By The Numbers presented by KDOT: #CINvSKC | Oct. 28, 2020

"By The Numbers" is a season-long series presented by the Kansas Department of Transportation that gives a statistical preview of every Sporting match. To visit the series archive, click here.
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29%  The percentage of fatal alcohol-impaired crashes where the driver's BAC was 0.08 or higher.

Hot off the heels of a 4-0 home triumph over the Colorado Rapids, Western Conference leaders Sporting Kansas City will look to keep the train rolling Wednesday when they visit Eastern Conference bottom-dwellers FC Cincinnati (4-12-4, 16 points) in the final MLS regular season match at Nippert Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT with live coverage on FOX Sports Kansas City, FOX Sports Midwest, FOX Sports GO, Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340 AM.

A point ahead of Seattle Sounders FC and the Portland Timbers at the top of the West, Sporting can clinch a berth in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs with a win or a draw on Wednesday. FC Cincinnati, meanwhile, desperately need all three points to keep their postseason hopes alive as the home stretch of an unprecedented 2020 campaign continues in earnest.

With plenty to play for on both sides of Wednesday's battle, we take a statistical look at the fixture in our newest edition of By the Numbers, presented by the Kansas Department of Transportation.

Head-to-Head

• Sporting and Cincinnati have met once previously, battling to a 1-1 draw at Nippert Stadium on April 7, 2019. Darren Mattocks scored a 19th-minute penalty before Gianluca Busio drew Sporting level in the 62nd minute.
• Nine of the 14 Sporting players who featured in the 1-1 draw against Cincinnati no longer play for the club (Adrian Zendejas, Botond Barath, Nico Hasler, Rodney Wallace, Gedion Zelalem, Yohan Croizet, Kelyn Rowe, Krisztian Nemeth and Seth Sinovic).

FC Cincinnati

• MLS record:4-12-4, 16 points (14th in Eastern Conference)
• MLS home record: 1-3-4 (3 GF, 5 GA)
• Last five regular season matches: 1-4-0, 3 points (L-L-W-L-L)
• Last Match: L 0-1 vs. Minnesota United FC on Oct. 24
• Cincinnati have lost six of their last seven matches and occupy last place in the Eastern Conference. Their 16 points are the fewest in MLS.
• Cincinnati rank last in MLS with 11 goals from 20 matches, a clip of 0.55 per game and eight fewer goals than any other team.
• Cincinnati's 0.55 goals per game are on pace to be the fewest in a season in MLS history (D.C. United averaged 0.65 in 2013).
• Cincinnati have scored only three goals in eight home matches, posting a 1-3-4 record.
• Cincinnati have conceded only five goals in eight home matches. The eight MLS fixtures at Nippert Stadium have produced a combined eight goals this season.
• Since MLS returned to home markets in mid-August, Cincinnati have scored just five goals in 15 matches.
• Cincinnati have been shut out in 12 of their 20 matches, the most in MLS.
• Four of Cincinnati's eight home matches have ended in scoreless draws.
• Forward Yuya Kubo leads Cincinnati with three goals, while forward Jurgen Locadia has recorded one goal on a team-high 41 shots.
• Midfielder Frankie Amaya leads Cincinnati with 18 starts. He ranks third in MLS with 37 tackles won and ranks 12th with 107 duels won.
• Midfielder Haris Medunjanin leads Cincinnati with 32 chances created, 18 more than any other player on the team.
• Since joining MLS in 2019, Cincinnati have gone 10-34-10 with 42 goals scored and 106 goals allowed.

Sporting Kansas City

• MLS record:10-6-3, 33 points (1st in Western Conference)
• MLS away record: 3-2-2 (11 GF, 9 GA)
• Last five regular season matches: 3-1-1, 10 points (W-W-L-T-W)
• Last Match: Won 4-0 vs. Colorado Rapids on Oct. 24
• After collecting 10 wins during a 34-game regular season in 2019, Sporting has needed just 19 matches to equal that total in 2020.
• During the month of October, Sporting is tied for the MLS lead with four wins and 13 points (4-1-1 record).
• Sporting have scored in 18 of their 19 regular season matches this season, including nine of 10 matches away from home.
• Sporting have outscored opponents 17-8 after the 60th minute this season.
• Fourteen of Sporting's 19 regular season matches this season have been decided by one goal or less (6-5-3 record).
• Sporting rank second in MLS in shots per game (15.2) and also lead the league in fewest shots faced per game (9.3).
• Sporting are the only MLS team to have five players with at least four regular season goals (Johnny Russell 6, Alan Pulido 6, Gadi Kinda 6, Khiry Shelton 4 and Erik Hurtado 4). Similarly, they are one of only three teams (Philadelphia and Portland) to have three players with at least six goals).
• Among MLS players with 10 or fewer starts, Alan Pulido leads MLS with 10 combined goals (six) and assists (four).
• Pulido (six goals, four primary assists) and midfielder Gadi Kinda (six goals, two primary assists) are two of four MLS newcomers with eight or more combined goals and primary assists.
• Forward Erik Hurtado has played the fewest minutes of any player with at least four goals this season.
• Forward Johnny Russell has four goals and three assists in his last nine appearances and had five chances created in Saturday's win over Colorado, the most by a Sporting player this season.
• On Saturday, defender Andreu Fontas became the first MLS player since the dawn of the Opta era in 2010 to record a goal, two clearances, two interceptions, two tackles, 10 recoveries and 65 successful passes in a shutout victory.
• On Saturday, defender Jaylin Lindsey became the first MLS player during the Opta era to amass 30 successful passes, 10 duels won, four tackles won, three chances created, two clearances and two interceptions in a shutout victory.
• Defender Roberto Puncec has played the full 90 minutes in all five of Sporting's shutouts this season.
• Goalkeeper Tim Melia has saved 11 of the 25 penalty kicks he has faced in his MLS regular season career, including four of the last five. His 0.56 goals conceded percentage on penalties is the lowest in MLS history among keepers who have faced at least 10 penalty kicks.

Milestones and Miscellany

• Sporting goalkeeper Tim Melia is one shy of taking sole possession of first place on Sporting's all-time regular season saves chart at 508 (currently tied with Tony Meola).
• Wednesday will be FC Cincinnati's final home match at Nippert Stadium before the club moves into the new West End Stadium in 2021.

Recent #CINvSKC meetings

• Regular season record vs. Cincinnati: 0-0-1

Team Stats (2020 regular season)

(Per Opta; MLS rank in parenthesis)