By The Numbers presented by KDOT: #SJvSKC

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A pair of MLS charter members square off Saturday in Western Conference clash that carries significant playoff implications. Sporting Kansas City (11-12-7, 40 points) currently holds the sixth and final postseason spot in the West, while the ninth-place Earthquakes (7-8-13, 34 points) are six points below the red line. Kickoff at Avaya Stadium is set for 9:30 p.m. CT on 38 The Spot, SKCTV, 99.3 FM and 1340 AM.

Both teams enter Saturday's fixture with hints of desperation: Peter Vermes' men are looking to snap a bleak road winless streak, while the Earthquakes need points to keep their playoff hopes afloat. We take a statistical look at the matchup in our By The Numbers preview.

Head-to-head

• Sporting KC is winless in 18 straight MLS matches at San Jose, going 0-13-5 since 2001 (including playoffs). The club's 18-game road winless skid in San Jose is the longest such streak in club history and the second longest in MLS history. The New York Red Bulls endured a 20-game winless streak at the New England Revolution from 2002 to 2014.
• Sporting KC has lost five of its last six games in San Jose by a 1-0 scoreline dating back to 2009.
• San Jose has won three straight meetings in the series, outscoring Sporting KC 7-0.
• Since 2004, the home team in the fixture is 18-1-2 across all competitions.
• San Jose holds a 24-21-7 edge in the all-time regular season series, including a 16-4-6 mark at home.
• San Jose forward Chris Wondolowski has eight goals in 11 regular season appearances against Sporting KC, including a penalty kick in the Earthquakes' 1-0 win on April 24.

San Jose Earthquakes

• 2016 MLS record: 7-8-13, 34 points (9th in West)
• 2016 MLS home record: 6-2-6 (15 GF, 9 GA)
• Last five games: 0-2-3, 3 points (L-T-L-T-T)
• Last MLS match: Tied 0-0 at Colorado Rapids on Sept. 17
• San Jose ranks last in MLS with 0.96 goals per game but ranks second with a 1.07 goals against average.
• San Jose has just two wins in its last 17 matches (2-5-10), the fewest in MLS since May 20.
• San Jose won five of its first six home games this season (5-0-1) but has just one win in its last eight at Avaya Stadium (1-2-5).
• San Jose is unbeaten (7-0-3) when scoring the first goal but winless (0-8-6) when allowing the first goal in 2016.
• Forward Chris Wondolowski scored seven goals in his first eight MLS matches this season, but has just three goals in his last 16.
• San Jose averages 1.1 goals per 90 minutes in the 1,169 when midfielder Shea Salinas has played this season. That number falls to 0.8 goals per 90 in the 1,516 minutes played without him in 2016.

Sporting Kansas City

• 2016 MLS record: 11-12-7, 40 points (6th in West)
• 2016 MLS home record: 2-8-4 (9 GF, 18 GA)
• Last five games: 1-1-3, 6 points (T-W-L-T-T)
• Last MLS match: Tied 2-2 vs. LA Galaxy on Sept. 18
• SKC is winless in 12 straight MLS road games (0-8-4), its second longest such streak in club history (13 games in 2008).
• SKC has been shut out in seven of its last nine MLS road games.
• SKC leads MLS with 14.8 shots per game while also allowing a league-low 8.9 shots per game.
• SKC is 19th in MLS in shooting accuracy (39.7%) and 18th in shot conversion rate (8.4%).
• Forward Dom Dwyer is tied for fifth in MLS with 14 goals and third with 106 shot attempts (fourth most in a single season in KC history).
• Midfielder Benny Feilhaber has five assists in his last seven games.
• Forward Jacob Peterson has six MLS goals in 11 home appearances this season, but zero goals in eight road appearances.

Milestones and Miscellany

• Saad Abdul-Salaam is one shy of his 50th MLS appearance for Sporting KC (including playoffs).
• Kevin Ellis is one shy of his 50th regular season start for Sporting KC.
• Dom Dwyer has 14 goals in 2016, fourth most in a single season in club history and one shy of tying Eddie Johnson 2007) for third most.
• Midfielder Benny Feilhaber is one assist shy of becoming the second player in Sporting KC history to reach 10 assists in multiple regular seasons (Preki).

Team stats (2016 regular season)

MLS rank in parenthesis (source: Opta)

Recent #SJvSKC regular season meetings

• Regular season record vs. San Jose: 21-24-7 (59 GF, 65 GA)
• Regular season road record at San Jose: 4-16-6 (19 GF, 37 GA)