By The Numbers presented by KDOT: #SEAvSKC

For the third straight year, Sporting Kansas City begins its postseason campaign with a win-or-die match on the road. Peter Vermes' men visit Seattle Sounders FC in Thursday's Western Conference Knockout Round at CenturyLink Field, with kickoff set for 9 p.m. CT on FS1, UniMas, Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340 AM.

Sporting Kansas City and Seattle have featured regularly in the MLS Cup Playoffs since the turn of the decade, but Thursday marks the first-ever playoff meeting between the sides. The Sounders have the luxury of playing at home – in 12 knockout round games since 2011, the road team has prevailed just twice – but Sporting KC boasts plenty of playoff experience and owns a five-game unbeaten run against the Rave Green.

No Other Pub in the Kansas City Power & Light District (1370 Grand Blvd.) will host an official watch party for the match, presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City. We take a statistical look at the marquee matchup in our By The Numbers preview...

Head-to-head

• Since the start of 2015, Sporting KC is 3-0-2 against Seattle with four shutouts. This includes a 1-0 opening-day victory at Seattle on March 6 and a 3-0 home win on July 24.
• Before 2015, Sporting KC had just one win in its first nine MLS matches vs. Seattle (1-7-1).
• Prior to Sporting KC's 3-0 win in July, the first 13 MLS meetings between the clubs had been decided by a goal or less.
• In 14 regular season meetings, Sporting KC and Seattle have combined for more than three goals just once, when the Sounders won 3-2 in KC.
• Five of the last seven regular season meetings have produced a goal or less.
• In the regular season series, Seattle has scored eight of its 13 goals against Sporting KC after the 75th minute. In 10 games between 2010 and 2014, Seattle stunned KC with five game-winning goals in second-half stoppage time.
• In four MLS appearances vs. Seattle, Sporting KC goalkeeper Tim Melia is 3-0-1 with zero goals allowed.
• Sporting KC forward Dom Dwyer has three goals in five MLS appearances vs. Seattle, including a brace in the 3-0 victory on July 24.
• Sporting KC is 4-7-3 against Seattle in the regular season, including a 2-3-2 mark at CenturyLink Field.
• The clubs have combined for just seven goals in seven all-time meetings at CenturyLink Field.

Seattle Sounders FC

• 2016 MLS record: 14-14-6, 48 points (4th in West)
• 2016 MLS home record: 10-5-2 (22 GF, 12 GA)
• Last five games: 3-1-1, 10 points (W-W-T-L-W)
• Last MLS match: Won 2-1 vs. Real Salt Lake on Oct. 23
• Seattle was 5-1-2 in its last eight MLS matches of 2016. Their 17 points over the final eight games were the most in the Western Conference.
• Seattle is 6-0-2 in its last eight games at CenturyLink Field, having lost five of their first nine at home (4-0-5).
• Seattle had 20 goals through its first 20 games, but has scored 24 in its final 14 matches.
• Since making his Seattle debut on July 31, midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro ranks second in MLS in assists (eight) and chances created (37). Seattle is 7-2-4 when Lodeiro starts, including 5-0-2 at home. Lodeiro joined Seattle three days after the club fell 3-0 in Kansas City.
• Midfielder Osvaldo Alonso leads MLS in successful passes (2,012), passing accuracy (90.1%), duels won (272) and tackles won (85).
• Forward Jordan Morris set an MLS record among American rookies with 12 regular season goals in 2016. His six game-winning goals were the most ever by an MLS rookie.
• Seattle is 6-2-3 all-time in home playoff matches.

Sporting Kansas City

• 2016 MLS record: 13-13-8, 47 points (5th in West)
• 2016 MLS road record: 3-9-5 (12 GF, 22 GA)
• Last five games: 2-1-2, 8 points (T-W-L-T-W)
• Last MLS match: Won 2-0 vs. San Jose Earthquakes on Oct. 23
• Sporting KC enters the playoffs on the heels of back-to-back clean sheets – their first consecutive shutouts since July.
• Sporting KC is 1-9-5 in its last 15 MLS road games, having failed to score in nine of them.
• Sporting KC is last in MLS with 0.71 goals per road game (12 in 17 matches).
• Sporting KC midfielder Benny Feilhaber has nine goals in his last 11 games and 13 for the season, third most in MLS. He has been involved in each of Sporting KC's last six MLS goals dating back to Sept. 18.
• Sporting KC forward Dom Dwyer has scored in four of his last six games and 16 times overall, fifth most in MLS.
• Sporting KC midfielder Roger Espinoza ranks among the top 10 MLS midfielders in duels won (2nd), tackles won (9th), recoveries (10th) and successful passes in the attacking third (5th).
• Sporting KC is 10-0-4 in MLS this season when scoring at least two goals but 1-8-4 when allowing at least two goals.
• Sporting KC is 2-15-5 in road playoff games all-time. The club's MLS postseason record stands at 17-19-8 with 59 goals scored and 59 allowed.
• Sporting KC is 7-0-1 in MLS matches that Ismail Elfath officiates. Elfath will be the referee on Thursday.

Milestones and Miscellany

• Sporting KC is making a club-record sixth straight appearance in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
• Sporting KC has become the third club in MLS history to record six straight 13-win regular seasons (LA, SEA).
• Sporting KC Manager Peter Vermes is poised to appear in his 13th edition of the MLS Cup Playoffs as either a player (7) or a coach (6). That ties the MLS record with Bruce Arena, Sigi Schmid and Jason Kreis.

Team stats (2016 regular season)

MLS rank in parenthesis (source: Opta)

Recent #SEAvSKC meetings

• Regular season record vs. Seattle: 4-7-3 (12 GF, 13 GA)
• Regular season road record at Seattle: 2-3-2 (3 GF, 4 GA)