By The Numbers presented by KDOT: #SKCvNYC

"By The Numbers" is a season-long series sponsored by The Kansas Department of Transportation, giving a statistical preview of every Sporting KC match.
Traffic Safety... By The Numbers - Visit the Drive to Zero Coalition for more information

Sunday at 6:30 p.m. CT is the time. World-class Children's Mercy Park is the place.

After a four-month offseason, Sporting Kansas City finally returns to MLS action this weekend when they host New York City FC in a nationally televised showdown on FS1. Tickets for the high-profile matchup are on sale at SeatGeek.com, and the first 15,000 fans through the stadium gates will receive a free schedule magnet courtesy of match sponsor Children's Mercy. Listeners can also catch the action on Sports Radio 810 WHB (English) and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM (Spanish), while the Sporting KC Uphoria app will provide live updates and exclusive offers.

Sunday's contest pits a high-powered New York City FC attack against a stifling Sporting KC outfit that includes goalkeeper Tim Melia and defender Ike Opara, who were named the best MLS players at their respective positions in 2017. We take a statistical look at the season-opening fixture in our By The Numbers preview.

Season Openers

• Sporting KC’s 13 season-opening wins are the most in MLS history, while their .682 winning percentage in season openers (13-5-4) is tied for the best clip in league history with FC Dallas (12-4-6).
• Sporting KC is unbeaten in all seven home openers at Children’s Mercy Park (2-0-5) and hasn’t lost a home opener since 2009.
• Sporting KC’s two losses in home openers (13-2-7) are the fewest among MLS charter members.
• Heading into its fourth MLS season, NYCFC has a 1-1-1 record in both season openers and road openers.

Head-to-Head

• Sporting KC is 2-1-0 all-time against New York City FC. Manager Peter Vermes' men won the first two meetings, prevailing 1-0 at Yankee Stadium in March 2015 before winning 3-1 at Children's Mercy Park in July 2016.
• NYCFC won the most recent battle between the sides, posting a 1-0 result behind Jack Harrison's 84th-minute winner last September at Yankee Stadium.
• Sporting KC defender Ike Opara has scored in both of Sporting KC's victories over NYCFC, while Jimmy Medranda bagged his first career MLS goal in the 2016 meeting at Children's Mercy Park.

New York City FC

• 2017 MLS record: 16-9-9 (2nd in East, +13 GD)
• 2017 MLS away record: 6-7-4 (23 GF, 23 GA)
• 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs result: Lost to Columbus in conference semifinals
• 2017 U.S. Open Cup result: Lost to New York Red Bulls in Round of 32.
• NYCFC has scored 118 goals (1.74 per game) over the last two regular seasons, the second-most in MLS.
• NYCFC was tied for second in MLS with six road wins last season.
• NYCFC led MLS with 74 yellow cards in 2017 but received just one red card, tied for the fewest in the league.
• Forward David Villa leads MLS with 63 regular-season goals since 2015. He finished second in last season's Golden Boot race with 22 goals after scoring 23 times during a 2016 MLS MVP campaign.
• Midfielder Maxi Moralez led NYCFC with nine assists and 78 chances created in 2017.
• Midfielder Alexander Ring finished second in MLS with 85 tackles won in 2017.
• Alexander Callens played every minute of the 2017 regular season, leading MLS defenders with 1,673 successful passes.
• NYCFC was 12-3-3 in regular season matches midfielder Yangel Herrera played last year.

 Sporting KC

• 2017 MLS record: 12-9-13, 49 points (5th in West)
• 2017 MLS home record: 10-1-6 (30 GF, 11 GA)
• 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs result: Lost to Houston Dynamo in Knockout Round
• 2017 U.S. Open Cup result: Won championship vs. New York Red Bulls
• SKC's 0.85 goals against average in 2017 was the fifth-lowest for a single season in MLS history.
• SKC's 29 goals conceded last season were eight fewer than any other team in MLS. Their 11 home goals allowed were also a league-low.
• SKC was 11-1-6 when scoring first last season, but 1-9-2 when conceding the first goal (including playoffs).
• SKC has made a club-record seven straight appearances in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
• Reigning MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Tim Melia led the league last year with a 0.78 goals against average, 78.4 save percentage, 69.2-percent passing accuracy and three penalty kick saves.
• Reigning MLS Defender of the Year Ike Opara boasted a 16-7-13 record as a starter in 2017 with five goals in all competitions. SKC had a 0.72 goals against average and 14 shutouts in the 36 matches he played.
• Matt Besler led MLS defenders with 61 successful passes per game during the 2017 regular season. SKC boasted a 0.77 goals against average in the 26 league games he started. 
• Graham Zusi's 59 chances created in 2017 were the most ever by a defender in a single regular season. He led Sporting KC last year with 10 assists across all competitions.
• Midfielder Ilie was second in MLS in total passes (2,295) and ranked third in passes completed (1,959) during the 2017 regular season.

Milestones and Miscellany

• Midfielder Roger Espinoza is one shy of his 200th career MLS appearance for Sporting KC (including playoffs).
• Yohan Croizet, Felipe Gutierrez, Johnny Russell and Khiry Shelton could all make their Sporting KC debuts on Sunday.

Team stats (2017 regular season)

MLS rank in parenthesis (source: Opta)

Recent #SKCvNYC meetings (regular season)

• Regular season record vs. NYCFC: 2-1-0 (4 GF, 2 GA)
• Regular season home record vs. NYCFC: 1-0-0 (3 GF, 1 GA)