By The Numbers presented by KDOT: #COLvSKC | March 24, 2018

"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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Tied for first place in the Western Conference, Sporting Kansas City (2-1-0, 6 points) will battle for a third straight win when the club travels to face the Colorado Rapids (0-1-0, 0 points) on Saturday at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. CT on FOX Sports KC, FOX Sports Midwest Plus, ESPN 94.5 FM (English) and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM, while No Other Pub will host the official watch party for the match in the Kansas City Power & Light District.

Manager Peter Vermes' men enter the weekend red-hot, having scored seven goals over a two-game span for the first time since August 2015, but Colorado has won six of the last seven in the head-to-head series and hasn't played since taking a season-opening loss to the New England Revolution on March 10. We take a statistical look at the matchup in our By The Numbers preview.

Head-to-Head

• Sporting KC has suffered four straight defeats at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park dating back to 2015, including each of the last three by a 1-0 scoreline.
• Sporting KC went 6-0-5 against Colorado from 2009-2015 (including playoffs), but has lost six of the last seven in the series since October 2015.
• Sporting KC last won at Children's Mercy Park on March 29, 2014, when Graham Zusi paced the visitors to a 3-2 victory with a goal and two assists.
• Defender Seth Sinovic and forward Gerso Fernandes scored in Sporting KC's 3-1 home win over Colorado last April.
• Colorado defender and Kansas City native Kortne Ford scored his first MLS goal in the most recent meeting between the sides, a 1-0 home win for the Rapids last May.
• Colorado goalkeeper Tim Howard has a 5-3-2 record and a 0.88 goals against average in 10 career regular season appearances against Sporting KC.
• Sporting KC will meet Colorado for the 75th time in all competitions on Saturday, making the Rapids the most frequent opponent in Kansas City history. SKC leads the series 30-28-16, including a 24-23-13 mark in the regular season.

Colorado Rapids

• 2018 MLS record: 0-1-0, 3 points (4th in West)
• 2018 MLS home record: 0-0-0 (0 GF, 0 GA)
• Last match: L 1-2 at New England Revolution on March 10
• Colorado will take the field for its home opener on Saturday and has played just once this season, falling 2-1 at the New England Revolution on March 10. The Rapids' lone goal came from Niki Jackson, a fourth-round selection in the 2018 SuperDraft.
• Colorado suffered 19 regular season losses in 2017, the most since the club's inaugural 1996 campaign (21).
• Colorado finished last in MLS with 31 goals during the 2017 season, eight fewer than any other team in the Western Conference and the third-lowest total in club history.
• Since the start of 2016, Colorado is 19-5-10 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park with 14 clean sheets.
• Colorado led all MLS teams in Week 2 in duels won (88), tackles won (25), interceptions (21) and clearances (33).
• Forward Dominique Badji led Colorado last season in goals (nine) and assists (six).
• Midfielder Micheal Azira ranked fourth in MLS last season with 78 interceptions.

 Sporting KC

• 2018 MLS record: 2-1-0, 6 points (3rd in West)
• 2018 MLS away record: 1-0-0 (4 GF, 3 GA)
• Last match: W 3-2 vs. San Jose Earthquakes on March 17
• Sporting KC is tied for the MLS lead with seven goals through three games. The club took eight games to reach seven goals last season.
• Sporting KC has scored seven goals over a two-game span for the first time since 2015 and the 15th time in club regular season history.
• Sporting KC is seeking its first three-game winning streak in the regular season since March 2016, as well as well as its first two-game road winning streak since April 2016.
• Sporting KC has conceded multiple goals in the opening three games of the season for the first time since 2011.
• Midfielder Felipe Gutierrez ranks second in MLS in both goals (three) and tackles won (15). He is the first Sporting KC midfielder since 2003 to score game-winning goals in back-to-back games.
• Forward Johnny Russell, who has scored one goal and added two assists, ranks second in MLS with 30 touches in the opponent's box and third with 14 shots.
• Defender Graham Zusi is tied for the MLS lead with 13 interceptions and ranks second with nine chances created.
• Defender Ike Opara ranks second in MLS with 19 clearances.

Milestones and Miscellany

• Defender Graham Zusi has become the second player in club history to record 100 combined goals and assists in all competitions.
• Midfielder Felipe Gutierrez has become the first Sporting KC player ever to score three goals in his first three regular season appearances for the club.

Team stats (2018 regular season)

MLS rank in parenthesis (source: Opta)

Recent #COLvSKC regular season meetings

• Regular season record vs. Colorado: 24-23-13
• Regular season away record at Colorado: 5-18-8