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Leading the Western Conference, Sporting Kansas City (7-4-4, 25 points) is back home Saturday to face Canadian club Montreal Impact (4-4-4, 16 points) at Children’s Mercy Park. Saturday's match, set to kick off at 7 p.m. CT, will be broadcast live on FOX Sports Kansas City, FOX Sports Midwest, Sports Radio 810 WHB (English) and La Grande 1340 AM (Spanish).
Peter Vermes' side is currently riding a six-game home winning streak — one shy of equaling the club's all-time record — and has yet to lose at Children’s Mercy Park this year (6-0-1 overall). Montreal, meanwhile, is tenth in the Eastern Conference standings but sits seventh with 1.33 points per game. Designated Player Ignacio Piatti leads the team with six goals in MLS play. We take a further look at Saturday's matchup in our By The Numbers preview...
Head-to-head
- This is the 12th overall meeting between the clubs who were once Eastern Conference rivals, and the sixth to be played in Kansas City. Sporting KC is 6-3-2 against Montreal.
- Sporting KC is undefeated in the series since 2014 (4-0-1).
- Dom Dwyer scored a brace in all three meetings in 2014, becoming one of 10 players in MLS history to score six or more regular season goals against the same opponent in a single year and the first of that group to do so in the league's expansion era (2005-present).
- Dom Dwyer's nine goals in six appearances versus Montreal are tied for the most by any player against the Impact.
- Montreal is 2-3-0 all-time at Sporting Park. The Impact prevailed 2-0 in the teams' inaugural meeting in May 2012 before winning 2-1 in June 2013.
- Conversely, Sporting KC notched home wins against Montreal in March 2013 (2-0, April 2014 (4-0) and July 2015 (2-1).
Montreal Impact
- 2017 MLS record: 4-4-4, 16 points (10th in East)
- 2017 MLS away record: 1-2-3 (7 GF, 9 GA)
- Last five games: 3-2-0, 9 points (L-W-L-W-W)
- Last MLS match: W 1-0 vs. New York Red Bulls on June 3
- Montreal has conceded 4.4 shots on goal per game, most in MLS.
- Montreal has played 12 competitive matches this season, the fewest in MLS.
- Ignacio Piatti leads Montreal with seven goals in all competitions.
- Montreal is second in MLS with five goals from outside the box.
- Defender Chris Duvall is tied for third in MLS with 13 successful crosses from open play.
- Montreal leads MLS with 15 fouls per game.
Sporting KC
- 2017 MLS record:7-4-4, 25 points (1st in West)
- 2017 MLS home record: 6-0-1 (16 GF, 2 GA)
- Last five games: 2-2-1, 7 points (T-W-L-L-W)
- Last MLS match: W 3-0 vs. Minnesota United FC on June 3
- Sporting KC leads MLS lead with eight clean sheets from 15 games.
- Sporting KC is on a six-game home winning streak in the regular season, one shy of the club record set in 1998 and 2000.
- Midfielder Ilie and goalkeeper Tim Melia have played in every minute of the 2017 regular season.
- Ilie is ranked second in MLS with 1104 passes in 15 games.
- Sporting KC ranks second in MLS in passing accuracy (82.9%).
- Sporting KC has taken the most shots in MLS this year with 228 and has faced the fewest shots this year with 133. SKC is also tied for second with 76 shots on target.
- Goalkeeper Tim Melia has the best goals against average in MLS with 0.67. His 81.5 save percentage leads the league among players to play in two or more games, and he is one of just two goalkeepers to save two penalties this season.
- Midfielder Benny Feilhaber is tied for third in MLS with 38 chances created and tied for second with 26 chances created from open play.
Milestones and Miscellany
- Sporting KC will play its 800th competitive match all-time and its 400th at home on Saturday.
- Goalkeeper Tim Melia is one shy of setting a new single-season career-high with nine shutouts.
Team stats (2017 regular season)
MLS rank in parenthesis (source: Opta)
<strong>Category (per game)</strong> |
<strong>Sporting KC</strong> |
<strong>Montreal</strong> |
Goals scored |
1.27 (15th) |
1.58 (9th) |
Goals conceded |
0.67 (1st) |
1.50 (t-16th) |
Shots |
15.2 (1st) |
13.0 (7th) |
Shots on goal |
5.1 (t-2nd) |
4.4 (12th) |
Shooting accuracy |
44.7 (13th) |
42.7 (17th) |
Passing accuracy |
82.9 (2nd) |
78.1 (13th) |
Possession |
57.5 (3rd) |
49.9 (10th) |
Duels won |
50.9 (8th) |
50.6 (9th) |
Tackles won |
11.8 (21st) |
13.5 (11th) |
Interceptions |
12.3 (t-15th) |
13.5 (11th) |
Fouls committed |
11.3 (19th) |
15.0 (1st) |
Fouls suffered |
12.3 (t-6th) |
12.3 (t-6th) |
Shots faced |
8.9 (1st) |
13.0 (16th) |
Recent #SKCvMTL regular season meetings
- Regular season record vs. Montreal: 6-3-2 (19 GF, 10 GA)
- Regular season home record vs. Montreal: 3-2-0 (9 GF, 5 GA)
<strong>Date</strong> |
<strong>Result</strong> |
<strong>Stadium</strong> |
<strong>Competition</strong> |
04/19/2014 |
W 4-0 |
Children's Mercy Park |
Dwyer bags brace; Zusi, Peterson and Olum assist |
05/10/2014 |
W 3-0 |
Stade Saputo |
Dwyer scores twice, Nagamura adds third |
07/12/2014 |
W 2-1 |
Stade Saputo |
Dwyer nets second in 89th minute to win the game |
07/18/2015 |
W 2-1 |
Children's Mercy Park |
Feilhaber and Dwyer score; Piatto pulls one back |
06/25/2015 |
T 2-2 |
Stade Saputo |
Dwyer scores twice; Piatti nets penalty kick |
