By The Numbers presented by KDOT: #PORvSKC | Western Conference Championship Leg One

"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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The wait is just about over.

Following a fortnight of rest and recuperation, top-seeded Sporting Kansas City and the No. 5 seed Portland Timbers will lock horns in the Western Conference Championship of the Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs. The first leg of the aggregate-goal series will kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT Sunday at Providence Park in Portland, with live coverage available on FS1, FOX Sports GO, FOX Deportes, Sports Radio 810 WHB and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM.

Both teams enter the matchup in strong form, having defeated their respective rivals in the conference semifinals earlier this month. Sporting KC are making their eighth conference championship appearance, while Portland have reached this stage for the third time in their history. We take a statistical look at Sunday's first leg in our newest installment of By The Numbers.

Head-to-Head

• Sporting KC have lost just one of their last 10 regular-season meetings against Portland since 2014 (5-1-4).
• Sporting KC have shut out Portland in eight of the last 10 regular-season meetings, which have produced just 12 combined goals between the teams.
• Sporting KC are 4-2-2 all-time at Providence Park in the regular season, including shutouts in five of their last six visits.
• Sporting KC have conceded just five goals in their eight regular season visits to Portland. Those eight meetings at Providence Park have produced just 10 total goals.
• Across all competitions, the home team in the series has won just three of the last 13 meetings.
• As a member of Sporting KC, goalkeeper Tim Melia has conceded just one goal in six regular season appearances against Portland. He has a 0.17 goals against average and a 95.8 save percentage in those six games.
• These clubs have met once previously in the playoffs. Portland edged Sporting KC 7-6 on penalties following a wild 2-2 draw in the 2015 Knockout Round at Providence Park.
• After playing to a scoreless draw on June 9 in Portland, Sporting KC earned a 3-0 home win over the Timbers on Aug. 18 with a first-half brace from Diego Rubio and a late Johnny Russell strike.

Portland Timbers: At a Glance

• Regular season record: 15-10-9, 54 points (5th in West)
• Regular season home record: 11-2-4 (30 GF, 13 GA)
• Knockout Round Result: Beat Dallas 2-1
• Conference Semifinal Result: Tied Seattle 4-4 on aggregate (W 4-2 in PKs)
• All-time playoff record: 7-4-4 (25 GF, 21 GA)
• All-time playoff home record: 3-2-2 (11 GF, 9 GA)
• Best playoff finish: MLS Cup Champions (2015)

Portland Timbers: Seven Stats that Matter

• Portland are 14-2-4 at home this season in all competitions, outscoring opponents 35-15 at Providence Park.
• Portland have bagged multiple goals in six of their last eight matches, scoring 19 times during that stretch.
• Portland have been outshot 52-27 and averaged just 37.2 percent possession across their three playoff matches.
• Portland went on an MLS-record 15-game league unbeaten run from April 15 to Aug. 4, then lost four straight, and have rallied to go 7-4-2 (including playoffs) since Aug. 29.
• Midfielder Diego Valeri leads MLS with 10 chances created during the 2018 playoffs, four more than any other player.
• Midfielder Sebastian Blanco has scored six goals in his last seven matches dating back to Sept. 22, having scored six in his first 27 games of the season.
• Defenders Liam Ridgewell (23) and Jorge Villafana (22) have more clearances than any other players in the 2018 playoffs.

 Sporting KC: At a Glance

• Regular season record:18-8-8, 62 points (1st in West)
• Regular season away record: 8-6-3 (31 GF, 23 GA)
• Knockout Round Result: Bye
• Conference Semifinal Result: Beat RSL 5-3 on aggregate
• All-time playoff record: 17-20-11 (64 GF, 64 GA)
• All-time playoff away record: 2-17-6 (22 GF, 44 GA)
• Best playoff finish: MLS Cup Champions (2000, 2013)

Sporting KC: Seven Stats that Matter

• Sporting KC set regular-season club records in 2018 for goals (65), away goals (31), goal difference (+25), assists (69) and shots (583) while amassing 18 wins and 62 points, both the second-best totals in team history.
• Sporting KC were 8-6-3 on the road during the regular season, boasting a league-best plus-8 goal differential in away games (31 GF, 23 GA).
• Sporting KC are 11-0-0 this season in all competitions when leading at halftime.
• Since the start of August, Sporting KC are 10-2-3 with 31 goals scored and 13 conceded.
• Forward Daniel Salloi has scored six goals in his last five games dating back to Oct. 17.
• Midfielder Felipe Gutierrez leads MLS with three assists in the 2018 playoffs.
• Sporting KC are 9-1-4 this season when forwards Johnny Russell, Daniel Salloi and Khiry Shelton start together.

Recent #PORvSKC meetings

• Regular season record vs. Portland: 7-3-4 (15 GF, 10 GA)
• Postseason record vs. Portland: 0-0-1 (2 GF, 2 GA)

Team stats (2018 regular season)

MLS rank in parenthesis (source: Opta)