By The Numbers presented by KDOT: #VANvSKC | Oct. 17, 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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The battle for playoff seeding continues Wednesday when Sporting Kansas City (15-8-8, 3rd place) visits Vancouver Whitecaps FC (12-12-7, 8th place) in a monumental Western Conference clash at BC Place. Kickoff is set for 9 p.m. CT with live coverage FOX Sports Kansas City, FOX Sports Midwest Plus, FOX Sports GO, ESPN 94.5 FM and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM.

Postseason implications abound as Sporting KC looks to keep pace with leaders FC Dallas and second-place LAFC at the top of the West. The Whitecaps, meanwhile, sit three points behind Real Salt Lake for the sixth and final playoff berth, having played a game less, and will approach the fixture with just as much urgency as Sporting KC. We take a statistical look at the matchup in our newest edition of By The Numbers.

Head-to-Head

• Sporting KC is 7-3-3 all-time against Vancouver in MLS competition.
• The clubs last met on April 20 at Children's Mercy Park, when Sporting KC prevailed 6-0 behind forward Johnny Russell's hat-trick. The win tied a record for the largest margin of victory in Sporting KC history.
• Prior to falling 6-0 in April, Vancouver had won four straight against Sporting KC in all competitions, including a pair of matches in the 2016-17 CCL group stage.
• Sporting KC is 2-2-1 all-time at BC Place, having prevailed in 2012 and 2015. Their most recent visit to Vancouver resulted in a 2-0 defeat last May.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

• 2018 MLS record: 12-12-7, 43 points (8th in West)
• 2018 MLS home record: 6-4-5 (29 GF, 24 GA)
• Last MLS match: W 2-1 at Toronto FC on Oct. 6
• Last five MLS matches: 2-3-0, 6 points (W-L-L-L-W)
• Vancouver has posted just two shutouts this season, tied for the second-fewest in MLS.
• Vancouver leads MLS with 24.0 clearances per game and ranks second with 55.7 duels won per game.
• In stark contrast to Sporting KC, Vancouver ranks last in MLS in average possession (43.6 percent) and ranks 20th in passing accuracy (78.7 percent).
• Vancouver's six home wins this season (6-4-5) are the third-fewest in the Western Conference.
• Vancouver has scored a league-low two goals in the opening 15 minutes of matches, but their 16 goals in the final 15 minutes of matches are third-most in MLS.
• Vancouver has also allowed 16 goals in the final 15 minutes of matches, second-most in MLS.
• Vancouver is 10-0-2 when scoring the first goal this season, but just 2-12-4 when conceding the first goal. Similarly, the Whitecaps are 6-0-0 when leading at halftime but 2-10-2 when trailing at the break.
• Former Sporting KC forward Kei Kamara leads Vancouver with 14 MLS goals, eight more than any other player on the team. His six game-winning goals are tied for third-most in MLS.
• Midfielders Yordy Reyna and Alphonso Davies are tied for the Vancouver lead with 11 assists. Davies ranks first among MLS Homegrown Players with 17 combined goals (six) and assists (11) in league play.
• Davies (245) and Kamara (222) rank first and second in MLS, respectively, in duels won.

 Sporting KC

• 2018 MLS record: 15-8-8, 53 points (3rd in West)
• 2018 MLS away record: 6-6-3 (24 GF, 22 GA)
• Last MLS match: T 1-1 vs. LA Galaxy on Oct. 6
• Last five MLS matches: 2-1-2, 8 points (W-W-L-T-T)
• With 56 goals through 31 games, Sporting KC is five goals shy of tying a club record for most goals in a regular season (1996).
• If the season ended today, Sporting KC’s plus-18 goal difference (56 GF, 38 GA) would be tied for the best in club history.
• Sporting KC leads MLS with a passing accuracy of 84.5 percent and ranks second in average possession at 58.0 percent.
• Forward Diego Rubio is second in MLS with 0.99 goals per 90 minutes, having recorded eight goals and six assists in 724 minutes played.
• Forward Johnny Russell leads Sporting KC in goals (11) and assists (11) across all competitions. He is also tied for the MLS lead with three penalty kicks won.
• Midfielder Ilie Sanchez leads MLS with 1,083 successful passes in the attacking half.
• Defender Graham Zusi leads MLS defenders with 66 chances created while also leading the league in touches (2,794).
• Goalkeeper Tim Melia is tied for the MLS lead with a career-high 12 shutouts.

Milestones and Miscellany

• Defender Graham Zusi is one shy of his 250th regular season appearance for Sporting KC.
• Midfielder Roger Espinoza one shy of his 200th regular season start for Sporting KC.
• Goalkeeper Tim Melia is one shy of his 50th regular season win for Sporting KC.
• Manager Peter Vermes has 130 regular-season coaching wins, one shy of taking sole possession of fifth place on the all-time MLS chart.

Recent #VANvSKC regular season meetings

• Regular season record vs. Vancouver: 7-3-3 (25 GF, 16 GA)
• Regular season home record vs. Vancouver: 2-2-2 (8 GF, 9 GA)

Team stats (2018 regular season)

MLS rank in parenthesis (source: Opta, as of Oct. 15, 2018)