By The Numbers: Sporting KC vs. Seattle Sounders FC - Sept. 27, 2015

Another big Western Conference clash beckons Sunday at Sporting Park when fourth-place Seattle Sounders FC (14-13-3, 45 points) meet fifth-place Sporting Kansas City (12-9-8, 44 points). The match will be televised nationally on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 4 p.m. CT with local radio broadcasts on 99.3 FM and 1340 AM.

Peter Vermes' side is 13-1-4 at Sporting Park this year, and another win would tie the club record for most home victories across all competitions in a single season. Seattle, however, is no stranger to success in Kansas City, having won four of five regular season trips since 2009. And unlike Sporting KC's 1-0 triumph over Seattle in June, the Sounders will have Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins at their disposal on Sunday. We take a closer look at the matchup in our By The Numbers preview...

Head-to-head

• Sunday is the third regular season meeting between the clubs this year. Sporting KC earned a 0-0 draw in Seattle on May 23 before claiming a 1-0 home win on June 6 thanks to Benny Feilhaber's 84th-minute penalty kick.
• In 11 regular season meetings between the clubs, neither side has won by more than one goal.
• In those 11 games, the clubs have combined for more than three goals just once (10/17/2009), while the last five matches have all produced one goal or less.
• Sporting KC is 2-7-2 against Seattle in the regular season, including a 1-4-0 mark at home. Kansas City's .273 winning percentage vs. Seattle is their lowest against any MLS opponent.
• In nine regular season meetings since 2010, Seattle has scored five game-winning goals in second half stoppage time.
• Sporting KC hasn't scored a goal against Seattle from the run of play in 442 regular season minutes (and 532 minutes in all competitions). The streak dates back to June 2012 when Jacob Peterson scored in a 1-1 draw at CenturyLink Field.
• Seattle failed to score in two previous matches against Sporting KC this season. The Sounders put just one shot on goal in the 0-0 draw on May 23, their fewest at home over the past three seasons.

Seattle Sounders FC

• 2015 MLS record: 14-13-3, 45 points (4th in West)
• 2015 MLS road record: 4-9-2 (16 GF, 20 GA)
• Last five MLS matches: 3-1-1, 10 points (L-W-W-D-W)
• Obafemi Martins and Clint Dempsey have combined for 21 of Seattle's 38 goals and 14 of their 35 assists (regular season).
• Obafemi Martins has scored 13 regular season goals from 34 total shot attempts, making his .382 shot conversion rate the second best in MLS (minimum 20 shots). He also leads the league with 0.76 goals per game (minimum 10 games played).
• Clint Dempsey scored seven goals in his first seven MLS appearances this season, but has just one in his last nine.
• Seattle's nine road defeats (4-9-2 record) are the most among Western Conference teams, but they are coming off a 3-0 win at first-place Vancouver last Saturday.
• Seattle is second in MLS with a 1.07 goals against average and 11 clean sheets.
• Stefan Frei ranks second among league goalkeepers in saves (100) and save percentage (77.2) while ranking fourth with a 1.09 goals against average.
• Seattle ranks last in MLS in shot attempts (9.9) and chances created (7.4) per game.

Sporting KC

• 2015 MLS record: 12-9-8, 44 points (5th in West)
• 2015 MLS home record: 9-1-4 (26 GF, 16 GA)
• Last five MLS matches: 1-3-1, 4 points (L-T-L-W-L)
• SKC has an 8-3-5 regular season record against teams currently in playoff position, including an unbeaten 7-0-2 mark at home.
• SKC is 13-1-4 at Sporting Park in all competitions and is one win shy of tying the club record for most home wins in a single season. The club had 14 home victories in 2000, 2004 and 2012, winning a major trophy in each of those years (2000 MLS Cup, 2004 and 2012 Open Cup).
• Similarly, SKC's 39 home goals in all competitions are tied for the second most in club history, behind the inaugural 1996 season (46).
• SKC is tied for fourth in MLS with 10 clean sheets from 29 games but has just one shutout in their last 11 matches.
• SKC has conceded 23 of their 40 goals over the last 12 MLS matches after allowing just 17 goals through their first 17.
• Krisztian Nemeth's 20 combined goals (13) and assists (7) in all competitions are the most by a Sporting KC newcomer in club history (excluding the inaugural 1996 season).

Milestones and miscellany

• Dom Dwyer is one shy of his 100th appearance for Sporting KC in all competitions. His 43 career goals in all competitions are tied with Chris Klein for fourth in club history.
• Graham Zusi is third in club history with 53 assists in all competitions, one shy of tying Chris Klein for second.

Team stats (2015 regular season)

MLS rank in parenthesis (Opta stats as of Sept. 25, 2015)

Recent #SKCvSEA Regular Season Meetings

• Regular season record vs. Seattle: 2-7-2
• Regular season home record vs. Seattle: 1-4-0