Two MLS rivals meet Tuesday in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals as Sporting Kansas City hosts the Houston Dynamo at Sporting Park. The match will kick off at 7:30 p.m. CT with in-game radio coverage available locally on Sports Radio 810 WHB (English) and La Grande 1340 AM (Spanish). A live stream presented by The Darol Rodrock Foundation will be available on SportingKC.com, and a limited number of tickets for the match are available via Ticketmaster.com.
Sporting KC will aim to break the club record for the longest home winning streak in all competitions with a ninth straight victory at Sporting Park dating back to the start of May. Tuesday's winner will advance to the semifinals on Aug. 11 or 12 and host Real Salt Lake, who defeated the LA Galaxy in last week's quarterfinal clash. We break down the matchup in our By The Numbers preview...
Head-to-head
- In their first meeting this season on April 25, the clubs played to a thrilling 4-4 draw at BBVA Compass Stadium. The eight-goal game equaled the second-highest scoring MLS match in club history and was capped off by Benny Feilhaber’s superb equalizer in the 95th minute.
- Tuesday marks the first ever meeting between Sporting KC and Houston in the U.S. Open Cup proper. The clubs faced off in the 2011 MLS qualification semifinals as Sporting KC claimed a 1-0 extra-time victory in College Station, Texas.
- Sporting KC has faced Houston 16 times since the beginning of 2011, more than any other MLS opponent (5-4-7 record). This includes five postseason games when the clubs squared off in the 2011, 2012 and 2013 MLS Cup Playoffs.
- Dom Dwyer has scored in each of his last four matches against Houston. He scored the game-winner in the 2013 Eastern Conference Championship second leg and netted goals in all three previous regular season meetings.
- Seventeen of Sporting KC’s 26 regular season goals all-time against Houston have come after the 60th minute.
- The home team in the series is winless in the last seven regular season meetings (0-3-4 record).
Sporting KC
- SKC is 3-4-1 all-time in the Open Cup quarterfinals with victories in 2002, 2004 and 2012.
- SKC is 8-3-1 all-time in the Open Cup at Sporting Park.
- SKC is tied for the MLS lead with nine clean sheets from 18 games (10 shutouts in 20 games across all competitions).
- SKC is on an eight-game home winning streak in all competitions, tying the club record first set in 2004.
- Benny Feilhaber is 2nd in MLS with 10 assists and has 14 assists in all competitions, four shy of tying Preki's club record set in 2003.
- Following a three-assist performance in a 6-2 win over FC Dallas on July 1, Benny Feilhaber became Sporting KC's all-time Open Cup assist leader (4).
- Dom Dwyer's four goals career goals in the Open Cup (all scored on July 1) are one shy of the club record shared by Davy Arnaud, C.J. Sapong and Igor Simutenkov.
- Tim Melia leads MLS with a 0.60 goals against average.
- Soni Mustivar leads MLS midfielders with 67 interceptions.
- Matt Besler is 2nd in MLS with 7.9 clearances per game (min. 10 games played).
Houston Dynamo
- Houston has a 2-5-1 all-time road record in the Open Cup with both wins coming in 2009.
- Houston makes its first appearance in the Open Cup quarterfinals since 2009.
- Houston is 2-0-0 in the quarterfinal stage of the Open Cup with wins coming in 2006 and 2009, but has never advanced to an Open Cup final.
- Houston is 2nd in MLS with seven goals from set plays, two behind leaders Sporting KC.
- Houston is 2-5-3 on the road this season with seven goals scored and 12 goals conceded.
- Will Bruin leads Houston with eight MLS goals while veteran Brad Davis has contributed a team-high four assists.
- Brad Davis leads MLS with four assists from set plays.
- Jermaine Taylor ranks 2nd in MLS with 76 interceptions.
2015 MLS Regular Season Leaders
<b>Category</b> |
<strong>Sporting KC</strong> |
<b>Houston Dynamo</b> |
<strong>Goals</strong> |
Krisztian Nemeth 7 |
Will Bruin 8 |
<strong>Assists</strong> |
Benny Feilhaber 10 |
Brad Davis 4 |
<strong>Shots (on goal)</strong> |
Dom Dwyer 51 (18) |
Giles Barnes 50 (15) |
<strong>Fouls committed</strong> |
Dom Dwyer 33 |
Luis Garrido 43 |
<strong>Fouls suffered</strong> |
Dom Dwyer 45 |
DaMarcus Beasley 39 |
<strong>GAA</strong> |
Tim Melia 0.60 |
Joe Willis 1.00 |
<strong>Wins</strong> |
Tim Melia 7 |
Tyler Deric 6 |
<strong>Shutouts</strong> |
Tim Melia 6 |
Tyler Deric 4 |
<strong>Saves</strong> |
Tim Melia 27 |
Tyler Deric 49 |
Team Stats (2015 MLS Regular Season)
MLS rank in parenthesis (stats as of July 20, 2015)
<strong>Category<br>
(per game)</strong> |
<strong>Sporting KC<br><span style="font-size: 10px;">9-3-6, 33 pts<br>
(t-3rd in West)</span></strong> |
<b>Houston Dynamo</b><br><strong><span style="font-size:10px;">6-8</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">-6, 24 pts </span></strong><br><strong><span style="font-size: 10px;">(9th in West)</span></strong> |
<strong>Goals scored</strong> |
1.56 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(t-2nd)</span> |
1.20 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(t-10</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">th)</span> |
<strong>Goals conceded</strong> |
1.00 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(t-4</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">th)</span> |
1.30 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(t-12th)</span> |
<strong>Shots</strong> |
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> |
11.7 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(12</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">th)</span> |
<strong>Shooting accuracy</strong> |
31.0% <span style="font-size: 10px;">(16</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">th)</span> |
28.3% <span style="font-size: 10px;">(20th)</span> |
<strong>Assists</strong> |
1.83 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(2nd)</span> |
1.0 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(t-14th)</span> |
<strong>Chances created</strong> |
10.3 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(6th)</span> |
8.3 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(16th)</span> |
<strong>Fouls committed</strong> |
12.5 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(14</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">th)</span> |
13.1 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(10th</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">)</span> |
<strong>Fouls suffered</strong> |
11.6 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(17th)</span> |
12.5 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(14th)</span> |
<strong>Successful passes</strong> |
282 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(17th)</span> |
269 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(19th)</span> |
<strong>Possession</strong> |
49.1% <span style="font-size: 10px;">(11</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">th)</span> |
47.9% <span style="font-size: 10px;">(16th)</span> |
<strong>Shots faced</strong> |
9.4 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(1st)</span> |
11.6 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(6th)</span> |
<strong>Saves</strong> |
2.6 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(t-14</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">th)</span> |
2.6 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(t-14th)</span> |
Recent #SKCvHOU Meetings
- All competitions record vs. Houston: 8-10-10 (1-0-0 in Open Cup)
- Home games (at Sporting Park): 4-5-4 (3-2-3)
<strong>Date</strong> |
<strong>Score</strong> |
<strong>Location</strong> |
<strong>Competition</strong> |
11/9/13 |
T 1-1 |
BBVA Compass Stadium |
MLS Playoffs |
11/23/13 |
W 2-1 |
Sporting Park |
MLS Playoffs |
6/6/14 |
W 2-0 |
BBVA Compass Stadium |
Regular season |
8/29/14 |
L 1-3 |
Sporting Park |
Regular season |
4/25/15 |
T 4-4 |
BBVA Compass Stadium |
Regular season |
