"By The Numbers" presented by Compass Minerals is a season-long series that gives a statistical preview of every Sporting match. To visit the series archive, click here.
A battle of seismic proportions is on tap Saturday at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium as Sporting Kansas City (2-1-4, 10 points) hosts star-studded Inter Miami CF (3-2-3, 12 points) in one of the most anticipated matches of the club's 28-year history. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. CT as Sporting prepares to face the likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba on a night poised to provide magic in spades.
A limited number of tickets for Saturday's clash are available online at Ticketmaster.com. The game will air on Apple TV for MLS Season Pass subscribers in addition to radio coverage on Sports Radio 810 WHB, La Grande 1340 AM and SiriusXM FC. Pub partners in the Sporting Pub Network will also show all of the action, including a watch party at No Other Pub in the Kansas City Power and Light District.
As excitement builds for one of the city's marquee sporting events of the year, we take a statistical look at this titillating fixture in our newest edition of By The Numbers presented by Compass Minerals.
Head-to-Head
- The inaugural meeting between Sporting and Miami took place on Sept. 9, 2023, at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
- Miami earned a 3-2 home win behind a Leonardo Campana brace and a Facundo Farias strike.
- Sporting bookended the scoring with a first-half goal from Daniel Salloi and a late strike from Alan Pulido.
- An MLS club from Miami is playing in Kansas City for the first time since the Miami Fusion lost 3-0 to the Kansas City Wizards in the MLS Cup Playoffs on Sept. 26, 2001.
Sporting Kansas City
- 2024 MLS record: 2-1-4, 10 points (7th in West | 12 GF, 10 GA)
- 2024 MLS home record: 1-1-2 (8 GF, 8 GA)
- Last five matches: 2-1-2 (T-W-L-W-T)
- On Saturday, Sporting will play an MLS match at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium for the first time since Sept. 13, 2008. It was the club’s home stadium for its first 12 MLS seasons from 1996-2007, where Kansas City posted a 103-57-25 regular season record.
- Sporting last played at Arrowhead Stadium on July 25, 2010, winning 2-1 over Manchester United in a friendly that drew 52,424 fans. Saturday’s game is expected to set a club attendance record and a record for highest-attended soccer match in the state of Missouri.
- Saturday’s game between Sporting and Miami marks the 28-year anniversary of Kansas City’s inaugural MLS match, a 3-0 home win over the Colorado Rapids at Arrowhead Stadium on April 13, 1996.
- Sporting have scored two or more goals in four straight regular season matches for the first time since August 2020.
- In Sunday’s 3-3 home draw against Portland, Sporting scored three first-half goals in a regular season match for the first time since Sept. 17, 2022.
- Sporting have taken 2-0 leads in three straight matches since March 23, and 3-0 leads in each of their last two matches against Toronto on March 30 and Portland on April 7.
- Sporting have trailed for a total of 17 minutes this season, the fewest in MLS.
- Sporting have scored first in 23 of the club’s last 33 matches in all competitions dating back to 2023.
- Sporting are one of three MLS teams that have yet to trail at halftime this season (Cincinnati, Vancouver).
- Sporting are tied for second in MLS with 6.0 shots on target per match.
- During the entire 2023 regular season, Sporting had three total goals scored by defenders (Dany Rosero 2, Robert Castellanos 1). Seven matches into the 2024 regular season, Sporting has already equaled that total (Rosero 2, Jake Davis 1).
- With a brace in Sunday’s 3-3 draw against Portland, forward Willy Agada now has 12 goals in 11 regular season home starts since joining the club in 2022.
- Agada has scored or assisted in each of Sporting’s last three matches since making his first start of the season on March 23.
- Among players with at least 15 career goals for Sporting in all competitions, Agada is second in club history with 0.69 goals per 90 minutes (Miklos Molnar, 0.70 goals per 90).
- Defender Dany Rosero scored Sporting’s second goal in Sunday’s draw against Portland. He has scored five of Sporting’s eight headed goals since the start of 2023, all coming off set pieces.
- Rosero has scored all five of his goals for Sporting off headers since joining the club in early 2023.
- Goalkeeper Tim Melia is tied for third in MLS with 27 saves.
- Defender Jake Davis has started in each of Sporting’s last 34 matches in all competitions since May 28, 2023.
Inter Miami CF
- 2024 MLS record: 3-2-3, 12 points (3rd in East | 16 GF, 12 GA)
- 2024 MLS away record: 1-1-1 (4 GF, 6 GA)
- Last five matches: 1-2-2 (L-W-L-T-T)
- Miami leads MLS in goals (16) and assists (25) this season and enters the weekend two points out of first place in the Supporters’ Shield standings.
- Miami is tied for the MLS lead with three wins by a multi-goal margin this season.
- Miami has used 26 different players in MLS matches this season, the most in the league.
- Miami has committed seven errors leading to shots by the opponent, three more than any other MLS team this season.
- Miami’s roster features four players who starred for European giants FC Barcelona earlier in their careers: Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. The quartet played together at Barcelona from 2014-2020, where they won four Spanish La Liga titles, four Copa del Rey titles and both the UEFA Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup in 2015.
- Miami won the 2023 Leagues Cup last August behind the influential play of Messi, the tournament’s most valuable player and leading scorer with 10 goals. Miami scored 22 goals across seven matches in the competition—with Messi scoring in every game—and defeated Nashville SC in the final to clinch a berth in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup.
- Forward Lionel Messi, widely regarded as the greatest player of all time with over 830 goals for club and country, is a 2022 World Cup champion and a 2021 Copa America champion with Argentina, the reigning FIFA Ballon d’Or winner and an eight-time recipient of the award, a four-time UEFA Champions League winner with Barcelona, and a 12-time domestic league champion across stints with Barcelona (2004-2021) and Paris St. Germain (2021-2023).
- Forward Luis Suarez has scored 478 goals during a heralded club career that has included stints at Ajaz in Netherlands (2007-2011), Liverpool (2011-2014), Barcelona (2014-2020) and Atletico Madrid (2020-2022). He has also scored a record 68 goals in 138 appearances for the Uruguay national team.
- Midfielder Sergio Busquets, widely regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders of all time, is a 2010 World Cup champion and a 2012 UEFA Euro champion with Spain, a nine-time La Liga champion and a three-time UEFA Champions League winner with Barcelona, and made 722 appearances for Barcelona from 2008-2023.
- Defender Jordi Alba is a 2012 UEFA Euro champion and a 2023 UEFA Nations League champion with Spain, a 2015 UEFA Champions League winner and six-time La Liga champion with Barcelona, and has 40 goals over 100 assists in 628 club appearances during his career.
- Suarez is one off the MLS lead with five goals this season, while Messi is one behind with four.
- Suarez is the only MLS player with two multi-goal games this season. He ranks fourth in MLS with 13 shots on target, while Messi is tied for eighth with 10.
- Messi is tied for third in MLS in assists (four) alongside midfield teammates Diego Gomez and Julian Gressel.
Milestones and Miscellany
- Forward Johnny Russell has 56 regular season goals for Sporting, one shy of tying Dom Dwyer for second most in club history.
- Forward Daniel Salloi is one shy of his 200th MLS appearance for Sporting (including playoffs and MLS is Back).
- Midfielder Erik Thommy is one shy of his 50th regular season start for Sporting.
