal contributions for Sporting have come in the Open Cup (four goals, one assist).
- Goalkeeper Tim Melia has prevailed in 10 of his 11 career Open Cup appearances for Sporting, including penalty shootout wins in the 2015 final and the 2017 semifinal (8-1-2 record).
- Goalkeeper John Pulskamp has a 6-1-1 record in the Open Cup, posting four shutouts and a 0.56 goals against average in seven tournament appearances.
- The following players on Sporting’s current roster have won U.S. Open Cup titles: goalkeeper Tim Melia (2015 and 2017 with SKC), forward Daniel Salloi (2017 with SKC) and midfielder Memo Rodriguez (2018 with Houston).
- Forward Willy Agada scored twice in Sunday’s 3-2 league win over FC Dallas. He leads the team with seven goals this season—all of which have come at home—and is now tied for fifth in club history with six multi-goal games in the regular season.
- Agada has scored 16 goals in 16 regular season starts at Children’s Mercy Park since debuting for the club in July 2022.
- Agada leads MLS in non-penalty expected goals per 90 minutes (0.71) while ranking second in expected goals per 90 minutes (0.77) and fourth in shots per 90 minutes (4.91).
- Midfielder Memo Rodriguez scored the winning goal and had an assist in Sunday’s victory over Dallas. It was his second career MLS match with a goal and an assist after doing so in May 2021 with Houston Dynamo FC.
- Rodriguez leads Sporting with six assists this season.
- Defender Tim Leibold had a secondary assist on Sunday and now has a goal contribution in three straight matches, having scored in a 2-0 win over Austin on June 29 and assisted in a 2-1 loss to Colorado on July 4.
- Forward Stephen Afrifa, forward Alan Pulido and midfielder Erik Thommy are tied for second on the team with four goals apiece this season in all competitions.
FC Dallas
- 2024 MLS record: 6-11-5, 23 points (11th in West | 32 GF, 37 GA)
- 2024 MLS away record: 0-8-3 (11 GF, 21 GA)
- Last five matches: 2-3-0 (W-L-L-W-L)
- Best Open Cup finish: Champions (1997, 2016)
- Dallas is playing for the club’s third Open Cup title, having won the tournament in 1997 and 2016.
- Dallas has reached the Open Cup quarterfinals for the first time since 2017 when it fell to eventual champion Sporting in a 3-0 extra-time defeat at Children’s Mercy Park.
- Dallas is winless in 11 regular season road matches this season with a 0-8-3 away record. Dallas last won an MLS match away from home on Decision Day in 2023, prevailing 4-1 against the LA Galaxy on Oct. 21, 2023.
- Dallas has one win in 12 away matches this season in all competitions, a 2-1 victory at the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 16.
- Dallas has won three of its last six MLS matches after winning just three of its first 16 league fixtures.
- Eight of Dallas’ 11 MLS losses this season have come by a single goal.
- Dallas is 3-0-1 when leading at halftime and 1-4-1 when trailing at halftime this season. Eleven of the team’s 22 MLS matches this season have been tied at halftime.
- Dallas is tied for fifth in MLS with nine goals from set pieces.
- Dallas has attempted 45% of its shot attempts from outside the box, second most in MLS behind Sporting.
- Goalkeeper Maarten Paes leads MLS with 93 saves. He has been selected as a 2024 MLS All-Star.
- Forward Petar Musa leads Dallas with 11 goals during the regular season, including six in his last five games. No other Dallas player has more than four goals.
- Midfielder Asier Illarramendi ranks ninth in MLS in successful take-on percentage (69.2%).
- Midfielder Sebastian Lletget leads Dallas with five assists this season, while midfielder Paul Arriola leads the team with 22 key passes.
Milestones and Miscellany
- Manager Peter Vermes on Sunday became the third coach in MLS history to win 200 regular season matches, joining Bruce Arena (262) and Sigi Schmid (240).
- Forward Johnny Russell ranks third in club history with 66 goals in all competitions, one shy of tying Dom Dwyer for second on the all-time chart.
- Forward Daniel Salloi has 99 goal contributions (59 goals, 40 assists) for Sporting in all competitions, fourth most in club history.
