By The Numbers presented by KDOT: #SKCvPOR

"By The Numbers" is sponsored by The Kansas Department of Transportation. Did you know that an average impaired driver has driven under the influence more than 80 times before their first arrest? Be safe and designate a sober driver.

Sporting Kansas City and the Portland Timbers square off Sunday in a match that carries significant Western Conference playoff implications. Fourth-place Sporting KC (9-10-4, 31 points) has won four straight matches at Children's Mercy Park and will look to claim a fifth on Sunday against a Portland side that is winless in 10 road games this season.

Sunday's contest will kick off at 1:01 p.m. CT sharp, marking the first time Sporting KC has appeared on the FOX national channel. Supporters are encouraged to arrive promptly for the earliest MLS start in stadium history, and tickets are still available via Ticketmaster.com or by calling 888-4KC-GOAL.

We take a statistical look at Sunday's all-important matchup in our By The Numbers preview.

Head-to-head

• Sporting KC is unbeaten in four straight regular season games against Portland, notching shutouts in each match (2-0-2).
• The Timbers are amidst a 392-minute regular season scoreless streak vs. Sporting KC dating back to April 2013.
• The last four regular season games between the sides have produced just two total goals, both from Sporting KC.
• The home side in the series is winless in seven straight games across all competitions since 2013. This includes the epic 2015 Western Conference Knockout Round match at Providence Park last October, which ended in a 2-2 draw through 120 minutes. Portland would win the ensuing penalty shootout in 11 rounds, the longest shootout in MLS postseason history.
• The clubs met three times during the 2015 regular season, playing to a pair of 0-0 draws before Sporting KC scraped a 1-0 road win on Oct. 3 behind Krisztian Nemeth's MLS Goal of the Year winner.
• Tim Melia earned clean sheets in both of his appearances vs. Portland last year, making 13 saves across two games at Providence Park (Sept. 9 and Oct. 3).

Portland Timbers

• 2016 MLS record: 7-7-8, 29 points (7th in West)
• 2016 MLS road record: 0-4-6 (9 GF, 15 GA)
• Last five games: 1-1-3, 6 points (T-T-T-W-L)
• Last MLS match: Lost 2-1 vs. LA Galaxy on July 23
• Portland has scored 33 goals this season, three shy of the league lead, and ranks second in MLS with 10.41 chances created per game.
• Portland is 0-4-6 on the road this season after winning seven away games in both 2014 and 2015. Portland's last road win came last December in the 2015 MLS Cup final at Columbus Crew SC.
• Despite their winless road record, Portland has avoided defeat in four straight road games dating back to May 28 (0-0-4).
• Portland's loss to LA Galaxy last Saturday snapped a nine-game unbeaten run in the league.
• Midfielder Diego Valeri leads MLS with 70 chances created and ranks fourth with 71 shot attempts (nine goals).
• Forward Fanendo Adi is tied for fifth in MLS with 10 goals, but only two have come on the road.
• Adi (10) and Valeri (9) have combined for 19 goals, the second most by a duo on the same team in MLS.

Sporting Kansas City

• 2016 MLS record: 9-10-4, 31 points (4th in West)
• 2016 MLS home record: 7-4-1 (20 GF, 14 GA)
• Last five games: 3-2-0, 9 points (W-W-L-L-W)
• Last MLS match: Won 3-0 vs. Seattle Sounders FC on July 24
• SKC has won four straight home games since June 19, outscoring opponents 11-3 during that stretch.
• SKC has scored at least three goals in three straight home games for the first time in club history. The club has outshot opponents 56-12 during that stretch.
• SKC leads MLS with 14.8 shots per game while also allowing a league-low 8.7 shots per game, 1.1 fewer than any other team.
• SKC leads MLS wtih 10.43 chances created per game.
• Forward Dom Dwyer is tied for fifth in MLS with 10 goals while ranking third with 76 shot attempts.
• Goalkeeper Tim Melia is tied for the MLS lead with nine wins, but also rankings second with 10 losses.
• Defender Jimmy Medranda leads MLS with 55 tackles won. Since May 20, he also leads the league with 43 interceptions.
• Defender Saad Abdul-Salaam is tied for the lead among MLS defenders with five assists.

Milestones and Miscellany

• Peter Vermes is one shy of his 100th career coaching win in the MLS regular season (99-79-57).
• Graham Zusi is one shy of his 200th career MLS appearance (including playoffs).
• Roger Espinoza is one shy of his 150th career start for Sporting KC in all competitions.
• Seth Sinovic is one shy of his 150th career regular season appearance in MLS.
• Benny Feilhaber is one shy of his 100th career regular season start for Sporting KC.
• Jacob Peterson is one shy of his 100th career substitute appearance in the MLS regular season. He would be the fifth MLS player to reach the century mark in regular season substitute appearances.

Team stats (2016 regular season)

MLS rank in parenthesis (source: WhoScored.com)

Recent #SKCvPOR meetings (all competitions)

• Regular season record vs. Portland: 4-2-2 (9 GF, 6 GA)
• Regular season home record vs. Portland: 1-1-1 (5 GF, 4 GA)