By The Numbers presented by KDOT: #CINvSKC | April 7, 2019

"By The Numbers" is a season-long series sponsored by The Kansas Department of Transportation, giving a statistical preview of every Sporting KC match.
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13,338  The number of crashes in Kansas caused by driver distraction from 2012-2017.

Sporting Kansas City has experienced extreme highs and extreme lows in recent days, thrashing the Montreal Impact 7-1 last weekend at Children's Mercy Park before suffering a 5-0 setback at CF Monterrey in the Concacaf Champions League on Thursday. Manager Peter Vermes' men will now aim to get back on track as the MLS regular season continues Sunday at Nippert Stadium, where Sporting (2-1-1, 7 points) and FC Cincinnati (2-2-1, 7 points) will lock horns for the first time.

Kickoff on Sunday is set for 2 p.m. CT with live coverage on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN, Sports Radio 810 WHB and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM. We take a look at the cross-conference clash in our newest edition of By The Numbers.

Sporting

• 2019 MLS record:2-1-1, 7 points (6th in West)
• 2019 MLS away record: 0-1-1 (2 GF, 3 GA)
• Last MLS match: W 7-1 vs. Montreal Impact on March 30
• Last four MLS matches: 2-1-1, 7 points (L-W-T-W)
• In a 7-1 home win over Montreal last Saturday, Sporting hit seven goals in a competitive match for the first time ever and equalled a club record for largest margin of victory. It marked just the sixth time in MLS history that a team has scored seven or more goals.
• Sporting's eight regular-season away wins since the start of 2018 are the third-most in MLS, while their plus-seven goal difference in away games during that stretch (33 GF, 26 GA) is the best in the league.
• Sporting are amidst a stretch of five games in 16 days between March 30 and April 14.
• Forward Krisztian Nemeth leads Sporting with eight goals in eight appearances this season across all competitions.
• Forward Johnny Russell, who has three goals in his last two MLS appearances, leads Sporting with eight chances created in MLS this season.
• Midfielder Ilie Sanchez has started 89 of Sporting 90 matches in all competitions since joining the club at the start of 2017.
• Defender Matt Besler is the only player to play every minute of Sporting's first nine competitive matches this season.
• Ilie and Besler are the only Sporting players to start all nine games this year.
• Forward Gerso Fernandes has recorded two goals and four assists in all competitions this season.
• Goalkeeper Tim Melia has posted shutouts in four of his first eight starts this season across all competitions.

FC Cincinnati

• 2019 MLS record: 2-2-1, 7 points (5th in East)
• 2019 MLS home record: 1-1-0 (3 GF, 2 GA)
• Last MLS match: L 0-2 vs. Philadelphia Union on March 30
• Last five MLS matches: 2-2-1, 7 points (L-T-W-W-L)
• FC Cincinnati's seven goals have been scored by seven different players.
• FC Cincinnati has averaged 29,059 fans in their first two MLS home matches.
• FC Cincinnati leads MLS with 28 interceptions per game.
• Midfielders Leonardo Bertone and Victor Ulloa enter Week 6 tied for the MLS lead with 14 interceptions apiece.
• Defender Nick Hagglund enters Week 6 tied for second in MLS with 28 clearances.
• Forward Darren Mattocks leads FC Cincinnati with five chances created.

Milestones and Miscellany

• Sporting are 9-3-3 in their inaugural regular season meetings against MLS expansion sides since the league's expansion era began in 2005.

Team stats (2019 regular season)

MLS rank in parenthesis (source: Opta, as of April 5)