“By The Numbers” is a season-long series presented by the Kansas Department of Transportation that gives a statistical preview of every Sporting match. To visit the series archive, click here.

13.4%  The percentage of fatal alcohol-related crashes in Kansas in 2018.

Almost five months after battling on opening day of the 2020 MLS campaign in British Columbia, Sporting Kansas City and Vancouver Whitecaps FC will meet at Walt Disney World Resort in the MLS is Back Tournament Round of 16. Kickoff at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is set for 10 p.m. CT with live coverage on FS1, TUDN, FOX Deportes, the FOX Sports app, Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340 AM.

Led by 12th-year head coach Peter Vermes and bolstered by an in-form attack, Sporting finished atop Group D in the MLS is Back Tournament thanks to consecutive wins over the Colorado Rapids and Real Salt Lake. Vancouver’s tournament campaign appeared headed for ruins after losses to the San Jose Earthquakes and Seattle Sounders FC, but a dramatic defeat of Chicago Fire SC on the final day of group stage action vaulted head coach Marc Dos Santos’ side into the knockout phase.

With both teams facing a win-or-go-home outlook this weekend, we take a statistical look at the encounter in the newest edition of By The Numbers presented by the Kansas Department of Transportation.

Head-to-Head

• Sporting is 10-3-4 against Vancouver in the MLS regular season, including a 3-1 victory in the 2020 season opener on Feb. 29 at BC Place.
• Sporting has outscored Vancouver 36-19 across the 17 meetings in the series.
• Sporting has gone 4-0-1 in the last five meetings against Vancouver, scoring 17 goals and conceding just three.
• In the 2020 season opener at Vancouver, Alan Pulido and Gadi Kinda scored on their Sporting debuts and Erik Hurtado scored against his former club in second-half stoppage time. Jake Nerwinski scored a first-half equalizer for the hosts.
• Vancouver last beat Sporting on Sept. 30, 2017, at Children’s Mercy Park.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

• 2020 MLS record: 2-3-0, 6 points (8th in Western Conference)
• MLS is Back Tournament record: 1-2-0 (3rd in Group B)
• Group match No. 1: Lost 3-4 vs. San Jose Earthquakes on July 15
• Group match No. 2: Lost 0-3 vs. Seattle Sounders FC on July 19
• Group match No. 3: Won 2-0 vs. Chicago Fire FC on July 23
• Vancouver has conceded 10 goals through five matches, tied for the second-most in MLS.
• Vancouver has conceded 10 goals in their three losses and zero goals in their two wins.
• Vancouver ranks last in MLS in shot attempts (8.0) and shots on target (3.0) while also facing the most shots per game in the league (19.4). The Whitecaps have been outshot by opponents 97-40 this season.
• Vancouver ranks fourth in MLS with a shot conversion rate of 17.5%.
• Vancouver leads MLS with 27.4 clearances per game.
• Vancouver’s eight fouls committed per game are the fewest in MLS, while their 13.8 fouls suffered per game are the third-most in the league.
• First-year forward Cristian Dajome has scored two goals at the MLS is Back Tournament, netting in a 4-3 loss to San Jose on July 15 and a 2-0 win over Chicago on July 23.
• Defender Ali Adnan has started all five matches this season and has a goal and two assists from the left back position. Adnan ranks fourth in MLS with 37 duels won.
• Midfielder Inbeom Hwang leads Vancouver in chances created (eight) and interceptions (12).

Sporting Kansas City

• 2020 MLS record: 4-1-0, 12 points (1st in Western Conference)
• MLS is Back Tournament record: 2-1-0 (1st in Group D)
• Group match No. 1: Lost 1-2 vs. Minnesota United FC on July 12
• Group match No. 2: Won 3-2 vs. Colorado Rapids on July 17
• Group match No. 3: Won 2-0 vs. Real Salt Lake on July 22
• Sporting ranks second in MLS with 13 goals scored this season.
• Sporting’s 13 goals scored are the most through the first five games of a regular season in club history.
• Sporting’s plus-8 goal differential (13-5) is tied for the best mark in MLS.
• Sporting leads MLS with a shot conversion rate of 18.6%.
• Sporting has outshot all five opponents this season, recording 70 shot attempts and facing 40.
• Sporting leads MLS with 126 passes per game in the attacking third.
• Sporting has faced 8.0 shots per game this season, the second-fewest in MLS.
• Forward Alan Pulido has scored or assisted in each of his first five regular season appearances for Sporting, the first player to do so in club history.
• Pulido’s seven combined goals (three) and assists (four) are the second-most in MLS this season.
• Pulido and Khiry Shelton are the only MLS players with at least three goals, five chances created and 30 duels won this season.
• Goalkeeper Tim Melia leads MLS with a 316-minute active shutout streak dating back to Feb. 29. He boasts a 3-0-0 record this season with a save percentage of 87.5% and a 0.25 goals against average.
• Among MLS midfielders, Roger Espinoza ranks second in tackles won (12) and seventh in duels won (32).
• Among MLS defenders, Matt Besler (247) and Graham Zusi (245) rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in successful passes.

Milestones and Miscellany

• Sporting’s 31 regular season wins against Canadian clubs (31-11-15) are the most in MLS all-time.
• Sunday’s 11 p.m. local time kickoff (10 p.m. CT) will be the latest scheduled start to a competitive match in Sporting’s history. This comes after Sporting played its earliest competitive match four days earlier against Real Salt Lake in a 9 a.m. local time kickoff (8 a.m. CT).

Recent #SKCvVAN meetings

Regular season record vs. Vancouver: 10-3-4 (36 GF, 19 GA)

Team stats (2020 MLS regular season)

League rank in parenthesis (source: Opta)