Leading MLS with 1.76 points per game, Sporting Kansas City (8-3-6, 30 points) returns home to face CONCACAF Champions League finalists Montreal Impact (6-7-3, 21 points) at Sporting Park. Saturday's match, set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. CT, will be broadcast live on KMCI-TV 38 The Spot, SKCTV, Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340 AM.
Peter Vermes' side is currently riding a seven-game home winning streak in all competitions—one shy of equaling the club's all-time record set in 2004—and has yet to lose at Sporting Park this year (8-0-3 overall). Captain Matt Besler is set to make his 200th appearance for Sporting KC in all competitions, while Chance Myers is in contention for his 100th regular season start.
Montreal, meanwhile, is eighth in the Eastern Conference standings but sits fourth with 1.31 points per game. Designated Player Ignacio Piatti leads the team in goals (5) and assists (4) in MLS play, while Jack McInerney has added seven goals across all competitions.
We take a further look at Saturday's matchup in our By The Numbers preview...
Head-to-head
- Sporting KC swept the series in 2014, outscoring Montreal 9-1 with a pair of wins at Stade Saputo (3-0, 2-1) and one victory at Sporting Park (4-0).
- Dom Dwyer scored a brace in all three meetings last year, becoming one of 10 players in MLS history to score six or more regular season goals against the same opponent in a single year and the first of that group to do so in the league's expansion era (2005-present).
- Only Thierry Henry (7) has scored more all-time MLS goals against Montreal than Dom Dwyer (6).
- Montreal is 2-2-0 all-time at Sporting Park. The Impact prevailed 2-0 in the teams' inaugural meeting in May 2012 before winning 2-1 in June 2013.
- Conversely, Sporting KC notched shutout home wins against Montreal in March 2013 (2-0) and April 2014 (4-0).
Sporting KC
- SKC is 6th in the Western Conference but leads MLS with 1.76 points per game
- SKC is tied for the MLS lead with nine clean sheets from 17 games.
- SKC is tied for the MLS lead with 1.53 goals per game and ranks 2nd with 30 assists.
- SKC leads MLS with nine headed goals, two more than any other team.
- SKC is on a seven-game home winning streak in all competitions, one shy of the club record set in 2004.
- Matt Besler leads MLS with 8.3 clearances per game (min. 10 games played).
- Tim Melia is the first goalkeeper in MLS history to earn shutouts in six of his first nine games for a new club.
- Melia leads MLS with a 0.56 goals against average and a save percentage of 83.9.
- Soni Mustivar leads MLS midfielders with 4.3 interceptions per game (min. 10 games played).
Montreal Impact
- MTL is 5th in MLS with 1.44 goals per game but 17th with 1.56 goals allowed per game.
- MTL has conceded eight goals after the 75th minute, tied for 2nd most in MLS.
- In MLS competition, MTL is 6-1-1 when scoring first and 0-6-1 when conceding first, as well as 5-0-0 when leading at halftime and 0-4-0 when trailing at halftime.
- MTL has conceded 5.5 shots on goal per game, most in MLS.
- MTL has played 24 competitive matches this season, 2nd most in MLS (16 MLS, 6 CONCACAF Champions League, 2 Canadian Championship).
- Midfielder Ignacio Piatti is tied for the MLS lead with four game-winning assists. He leads MTL with five goals and four assists in MLS.
- Piatti and forward Jack McInerney are tied for the team lead with seven goals in all competitions.
- Defender Laurent Ciman leads MTL with 23 appearances (and starts) in all competitions this season.
Milestones and miscellany
- Sporting KC is currently on a seven-game home winning streak in all competitions, one shy of tying the club record set in 2004.
- Matt Besler is set to make his 200th appearance for Sporting KC in all competitions on Saturday.
- Chance Myers is one shy of his 100th career regular season start and his 125th regular season appearance for Sporting KC.
- Benny Feilhaber is one shy of 20 regular season assists and 30 assists in all competitions during his Sporting KC. His 29 assists overall rank 7th in team history, one behind Josh Wolff in 6th and two behind Mo Johnston in 5th.
- Jacob Peterson is one shy of his 75th regular season appearance for Sporting KC.
Team stats (2015 regular season)
MLS rank in parenthesis (stats as of July 16, 2015)
<strong>Category<br>
(per game)</strong> |
<strong>Sporting KC<br><span style="font-size:10px;">8-3-6, 30 pts (6th in West)<br>
(6-0-3 at home)</span></strong> |
<b>Montreal</b><br><span style="font-size: 10px;"><strong>6-7-3, 21 pts (</strong></span><strong><span style="font-size: 10px;">8</span></strong><strong style="font-size: 10px;">th in East)</strong><br><span style="font-size: 10px;"><strong>(1-5-2 at home)</strong></span> |
Goals scored |
1.53 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(t-1st)</span> |
1.44 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(5</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">th)</span> |
Goals conceded |
1.00 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(t-3</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">rd)</span> |
1.56 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(17th)</span> |
Shots |
12.7 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(t-8th)</span> |
12.7 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">t-8t</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">h</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">)</span> |
Shots on goal |
3.9 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(14t</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">h)</span> |
4.8 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(5th</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">)</span> |
Shooting accuracy |
30.6% <span style="font-size: 10px;">(17</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">th)</span> |
37.9% <span style="font-size: 10px;">(2nd)</span> |
Assists |
1.76 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(2nd)</span> |
0.69 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(20th)</span> |
Chances created |
10.5 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(6th)</span> |
9.0 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(10th)</span> |
Crosses/corners |
17.3 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(16</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">t</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">h</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">)</span> |
14.7 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(19th)</span> |
Fouls committed |
12.4 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(16</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">th)</span> |
12.6 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(14th</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">)</span> |
Fouls suffered |
11.7 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(16th)</span> |
11.2 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(19th)</span> |
Successful passes |
287 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(16th)</span> |
314 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(10th)</span> |
Passing accuracy |
75.0% <span style="font-size: 10px;">(17th)</span> |
79.6% <span style="font-size: 10px;">(5th)</span> |
Possession |
49.8% <span style="font-size: 10px;">(10</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">th)</span> |
48.2% <span style="font-size: 10px;">(14th)</span> |
Tackles won |
17.7 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(2n</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">d)</span> |
16.8 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(4th)</span> |
Duels won |
58.2 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(2nd)</span> |
49.8 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(13</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">th)</span> |
Interceptions |
26.2 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(1st)</span> |
18.5 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(11th)</span> |
Shots faced |
9.7 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(1st)</span> |
14.2 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(1</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">8t</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">h</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">)</span> |
Saves |
2.7 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(13</span><span style="font-size: 10px;">th)</span> |
3.9 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(2nd)</span> |
All-time #SKCvMTL meetings
- Regular season record vs. MTL: 5-3-1 (15 GF, 7 GA)
- Regular season record at home: 2-2-0 (7 GF, 4 GA)
<strong>Date</strong> |
<strong>Score</strong> |
<strong>Result</strong> |
<strong>Location</strong> |
3/30/2013 |
2-0 |
W |
Sporting Park |
6/1/2013 |
1-2 |
L |
Sporting Park |
7/27/2013 |
0-1 |
L |
Stade Saputo |
4/19/2014 |
4-0 |
W |
Sporting Park |
5/10/2014 |
3-0 |
W |
Stade Saputo |
7/12/2014 |
2-1 |
W |
Stade Saputo |
