By The Numbers presented by KDOT: #SKCvSJ

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The stakes this season have never been higher.

Sporting Kansas City (12-13-8, 44 points) and the San Jose Earthquakes (8-11-14, 38 points) square off Sunday at Children's Mercy Park in one of 10 matches to kick off simultaneously at 3 p.m. CT. The Decision Day clash bears upmost importance as Manager Peter Vermes' men seek a club-record sixth straight appearance in the MLS Cup Playoffs. They approach the fixture with destiny in their own hands, knowing a victory would extend their 2016 campaign into the postseason.

SKCTV and 38 The Spot will provide three hours of live Decision Day coverage from 3-6 p.m. CT, and a limited number of tickets for Sunday's all-important showdown are still available at Ticketmaster.com. Time to take a statistical look at the matchup in our By The Numbers preview...

Playoff scenarios

First things first. Given the current standings, here's how can Sporting KC clinch a playoff spot on Sunday.

1. Win vs. San Jose, OR
2. Draw vs. San Jose AND Portland Timbers loss or draw at Vancouver Whitecaps FC, OR
3. Loss vs. San Jose AND Portland Timbers lose at Vancouver by equal or greater margin than does Sporting KC

And how can Sporting KC clinch a No. 4 seed and a home playoff game on Oct. 26 or 27?

1. Win vs. San Jose AND Real Salt Lake ties Seattle Sounders FC AND Portland loss or draw at Vancouver, OR
2. Win vs. San Jose AND Real Salt Lake ties Seatlte Sounders FC and Portland beats Vancouver by equal or lesser margin than Sporting KC beats San Jose

Head-to-head

• Sporting KC and San Jose split their previous two meetings this season. San Jose claimed a controversial 1-0 win at Avaya Stadium on April 24, receiving a penalty kick from Chris Wondolowski. Vermes' side exacted revenge four weeks ago at the same venue, with Dom Dwyer and Kevin Ellis scoring on either side of Simon Dawkins' equalizer to give Kansas City its first win in San Jose since 2000.
• The last time the sides met at Children's Mercy Park, San Jose earned an emphatic 5-0 win behind braces from Wondolowski and Cordell Cato. The result snapped San Jose's 10-game losing streak in Kansas City dating back to 2004.
• Since 2004, the home team in this fixture is 18-2-2 across all competitions.
• San Jose forward Chris Wondolowski has scored eight goals in 12 career regular season appearances vs. Sporting KC.

San Jose Earthquakes

• 2016 MLS record: 8-11-14, 38 points (8th in West)
• 2016 MLS road record: 1-8-7 (14 GF, 26 GA)
• Last five games: 1-3-1, 4 points (L-L-W-L-T)
• Last MLS match: Tied 0-0 vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Oct. 16
• San Jose is last in MLS with 32 goals, six fewer than any other team (0.97 per game). This is on pace to be the Earthquakes' worst scoring season in club history.
• San Jose has won just three of its last 22 MLS matches (3-8-11), the fewest victories in MLS since May 20.
• San Jose has just one win in its last 18 road games dating back to last season (1-10-7).
• San Jose is unbeaten (8-0-3) when scoring the first goal but winless (0-11-6) when allowing the first goal.
• Wondolowski has score three goals in his last seven matches after scoring two in his previous 15. He started the year with seven goals in his first eight games.

Sporting Kansas City

• 2016 MLS record: 12-13-8, 44 points (6th in West)
• 2016 MLS home record: 9-4-3 (28 GF, 19 GA)
• Last five games: 1-1-3, 6 points (T-T-W-L-T)
• Last MLS match: Tied 0-0 at Real Salt Lake on Oct. 16
• SKC is 6-0-2 in its last eight MLS home games, averaging 2.4 goals per game over that stretch.
• SKC has scored 28 goals at home (1.75 per game) compared to just 12 on the road (0.71 per game).
• SKC leads MLS with 75 chances created from set pieces, 12 more than any other team.
• Forward Dom Dwyer is tied for fourth in MLS with 16 goals, third most in Sporting KC single-season history.
• Midfielder Benny Feilhaber is tied for fourth in MLS with 12 assists, having recorded eight assists in his last 10 games.
• Midfielder Roger Espinoza led all MLS players in Week 33 with 17 duels won and seven interceptions.
• Defender Saad Abdul-Salaam is tied for the lead among MLS defenders with six assists.

Milestones and Miscellany

• Sporting KC is seeking a club-record sixth straight appearance in the MLS Cup Playoffs. Five other MLS clubs have accomplished that feat.
• Defender Matt Besler is one shy of his 200th career regular season appearance for Sporting KC, which would tie Chris Klein for sixth most in club history.
• Midfielder Benny Feilhaber is one shy of his 50th career assist for Sporting KC in all competitions. He would be the fourth player in team history to reach that milestone.
• Goalkeeper Tim Melia and midfielder Soni Mustivar are both one shy of their 50th regular season appearances for Sporting KC.

Team stats (2016 regular season)

MLS rank in parenthesis (source: Opta)

Recent #SKCvSJ meetings

• Regular season record vs. San Jose: 22-24-7 (61 GF, 66 GA)
• Regular season home record vs. San Jose: 17-8-1 (40 GF, 28 GA)