By the Numbers presented by Compass Minerals

By The Numbers presented by KDOT: #VANvSKC

By The Numbers presented by KDOT DL Image

"By The Numbers" is sponsored by The Kansas Department of Transportation. Did you know that more than 13,000 people die each year in traffic crashes involving a driver with a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of 0.08 or higher, which is the legal limit across all of the United States?  Be safe and designate a sober driver.



Sporting Kansas City's three-game road swing ends Wednesday against Vancouver Whitecaps FC at BC Place. The match will kick off at 9:30 p.m. CT with three hours of live television coverage on 38 The Spot and SKCTV beginning at 9 p.m. CT. Sporting KC (4-4-0, 12 points) has suffered three straight defeats but owns an impressive record against Whitecaps FC (3-4-1, 10 points), who are coming off a resounding 3-0 win over FC Dallas on Saturday. We take a statistical look at the matchup in our By The Numbers preview...


Head-to-head


  • Sporting KC is 5-1-2 against Whitecaps FC in the regular season, including three straight wins and a 2-1-1 mark in Vancouver.
  • Wednesday is the second meeting between the clubs this year. Sporting KC ran out 2-1 winners on March 12 at Children's Mercy Park, propelled by Dom Dwyer's first-half brace.
  • Vancouver's lone win in the series came on Aug. 10, 2014, at BC Place. This was also Sporting KC's most recent regular season defeat to a Cascadia club (POR, SEA, VAN), having gone 6-0-4 with seven shutouts ever since.
  • Sporting KC goalkeeper Tim Melia has a 3-0-0 record against Vancouver with 13 saves, including a shutout at BC Place on July 12, 2015.
  • Sporting KC forward Dom Dwyer has three goals in his last two appearances against Vancouver.
  • Vancouver midfielder Pedro Morales has scored or assisted in each of his three appearances against Sporting KC, including goals in the last two fixtures.
  • Sporting KC has gone 3-0-2 in their last five regular season visits to Cascadia clubs, posting shutouts in every match. Peter Vermes' men have gone 501 regular season minutes without allowing a goal in the Pacific Northwest, last doing so in a 2-0 loss at Vancouver on Aug. 10, 2014.
  • Sporting KC is 25-8-8 against MLS's three Canadian teams in the regular season. Those 25 wins are more than any other MLS team.
  • Sporting KC's 10 regular season road wins on Canadian soil (10-5-5 record) are tied with D.C. United for most among American MLS teams.


Vancouver Whitecaps FC


  • 2016 MLS record: 3-4-1, 10 points (7th in West)
  • 2016 MLS home record: 2-1-1 (6 GF, 3 GA)
  • Vancouver has scored nine goals through eight games but just one from the run of play, the fewest in MLS.
  • Vancouver has converted four penalty kick goals, two more than any other team, and is tied for second in MLS with three set piece goals.
  • Vancouver snapped a 371-minute goalless streak in Saturday's 3-0 win over FC Dallas. The team had been shut out three straight times and had yet to score from the run of play all season.
  • Vancouver has faced a league-high 16.5 shots per game and has been out-shot in seven straight games.
  • Forward Octavio Rivero is the only MLS player with at least 15 shot attempts and 10 shots on goal but zero goals scored.
  • Reigning MLS Defender of the Year finalist Kendall Waston ranks second in MLS with 16 blocks, while his center back partner Tim Parker ranks third with 43 clearances.


Sporting Kansas City


  • 2016 MLS record: 4-4-0, 12 points (6th in West)
  • 2016 MLS road record: 2-2-0 (4 GF, 4 GA)
  • Seven of SKC's eight games this season have been decided by a single goal.
  • SKC has lost three straight games despite out-shooting their opponent in each match. This hasn't happened since 2010 and is just the third such instance in club history during the non-shootout era (2000-present), having first occurred in 2006.
  • SKC is one of four MLS teams (TOR, DAL, MTL) with multiple road wins this season.
  • Goalkeeper Tim Melia is tied for the MLS lead with three shutouts and tied for second with four wins. He also ranks second in save percentage (78.9) and third in saves (30).
  • Forward Dom Dwyer is one of four MLS players (Joao Plata, Ignacio Piatti, Sebastian Giovinco) with at least four goals and two assists.
  • Defender Nuno Andre Coelho ranks fourth in MLS with 394 successful passes, seventh with seven blocked shots, eighth with 29 interceptions and 12th with 33 clearances.


Milestones and Miscellany


  • Matt Besler is one shy of his 200th MLS appearance (including playoffs).
  • Brad Davis has 40 career game-winning assists in the regular season, one shy of tying Landon Donovan and Steve Ralston for the all-time MLS record.
  • Dom Dwyer is one shy of his 50th career goal for Sporting KC in all competitions.
  • Graham Zusi has 24 game-winning assists in MLS (including playoffs), one shy of passing Preki for sole possession of first place in club history.


Team stats (2016 regular season)


MLS rank in parenthesis (source: WhoScored.com)

<strong>Category (per game)</strong>
<strong>Sporting KC</strong>
<b>Vancouver</b>
Goals scored
1.13&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 10px;">(t-14th)</span>
1.13&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 10px;">(t-14th</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">)</span>
Goals conceded
1.00&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 10px;">(t-3rd</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">)</span>
1.38&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 10px;">(11th)</span>
Shots
12.0&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 10px;">(15</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">t</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">h)</span>
10.8&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 10px;">(17th</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">)</span>
Passing accuracy
77.6%&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 10px;">(6th</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">)</span>
72.8%&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 10px;">(18th)</span>
Possession
54.1%&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 10px;">(4th</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">)</span>
45.9%&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 10px;">(19</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">th)</span>
Tackles
18.0&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 10px;">(17th</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">)</span>
19.0&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 10px;">(14th)</span>
Interceptions
19.0&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 10px;">(15th)</span>
15.9&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 10px;">(19th)</span>
Fouls committed
<span style="line-height: 20.8px;">10.3&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 20.8px; font-size: 10px;">(19th)</span>
<span style="line-height: 20.8px;">13.6&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 20.8px; font-size: 10px;">(6th)</span>
Shots faced
11.5&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 10px;">(14th)</span>
14.3&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 10px;">(4th)</span>

Recent #VANvSKC regular season meetings


  • Regular season record vs. Vancouver: 5-1-2
  • Regular season road record at Vancouver: 2-1-1 (7 GF, 6 GA)
<strong>Date</strong>
<strong>Result</strong>
<strong>Stadium</strong>
<strong>Details</strong>
08/10/2014
L 0-2
BC Place
Morales assists Mattocks in Caps' first win of series
07/12/2015
W 1-0
BC Place
Ellis scores in 52', Mustivar makes 20 interceptions
08/15/2015
W 4-3
Children's Mercy Park
SKC scores in 81', 87' and 94' to notch epic comeback
03/12/2016
W 2-1
Children's Mercy Park
Dwyer scores two, Zusi and Myers assist; Morales PK