"By The Numbers" is a season-long series that gives a statistical preview of every Sporting match. To visit the series archive, click here.
Sporting Kansas City’s passport will be stamped when the club faces Vancouver Whitecaps FC at BC Place in Vancouver, Canada at 7 p.m. CT on Saturday.
TV coverage of Saturday’s showdown begins at 6:30 on 38 The Spot with the Sporting KC pregame show. Fans can also stream the match on Sporting One through the Sporting KC mobile app or stream the contest online at SportingKC.com/live.
After two straight road matches, Sporting KC hosted Real Salt Lake at Children’s Mercy Park last Saturday and sent them home with their first loss of the season. Sporting’s captain Johnny Russell scored the only goal of the contest in the 81st minute, as the Kansas City defense stood tall and kept RSL out of the goal for 90 minutes. Now, after facing a 2021 playoff opponent last week, Sporting faces their other 2021 playoff opponent this weekend.
Below, we provide a statistical preview of Saturday’s match between Sporting Kansas City and the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Head-to-Head
- Sporting is 11-4-4 against Vancouver in the MLS regular season, including a 5-3-2 mark on the road.
- Sporting has gone 5-1-1 in the last seven regular season meetings, scoring 21 goals and conceding just five.
- Sporting has gone 6-1-2 in the last nine meetings across all competitions, scoring 24 goals and conceding six.
- Sporting won two of three meetings in 2021, including a 3-0 home win on May 16 and a 3-1 home win in the Western Conference Quarterfinals on Nov. 20.
- Vancouver won the most recent meeting at BC Place by way of a 2-1 win last October.
- Forward Johnny Russell has four goals and two assists against Vancouver while forward Daniel Salloi has three goals and two assists against the Whitecaps. Both wingers have six appearances against Vancouver.
Sporting Kansas City
- 2022 MLS record: 2-3-0, 6 points (8th in Western Conference)
- 2022 MLS road record: 0-3-0, 0 points (2 GF, 8 GA)
- 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs: Lost to Real Salt Lake in Western Conference Semifinals
- All-time Honors: Two MLS Cups (2000, 2013), four Open Cups (2004, 2012, 2015, 2017), one Supporters' Shield (2000).
- With a 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake last Saturday, Sporting has recorded 1-0 wins in back-to-back regular season home matches for the first time since 2019 and the sixth time in team history.
- Sporting has recorded shutouts in their first two regular season home matches for the first time since 2013, the same season they won MLS Cup.
- Sporting is now 17-1-5 at home in the month of March across all competitions with Peter Vermes as manager, dating back to 2010.
- Sporting ranks second in MLS with 35 possessions won in the attacking third.
- Sporting ranks third in MLS with 109 successful passes in the attacking third per match.
- Midfielder Remi Walter leads MLS in recoveries (54) and distance covered (35.7 miles).
- Defender Andreu Fontas leads MLS in passes (407), successful passes (360) and touches (467).
- Defender Graham Zusi ranks second in MLS in touches (457), fifth in distance covered (32.6 miles) and sixth with 21 recoveries won in the attacking third.
- Johnny Russell’s match-winner against RSL gives him nine goals in his last eight matches at Children’s Mercy Park. Since coming into MLS in 2018, Russell ranks third with 72 goal contributions (31 goals, 41 assists) in that time span.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
- 2022 MLS record: 0-3-1, 1 point (14th in Western Conference)
- 2022 MLS home record: 0-0-1, 1 point (0 GF, 0 GA)
- 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs: Lost to Sporting Kansas City in Western Conference Round One
- All-time Honors: One Canadian Championship (2015)
- Vancouver occupies last place in the Western Conference with an 0-3-1 record, but their one draw came at home in a scoreless draw against NYCFC.
- Vancouver boasts a 6-1-2 regular season record at BC Place since Vanni Sartini was appointed head coach on Aug. 29, 2021.
- Vancouver’s nine goals conceded through four matches are tied for the most in the Western Conference.
- Vancouver’s six points dropped from losing positions are the most in MLS. They have led in each of their last two matches — a 2-1 loss at Houston on March 12 and a 3-1 loss at LAFC on March 20.
- Vancouver ranks last in MLS with five shots on target through four matches.
- Forward Lucas Cavallini and defender Tristan Blackmon have accounted for Vancouver’s two goals this season.
- Cavallini leads MLS with 48 duels won.
- Defender Ranko Veselinovic ranks third in MLS in clearances (30) and seventh in interceptions (11).
- Goalkeeper Thomas Hasal ranks third in MLS with 15 saves.
Milestones and Miscellany
- Johnny Russell’s decisive goal in a 1-0 home win over Real Salt Lake last Saturday was Sporting’s 400th goal scored in Children’s Mercy Park history.
- In last Saturday’s 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake, defender Graham Zusi passed Matt Besler for most minutes played across all competitions in club history (30,430).
- Midfielder Roger Espinoza made his 300th start for Sporting in all competitions in last Saturday’s 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake.
- Goalkeeper Tim Melia made his 200th regular season appearance for Sporting in last Saturday’s 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake. He is the 10th player in team history to hit that milestone and has become the eighth goalkeeper in league history to play 200 regular season matches for one club.
