By The Numbers presented by KDOT: #RSLvSKC | June 6, 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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2,211   The number of alcohol-related crashes in Kansas in 2016.

Western Conference leaders Sporting Kansas City detour from their 2018 MLS campaign on Wednesday to begin their defense of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, a prestigious knockout-style tournament that Manager Peter Vermes' men won in 2017 for the fourth time in club history and the third time since 2012.

Sporting KC's bid for a second consecutive Open Cup championship will begin under difficult circumstances, as the side is faced with a road trip to rivals Real Salt Lake in Wednesday's Fourth Round. The showdown serves as a sparking fixture in the round of 32, with kickoff set for 9 p.m. CT at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. We take a statistical look at the matchup in our newest edition of By The Numbers.

Head-to-Head

• Sporting KC is 1-5-3 in its last nine regular season meetings with RSL.
• Sporting KC has a 3-7-3 road record in the regular season series, including a five-game winless run at Rio Tinto Stadium dating back to 2014.
• Sporting KC faced RSL three times during the 2017 regular season, prevailing 3-0 at Children's Mercy Park before drawing 1-1 and losing 2-1 at Rio Tinto Stadium.
• Outside of regular season play, Sporting KC has defeated RSL in each of the last two meetings. Manager Peter Vermes' men prevailed in the 2013 MLS Cup and the 2015 U.S. Open Cup semifinals.

Real Salt Lake

• 2018 MLS record: 7-6-1, 22 points (3rd in West)
• 2018 MLS home record: 6-1-0 (14 GF, 9 GA)
• Last MLS match: W 2-0 vs. Seattle Sounders FC on June 2
• Last five MLS matches: 4-1-0, 12 points (W-L-W-W-W)
• Best Open Cup Finish: Finalist in 2013
• RSL has won six straight home games at Rio Tinto Stadium, outscoring opponents 13-4 during that stretch.
• RSL is 4-1-0 in their last five games after starting the season 3-5-1. Head coach Mike Petke's side has won three straight regular season matches, two of which against Seattle.
• RSL has scored seven of its 19 goals this season after the 75th minute.
• RSL has allowed nine goals after the 75th minute this season, tied for the second-most in MLS.
• RSL is a perfect 5-0-0 in one-goal games this season. Each of their six defeats have come by two or more goals.
• Forward Corey Baird leads RSL with four goals this season, while playmaking midfielder Albert Rusnak has added three goals and three assists. Rusnak ranks second in MLS with 41 chances created.
• Midfielder Damir Kreilach leads RSL with four assists and ranks ninth in MLS with 105 duels won.
• Defender Justen Glad ranks second in MLS with 49 interceptions and fourth with 69 clearances.
• Veteran midfielder Kyle Beckerman ranks third in MLS with 28 fouls committed. He is the all-time MLS leader among field players with 446 regular season appearances during his 19-year MLS career.
• Similarly, goalkeeper Nick Rimando's 466 regular season appearances rank first in MLS history.

 Sporting KC

• 2018 MLS record: 8-2-4, 28 points (1st in West)
• 2018 MLS away record: 3-1-2 (11 GF, 7 GA)
• Last MLS match: W 4-1 vs. Minnesota United FC on June 3
• Last five MLS matches: 2-1-2, 8 points (L-W-T-T-W)
• Best Open Cup Finish: Champion in 2004, 2012, 2015 and 2017
• Sporting KC leads the Western Conference in wins (8), goals (28), goal difference (+14) and fewest goals allowed (14).
• Sporting KC leads MLS with six goals from substitutes this season, having received just two goals from subs in all of 2017.
• Sporting KC has conceded just five goals in their last 10 games since March 31, the fewest in MLS.
• Sporting KC leads MLS in shots per game (19.0), passing accuracy (85.3 percent) and average possession (60 percent).
• On Sunday, Sporting KC received a goal from two Homegrown Players in the same game for the first time ever. Daniel Salloi scored his fourth of the season before Kuzain became Kansas City’s second-youngest regular-season goal scorer all-time.
• SKC has just one loss in its last 13 games (8-1-4), tied with FC Dallas for the fewest in MLS since March 10.
• Midfielder Ilie leads MLS with 520 successful passes in the attacking half. He is also tied for third in the league with 27 chances created from open play.
• Midfielder Roger Espinoza has a career-high six assists through 14 games. He leads MLS with 30 chances created from open play.
• Graham Zusi leads MLS in touches (1,272) and ranks first among defenders with 26 chances created.
• Goalkeeper Tim Melia is second in MLS in shutouts (six) and goals against average (1.00).

Recent #RSLvSKC regular season meetings

• Regular season record vs. Real Salt Lake: 9-10-7
• All competitions record vs. Real Salt Lake: 10-11-1

Team stats (2018 regular season)

MLS rank in parenthesis (source: Opta)