"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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Sporting Kansas City will have no luxury of easing into the 2019 season.
On the contrary, Manager Peter Vermes’ jump straight into the flames of the Concacaf Champions League on Thursday, hosting Mexican club Deportivo Toluca FC in the first leg of the Round of 16 at 7 p.m. CT. Tickets for the showdown are included in Season Ticket Member packages and remain available on SeatGeek.com as Sporting prepares for its earliest competitive match in team history.
Fans can also stream Thursday’s match live on YahooSports.com or the Yahoo Sports app, while Univision Deportes will broadcast the game in Spanish. Listeners can catch the action on Sports Radio 810 WHB and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM.
Sporting set out on their Champions League campaign with dreams of becoming the first MLS side to win the tournament during the modern era, which began in 2008-09. Liga MX sides have held a stranglehold on the competition, winning the last 10 titles, and Toluca have their sights set on securing No. 11.
With that in mind, let’s jump into the first 2019 edition of By The Numbers. Please note that the all-time records below are applicable to the Concacaf Champions League since 2008-09, when the tournament was rebranded and adopted a new format. Sporting’s all-time records in all international competitions can be found in the official Match Notes for Thursday’s contest.
Sporting KC
2018 MLS record: 18-8-8 (62 pts, 1st in West)
2018 MLS home record: 10-2-5 (40 GF, 22 GA)
2018 leading scorer: Daniel Salloi (16 goals in all competitions)
Champions League Fast Facts
- Qualified as 2017 U.S. Open Cup champion
- Best Finish: 2013-14 Quarterfinals
- All-time record: 6-4-4
- All-time home record: 4-1-2
Against Mexican Opposition
- All-time record: 2-6-2
- All-time home record: 2-2-2
Worth Noting
- Defender Seth Sinovic is the only player on the current Sporting KC roster to score a goal for the club in the Champions League. He also leads the current roster with 11 career Champions League appearances.
- Defender Graham Zusi is tied for first in Sporting KC history with three career assists in the Champions League.
- Midfielder Felipe Gutierrez leads the Sporting KC roster with 22 international appearances at the club level, all coming with former clubs in the Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana and UEFA Europa League.
Toluca
2019 Clausura record: 2-4-1 (7 pts, 13th in Liga MX)
2019 Liga MX away record: 1-3-0 (3 GF, 7 GA)
2019 leading scorer: Enrique Triverio (3 goals in Liga MX)
Champions League Fast Facts:
- Qualified as 2018 Clausura runners-up
- Best Finish: 2013-14 Finalist
- All-time record: 14-6-8
- All-time away record: 5-5-4
Against MLS Opposition
- All-time record: 2-1-4
- All-time away record: 1-1-2
Worth Noting
- Toluca have never shut out an MLS opponent in seven all-time meetings.
- Toluca are unbeaten in six straight matches against MLS opponents, posting a 2-0-4 record.
- Toluca goalkeeper Alfredo Talavera, midfielder Antonio Rios and winger Carlos Esquivel helped lead los Diablos Rojos to the finals of the 2013-14 Champions League before falling to Cruz Azul.
MLS vs. Liga MX
- Liga MX clubs have won all 10 Champions League titles since the tournament adopted its current branding in 2008-09.
- MLS clubs are 5-19 all-time in two-legged Champions League series against Liga MX opponents.
- MLS clubs were 3-3 in two-legged Champions League series against Liga MX opponents last season, securing more series wins in 2018 than the previous nine seasons combined (2-18).
- Only two MLS clubs have won continental titles, as the 1998 D.C. United and 2000 LA Galaxy both hoisted the Concacaf Champions’ Cup.
