It's been a record breaking season for Sporting Kansas City with 63 points and many individual achievements by players.
Below is a list of some of the records set and other notable facts from the 2012 regular season.
Team
- Sporting Kansas City finishes the 2012 regular season with an 18-7-9 record and in first place in the Eastern Conference with 63 points, most in team history.
- The team’s 18 wins in regulation are the most in club history and Sporting KC averaged 1.85 points per game in 2012.
- It marks the second straight season Sporting Kansas City finished in first place in the Eastern Conference and the fifth time in club history to finish atop the conference (1997, 2000, 2004, 2011, 2012).
- This season is the first time Sporting Kansas City has repeated as the conference’s top team in back-to-back seasons.
- Sporting KC has the most wins (18) and best goal differential (+15) of all teams in the Eastern Conference this season.
- Sporting KC leads MLS with 199 corner kicks in 2012, most in a season in team history.
- Sporting Kansas City is unbeaten in their last 12 MLS matches, the longest undefeated streak in MLS this year and tying the second-longest streak in club history.
- Sporting Kansas City outshot their opponent in 27 out of 34 matches in 2012.
- Sporting Kansas City led MLS with 542 shots this season, a new club record, and has allowed the fewest shots against (328). The team’s previous record for shots in a season was 514 in 1996.
- Sporting KC allowed the fewest shots on goal (102) in MLS this season.
- Sporting KC led all MLS teams with the fewest goals against (27) this season and set a new club record for the fewest goals conceded, two fewer than the previous record of 29 set in 2000.
- Sporting Kansas City allowed 12 goals at home during the 2012 season, matching the club record for fewest home goals allowed set in 2004.
- Sporting KC set an all-time club record for highest regular season average attendance with an average attendance of 19,404 in 2012.
- The team sold out 16 of its 17 home MLS matches, including 15 straight capacity crowds at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park.
- Sporting Kansas City has gone 63 consecutive MLS matches (including playoffs) without conceding a goal on a corner kick, dating back to 5/21/11 at Seattle.
- Only four MLS teams have earned more than 63 points in a single season: San 2012 Jose Earthquakes (64), 2011 LA Galaxy (67), 2005 San Jose Earthquakes (64) and 1998 LA Galaxy (68).
- Sporting Kansas City’s .662 winning percentage in 2012 is the best in club history.
Jimmy Nielsen
- Jimmy Nielsen’s victory was his 18th of the season, most in Major League Soccer this season. He ties Kasey Keller (2011), Donovan Ricketts (2010) and Pat Onstad (2005) for the most in a season in MLS history in the non-shootout era.
- Jimmy Nielsen’s 1.02 career goals against average is the best for a goalkeeper in MLS history with a minimum of 4,000 minutes played.
- Jimmy Nielsen’s 1.02 career goals against average is the best mark for a Sporting KC goalkeeper all-time.
- Nielsen has the best winning percentage for a KC goalkeeper in club history (.565).
- Jimmy Nielsen played every minute in net for Sporting Kansas City in 2012 with a 0.79 goals against average for the season. Only one other goalkeeper in MLS history has played in 75% of their team’s games in a season and kept a goals against average below 0.80. That was done by Nick Rimando with a 0.67 goals against average in 2010.
- Nielsen’s 0.79 goals against average is the best mark by a goalkeeper in club history, breaking Tony Meola’s mark in of 0.92 in 2000.
- Nielsen set a club record for minutes played with 3,060, as well as games played and games started with 34.
- Jimmy Nielsen passed Bo Oshoniyi for second place on Sporting KC's all-time regular season minutes played by a goalkeeper chart on Wednesday. He’s now played 8,437 regular season minutes in three seasons with the club.
- Nielsen finished the regular season with 15 shutouts, the second most shutouts by a keeper in a single-season in MLS history.
- Jimmy Nielsen tied the Sporting KC club record for games played in a season with 34.
Kei Kamara
- Kei Kamara has eight career game-winning assists which moves him into a tie for sixth place on the Sporting KC all-time list.
- Kei Kamara finishes the season with 134 shots, most in MLS this season and third most in MLS history. He ranks second on Sporting KC’s all-time single-season chart, behind only Preki’s 140 shots in 1996.
- Kamara’s eight assists and 11 goals in 2012, both are single-season career highs.
Graham Zusi
- Graham Zusi finishes the season with 150 corner kicks, most by a Sporting KC player in club history and third most in MLS history behind Brad Davis (172 in 2011) and Marco Etcheverry (198 in 1998).
- Graham Zusi finished with the third most assists in a single-season in club history with 15 (also career high).
- Zusi’s five game winning assists in 2012 matches the single season club record.
CJ Sapong
- Sapong scored nine goals this season which is a career high.
- C. J. Sapong has five game-winning goals this season, tying Preki’s 1997 campaign for third most in a single season in club history. He ranks sixth on the MLS chart for game-winning goals in 2012.
- Sapong has 14regular season goal, tying for him for 10th most among college draft choices in their first two MLS seasons. He matches Teal Bunbury’s goal count through two seasons and trails only Scott Sealy (19 goals from 2005-2006) among KC draft picks all-time.
