By The Numbers presented by KDOT: #SKCvRSL | Western Conference Semifinal Leg Two

"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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Top-seeded Sporting Kansas City and No. 6 seed Real Salt Lake have all to play for Sunday when the rivals square off in the decisive second leg of the Western Conference Finals at Children's Mercy Park. The highly anticipated showdown, coming a week after the clubs scrapped to a 1-1 first-leg draw in Utah, will kick off at 2 p.m. CT with live coverage on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN, ESPN 94.5 FM and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM.

A limited number of tickets for Sunday's clash, Sporting KC's first home playoff tilt since ousting Real Salt Lake in the 2013 MLS Cup, remain available via SeatGeek.com. As two familiar foes prepare for their fifth head-to-head battle this season, let's take a statistical look at the matchup in our newest edition of By The Numbers.

How each team can advance

With last weekend's 1-1 draw in the books, Sporting KC can advance to the Western Conference Championship with either a win or a scoreless draw on Sunday. A victory would see Manager Peter Vermes' side advance on aggregate, while a 0-0 tie would give Sporting KC the away goals tiebreaker. Conversely, a draw involving four or more total goals (2-2, 3-3, etc.) would give the away goals tiebreaker to RSL. Another 1-1 stalemate would force two 15-minute periods of extra time and, if necessary, a penalty shootout.

Head-to-Head

• Sporting KC are 1-6-6 in their last 13 MLS meetings with RSL since 2014 (including playoffs).
• Sporting KC are 2-0-2 in their last four matches against Real Salt Lake played outside of the MLS regular season.
• Real Salt Lake are 2-4-4 at Children's Mercy Park in all competitions, with their only wins coming in 2016.
• These clubs notably met in the 2013 MLS Cup at Children’s Mercy Park, an epic encounter played amidst freezing conditions that saw Sporting KC prevail 7-6 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw through regulation and extra time.
• Sunday marks the fifth meeting between Sporting KC and Real Salt Lake this season.
  • Sporting KC eliminated RSL from the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with a 2-0 fourth-round win on June 6 at Rio Tinto Stadium.
  • In regular season action, Sporting KC took a 4-2 road loss on July 4 before battling RSL to a 1-1 draw on Sept. 30 at Children's Mercy Park.
  • The sides settled for a 1-1 tie in last Sunday's first leg as Albert Rusnak and Diego Rubio exchanged second-half strikes.

Real Salt Lake

• 2018 MLS record: 14-13-7, 49 points (6th in West)
• 2018 MLS away record: 3-11-3 (17 GF, 34 GA)
• 2018 Knockout Round: W 3-2 at LAFC on Nov. 1
• Last five MLS matches: 2-2-1 (L-W-L-W-T)
• All-time playoff record: 8-8-8 (32 GF, 27 GA)
• All-time playoff away record: 3-6-5 (19 GF, 21 GA)
• Best playoff finish: MLS Cup Champions (2009)
• Midfielder Albert Rusnak, who recorded 10 goals and seven assists during the regular season and scored for RSL in last weekend's first leg, will miss Sunday's match due to caution accumulation. Despite his influential role, RSL are 4-0-1 this season when Rusnak does not play.
• RSL limited Sporting KC to 33 percent possession in leg one, their lowest share of possession in an MLS match since 2015.
• RSL were just 3-11-3 on the road during the regular season, but secured a 3-2 away win over LAFC in the knockout round on Nov. 1.
• Midfielder Damir Kreilach, who scored twice in RSL's 3-2 knockout round win over LAFC on Nov. 1, leads the side with 14 MLS goals this season (including playoffs).
• RSL were one of two MLS teams to have five players with at least seven goals during the regular season: Damir Kreilach (12), Albert Rusnak (10), Corey Baird (8), Joao Plata (8) and Jefferson Savarino (7).

 Sporting KC

• 2018 MLS record:18-8-8, 62 points (1st in West)
• 2018 MLS home record: 10-2-5 (34 GF, 17 GA)
• 2018 Knockout Round: Bye
• Last five MLS matches: 3-0-2 (T-W-W-W-T)
• All-time playoff record: 16-20-11 (60 GF, 62 GA)
• All-time playoff home record: 14-2-4 (35 GF, 15 GA)
• Best playoff finish: MLS Cup Champions (2000, 2013)
• Sporting KC set regular-season club records in 2018 for goals (65), away goals (31), goal difference (+25), assists (69) and shots (583) while amassing 18 wins and 62 points, both the second-best totals in team history.
• Sporting KC are 14-2-4 at home home in the playoffs, with their lone losses coming in 1997 and 2011. The club has allowed just 15 goals across 20 home playoff games.
• Sporting KC are winless in six straight playoff matches (0-3-3) but are 2-0-1 in their last three home playoff games at Children's Mercy Park.
• Sporting KC have outscored opponents 19-8 over the final 15 minutes of matches this season (all competitions).
• Sporting KC are 10-0-0 this season in all competitions when leading at halftime.
• Defenders Matt Besler and Graham Zusi have started in each of Sporting KC's 15 playoff matches since 2011.
• Forward Diego Rubio, who scored the equalizer in last Sunday's first leg, leads MLS with five goals as a substitute, two more than any other player.

Recent #SKCvRSL meetings (all competitions)

• Regular season record vs. RSL 9-11-8 (35 GF, 37 GA)
• All competitions record vs. RSL: 11-12-10 (43 GF, 42 GA)

Team stats (2018 regular season)

MLS rank in parenthesis (source: Opta)