Head-to-Head International Experience
| SPORTING | TOLUCA | ||
| TOTAL | Club Internationals | 118 | 464 |
| National Team Caps | 295 | 84 | |
| GOALKEEPERS | Club Internationals | 1 | 36 |
| National Team Caps | 0 | 31 | |
| DEFENDERS | Club Internationals | 72 | 219 |
| National Team Caps | 159 | 20 | |
| MIDFIELDERS | Club Internationals | 28 | 168 |
| National Team Caps | 92 | 32 | |
| FORWARDS | Club Internationals | 17 | 41 |
| National Team Caps | 44 | 1 | |
| TOTAL INT'L | 413 | 548 |
International Experience: Sporting KC Positional Breakdown
<strong>GOALKEEPERS</strong> |
<strong>Club Int'l</strong> |
<strong>Caps</strong> |
Tim Melia |
1 |
0 |
Eric Dick |
0 |
0 |
Adrian Zendejas |
0 |
0 |
<u><strong>Goalkeeper Total</strong></u> |
<u><strong>1</strong></u> |
<u><strong>0</strong></u> |
<strong>DEFENDERS</strong> |
<strong>Club Int'l</strong> |
<strong>Caps</strong> |
Seth Sinovic |
15 |
0 |
Rodney Wallace |
12 |
32 |
Andreu Fontas |
11 |
0 |
Matt Besler |
10 |
47 |
Abdul Rwatubyaye |
10 |
22 |
Graham Zusi |
8 |
55 |
Botond Barath |
6 |
3 |
Jaylin Lindsey |
0 |
0 |
Graham Smith |
0 |
0 |
<u><strong>Defender Total</strong></u> |
<u><strong>72</strong></u> |
<u><strong>159</strong></u> |
<strong>MIDFIELDERS</strong> |
<strong>Club Int'l</strong> |
<strong>Caps</strong> |
Felipe Gutierrez |
22 |
35 |
Roger Espinoza |
4 |
53 |
Jimmy Medranda |
2 |
0 |
Kelyn Rowe |
0 |
4 |
Gianluca Busio |
0 |
0 |
Yohan Croizet |
0 |
0 |
Ilie Sanchez |
0 |
0 |
Wan Kuzain Wan Kamal |
0 |
0 |
<u><strong>Midfield Total</strong></u> |
<u><strong>28</strong></u> |
<u><strong>92</strong></u> |
<strong>FORWARDS</strong> |
<strong>Club Int'l</strong> |
<strong>Caps</strong> |
Gerso Fernandes |
6 |
0 |
Erik Hurtado |
5 |
0 |
Johnny Russell |
4 |
9 |
Krisztian Nemeth |
2 |
35 |
Tyler Freeman |
0 |
0 |
Daniel Salloi |
0 |
0 |
<u><strong>Forward Total</strong></u> |
<u><strong>17</strong></u> |
<u><strong>44</strong></u> |
<strong>TEAM TOTAL</strong> |
<strong>118</strong> |
<strong>295</strong> |
International Experience: Toluca Positional Breakdown
<strong>GOALKEEPERS</strong> |
<strong>Club Int'l</strong> |
<strong>Caps</strong> |
Alfredo Talavera |
36 |
31 |
Luis Garcia |
0 |
0 |
Ramon Pasquel |
0 |
0 |
<u><strong>Goalkeeper Total</strong></u> |
<u><strong>36</strong></u> |
<u><strong>31</strong></u> |
<strong>DEFENDERS</strong> |
<strong>Club Int'l</strong> |
<strong>Caps</strong> |
Jonatan Maidana |
85 |
5 |
Osvaldo Gonzalez |
72 |
13 |
Omar Tobio |
26 |
0 |
Richard Ruiz |
15 |
0 |
Rodrigo Salinas |
7 |
0 |
Cristian Borja |
5 |
2 |
Santiago Garcia |
5 |
0 |
Hector Acosta |
4 |
0 |
Adrian Mora |
0 |
0 |
<u><strong>Defender Total</strong></u> |
<u><strong>219</strong></u> |
<u><strong>20</strong></u> |
<strong>MIDFIELDERS</strong> |
<strong>Club Int'l</strong> |
<strong>Caps</strong> |
Carlos Esquivel |
38 |
19 |
Antonio Rios |
31 |
8 |
Felipe Pardo |
25 |
3 |
Pablo Barrientos |
23 |
0 |
Federico Mancuello |
22 |
2 |
Luis Mendoza |
16 |
0 |
William |
11 |
0 |
Leonel Lopez |
2 |
0 |
Adolfo Dominguez |
0 |
0 |
Alan Medina |
0 |
0 |
<strong><u>Midfield Total</u></strong> |
<strong><u>168</u></strong> |
<strong><u>32</u></strong> |
<strong>FORWARDS</strong> |
<strong>Club Int'l</strong> |
<strong>Caps</strong> |
Emmanuel Gigliotti |
31 |
1 |
Enrique Triverio |
10 |
0 |
Diego Abella |
0 |
0 |
Alexis Canelo |
0 |
0 |
Brian Rubio |
0 |
0 |
<u><strong>Forward Total</strong></u> |
<u><strong>41</strong></u> |
<u><strong>1</strong></u> |
<strong>TEAM TOTAL</strong> |
<strong>464</strong> |
<strong>84</strong> |
