Just 72 hours after advancing to the U.S. Open Cup semifinals, Sporting Kansas City will play their third match in seven days when they travel to face Real Salt Lake on Friday. The game will be televised nationally on UniMas/UDN and locally on KMCI-TV 38 the Spot with radio coverage on La Grande 1340 AM (Spanish) in Kansas City.
Peter Vermes' side has won eight of nine matches in all competitions with the lone setback coming in last-minute fashion at Rio Tinto Stadium last month. We examine the matchup in our By The Numbers preview.
Head-to-head
- Friday is the fifth all-time trip to Rio Tinto Stadium for Sporting KC, who have come away with two wins and three losses in previous visits.
- Each of the last two #RSLvSKC meetings at Rio Tinto Stadium have ended with stoppage-time winners. In July 2013, Ike Opara headed home a 97th-minute corner kick from Graham Zusi—the latest regular season goal in club history—to give the visitors a 2-1 win. Last month, Olmes Garcia scored in the 93rd minute as RSL prevailed 2-1.
- Just twice in the last nine #RSLvSKC fixtures has a team scored more than one goal in a match. SKC has outscored RSL 8-6 during that stretch with a 3-2-4 record.
Sporting KC
- SKC is the only MLS team with a winning road record since the beginning of 2011 (including postseason), compiling a 31-30-20 mark away from home.
- SKC's three MLS losses are two fewer than any other team and the second-fewest through 18 games in team history (two in 2000).
- SKC is tied for the MLS lead with nine clean sheets and has conceded a league-low 18 goals.
- With a win on Friday, Sporting KC would have nine wins over a 10-game, single-season stretch for the first time in club history (all competitions).
- With a goal in Tuesday's Open Cup victory, Benny Feilhaber became the third player in team history to record seven goals and 14 assists in a single season (Preki 1996, 1997, 2003; Graham Zusi 2012).
- Feilhaber is second in MLS with 10 assists and leads the league with nine big chances created, which is as many as or more than six other MLS teams.
- Tim Melia leads MLS goalkeepers in winning percentage (.800, 7-1-2 record) and goals against average (0.60).
- Soni Mustivar leads the league with 4.9 interceptions per game, while Matt Besler is second in MLS with 7.9 clearances per game (min. 10 games played).
Real Salt Lake
- RSL has qualified for the playoffs in each of the last seven seasons, the longest streak in MLS.
- RSL's five home defeats since the beginning of 2013 are second fewest in MLS (excluding 2015 expansion clubs).
- RSL has been shut out seven times in 2015 after being shut out seven times in all of 2014.
- RSL's four 0-0 draws are tied for most in MLS this season.
- RSL has 11 straight wins when leading at halftime dating back to 2014.
- RSL ranks second-to-last in MLS with 1.0 goals per game while ranking 18th in shots (10.6) and chances created (7.9).
- RSL currently has a 266-minute shutout streak at Rio Tinto Stadium dating back to July 4.
- Javier Morales leads the league with 54 chances created, including an MLS season-high 10 against Sporting KC when the teams last met on June 21.
- Morales is fifth in MLS with seven assists and is tied for the team lead alongside Sebastian Jaime with four league goals.
- Sebastian Jaime has scored in four of his last five games at Rio Tinto Stadium in all competitions.
Milestones and miscellany
- Peter Vermes is one win shy of moving into a tie as the winningest coach in Sporting KC history. His 85 regular season wins and 107 wins in all competitions are both one behind Bob Gansler.
- Chance Myers is one shy of his 100th career regular season start and his 150th appearance for Sporting KC in all competitions.
- Benny Feilhaber is tied with Josh for sixth in Sporting KC history with 30 assists across all competitions, one shy of tying Mo Johnston for fifth.
Team stats (2015 regular season)
MLS rank in parenthesis (stats as of July 23, 2015)
<strong>Category (per game)</strong> |
<strong>Sporting KC<br><span style="font-size: 10px;">9-3-6, t-3rd in West<br>
(2-3-3 on road)</span></strong> |
<b>Real Salt Lake</b><br><strong><span style="font-size:10px;">6-7-8<strong style="font-size: 10px;">, 9th in West</strong></span></strong><br><span style="font-size: 10px;"><strong>(4-1-6 at home)</strong></span> |
Goals scored |
1.56 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(t-2nd)</span> |
1.00 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(19</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">th)</span> |
Goals conceded |
1.00 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(t-4</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">th)</span> |
1.24 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(10th)</span> |
Shots |
12.6 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">8</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">t</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">h)</span> |
10.6 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(1</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">8</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">th)</span> |
Shooting accuracy |
31.0% <span style="font-size: 10px;">(16</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">th)</span> |
35.9% <span style="font-size: 10px;">(11th)</span> |
Assists |
1.81 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(1st)</span> |
1.10 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(11th)</span> |
Chances created |
10.3 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(6th)</span> |
7.9 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(1</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">8</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">th)</span> |
Crosses/corners |
16.7 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(17</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">t</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">h</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">)</span> |
17.9 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(15th)</span> |
Fouls committed |
12.5 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(14</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">th)</span> |
13.1 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(12</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">th)</span> |
Fouls suffered |
11.6 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(17th)</span> |
14.1 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(5th)</span> |
Successful passes |
282 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(17th)</span> |
281 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(1</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">8</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">th)</span> |
Passing accuracy |
74.5% <span style="font-size: 10px;">(1</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">8</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">th)</span> |
76.1% <span style="font-size: 10px;">(11th)</span> |
Possession |
49.2% <span style="font-size: 10px;">(11</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">th)</span> |
50.4% <span style="font-size: 10px;">(</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">8</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">th)</span> |
Tackles won |
18.4 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(1st</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">)</span> |
17.1 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(3rd)</span> |
Duels won |
58.1 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(2nd)</span> |
51.1 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(11</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">th)</span> |
Interceptions |
26.4 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(1st)</span> |
18.8 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(10th)</span> |
Shots faced |
9.4 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(1st)</span> |
13.1 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(16th)</span> |
Saves |
2.6 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(14</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">th)</span> |
3.1 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">8</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">th)</span> |
Recent #RSLvSKC meetings
- All-time regular season record vs. Real Salt Lake: 8-6-5
- Regular season record at Real Salt Lake: 3-5-1 (12 GF, 15 GA)
<strong>Date</strong> |
<strong>Score</strong> |
<strong>Result</strong> |
<strong>Location</strong> |
4/14/12 |
1-0 |
W |
Sporting Park |
7/20/13 |
2-1 |
W |
Rio Tinto Stadium |
12/7/13 |
1-1<br><span style="font-size: 10px;">(7-6)</span> |
T<br><span style="font-size: 10px;">(SOW)</span> |
Sporting Park<br><span style="font-size: 10px;">MLS Cup 2013</span> |
4/5/14 |
0-0 |
T |
Sporting Park |
4/11/15 |
0-0 |
T |
Sporting Park |
7/24/15 |
1-2 |
L |
Rio Tinto Stadium |
