By The Numbers presented by KDOT: #SKCvORL | Sept. 8, 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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30,723   The number of alcohol-related crashes on Kansas roads from 2006-2016.

Sporting Kansas City (13-7-6, 45 points) continues their push to the playoffs Saturday when the club hosts Orlando City SC (7-16-3, 24 points) at world-class Children's Mercy Park. The interconference clash will kick off at 7:30 p.m. CT, and tickets remain available via SeatGeek.com. FOX Sports Kansas City Plus, FOX Sports Midwest Plus, FOX Sports GO, Sports Radio 810 WHB and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM will air the game live as Manager Peter Vermes' men look to move within a point of first place in the West.

Saturday's contest features a pair of teams headed in opposite directions. Sporting KC has won four of five and looks destined for an eighth straight playoff berth, while the limping Lions have just one victory to show from their last 17 matches, own the league's worst defensive record and appear set to miss the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year. We take a statistical look at the matchup in our newest edition of By The Numbers.

Head-to-Head

• Sporting KC is 1-1-1 against Orlando, winning the lone meeting at Children’s Mercy Park by a 2-1 scoreline on May 15, 2016. In that game, Sporting KC set a club record with 34 shot attempts.
• The sides most recently met in May 2017, battling to a 2-2 draw in Orlando.
• Sporting KC forward Krisztian Nemeth scored in Sporting KC's 3-1 loss at Orlando in September 2015, the inaugural meeting between the sides.
• Sporting KC has outshot Orlando 57-22 across their three regular season meetings.

Orlando City SC

• 2018 MLS record: 7-16-3, 24 points (9th in East)
• 2018 MLS away record: 2-10-0 (15 GF, 34 GA)
• Last MLS match: T 2-2 vs. Philadelphia Union on Sept. 1
• Last five MLS matches: 0-3-2, 2 points (LT-L-L-T)
• Orlando has conceded 61 goals this season at a rate of 2.35 per game, the most in MLS.
• Orlando is 1-14-2 since May 13, having started the season 6-2-1.
• Orlando has lost nine straight away games since winning 2-1 at Colorado on April 29.
• Orlando has 16 losses this season, the most in MLS, and is currently on a seven-game winless drought (0-5-2).
• Orlando has just one clean sheet this season, the fewest in MLS.
• Orlando has conceded 23 goals in the final 15 minutes of matches this season, nine more than any other team.
• Orlando is 4-14-2 when allowing the first goal this season. Their four such victories after conceding first are tied for the most in MLS.
• Former Sporting KC striker Dom Dwyer leads Orlando with 12 goals, seven more than any other player on the team.
• Midfielder Sacha Kljestan has five goals and six assists this season, ranking ninth in MLS with 62 chances created.
• Midfielder Yoshi Yotun leads Orlando with 10 assists but will miss Saturday's match while on international duty with Peru.
• Defender Mohamed El-Munir ranks second in MLS in tackles won (58), sixth in duels won (185) and ninth in interceptions (55).

 Sporting KC

• 2018 MLS record: 13-7-6, 45 points (3rd in West)
• 2018 MLS home record: 8-2-3 (29 GF, 14 GA)
• Last MLS match: L 1-3 at Seattle Sounders FC on Sept. 1
• Last five MLS matches: 4-1-0, 12 points (W-W-W-W-L)
• Sporting KC's plus-15 goal differential (48-33) is the best in the Western Conference.
• Sporting KC has 48 goals through 26 games, 13 goals shy of tying the long-standing club record for most goals in a regular season (1996).
• Sporting KC is a perfect 7-0-0 when leading at halftime this season.
• Sporting KC leads MLS in shots per game (17.1) and passing accuracy (84.5%) while ranking second in average possession (58.4%).
• Sporting KC will be without forwards Diego Rubio, Johnny Russell and Daniel Salloi on Saturday due to international duty. The trio has combined for 27 goals and 22 assists in all competitions this season.
• Goalkeeper Tim Melia leads MLS with 11 shutouts. He has become the eighth keeper in league history to record 10 or more clean sheets in back-to-back seasons.
• Midfielder Ilie Sanchez leads MLS with 918 successful passes in the attacking half and ranks sixth among field players with 192 recoveries.
• Midfielder Roger Espinoza has a team-best and career-high nine MLS assists this season.
• Graham Zusi leads MLS defenders with 52 chances created and ranks third in the league in touches (2,329).

Milestones and Miscellany

• Goalkeeper Tim Melia is one shy of his 38th regular season shutout for Sporting KC, which would pass Tony Meola for the second-most in club history.
• Defender Matt Besler is one shy of his 250th regular season appearance for Sporting KC.

Recent #SKCvORL regular season meetings

• Regular season record vs. Orlando: 1-1-1 (5 GF, 6 GA)
• Regular season home record vs. Orlando: 1-0-0 (2 GF, 1 GA)

Team stats (2018 regular season)

MLS rank in parenthesis (source: Opta, as of Sept. 6)