"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.
Three days removed from a remarkable last-gasp win over Charlotte FC, Sporting Kansas City will return to Children's Mercy Park on Saturday to host longtime rival Real Salt Lake at 7:30 p.m. CT. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. CT with tickets available at SeatGeek.com and live coverage on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV as RSL duo Johnny Russell and William Agada return to Kansas City to face their former club. Fans will also have a halftime treat to enjoy as hometown hero Matt Besler is inducted into the Sporting Legends hall of honor.
Goals in the 93rd and 96th minutes gave Sporting Kansas City (5-10-4, 19 points) the latest start to a comeback win in club history as Mason Toye and Dejan Joveljic scored stoppage-time goals to secure a remarkable 2-1 victory over Charlotte on Wednesday. The result gives interim head coach Kerry Zavagnin's side palpable momentum heading into a compelling clash against an RSL side looking to get its season on track.
With Saturday's battle just around the corner, we take a statistical look at the fixture in our newest edition of By The Numbers presented by Compass Minerals.
Head-to-Head
- The most recent matchup between the clubs saw RSL earn a 4-3 road win at Children’s Mercy Park on June 19, 2024. RSL’s four goals came from three players who are no longer on the team—a brace from Andres Gomez and a goal apiece from Anderson Julio and Matt Crooks—while Sporting had a goal from Stephen Afrifa and a brace from William Agada, who joined RSL in a trade from Sporting on April 23.
- RSL leads the all-time regular season series with an 18-13-9 record through 40 meetings.
- Sporting is 7-6-6 in 19 regular season home meetings against RSL.
- Sporting is 5-13-6 in its last 24 regular season meetings against RSL since 2014, including a 2-5-4 record in 11 games at Children’s Mercy Park.
- Sporting notably defeated RSL in the 2013 MLS Cup at Children’s Mercy Park, prevailing 7-6 on penalties after a 1-1 draw. Sporting also eliminated RSL in the 2018 Western Conference Semifinals, winning 5-3 on aggregate goals.
- The most recent playoff match saw RSL earn a 2-1 comeback win over Sporting in the Western Conference Semifinals on Nov. 28, 2021, at Children’s Mercy Park.
- Sporting forward Dejan Joveljic has seven goal contributions (one goal, three assists) in seven regular season appearances against RSL.
- Sporting midfielder Erik Thommy has three goal contributions (one goal, two assists) in four regular season appearances against RSL.
- Sporting forward Daniel Salloi has two goals in 15 regular season appearances against RSL.
- RSL midfielder Pablo Ruiz has three goal contributions (one goal, two assists) in seven regular season appearances against Sporting.
- RSL defender Brayan Vera has two goal contributions (one goal, one assist) in three regular season appearances against Sporting.
- Sporting defender Andrew Brody played for RSL in 2016 and from 2021-2024, amassing 112 regular season appearances for the club with two goals and 14 assists.
- RSL forward Johnny Russell played seven seasons for Sporting from 2018-2024, amassing 67 goals and 52 assists in 232 appearances for the club. He captained the team in each of his last four seasons from 2021-2024 and ranks second on Kansas City’s all-time goal scoring chart.
- RSL forward William Agada played almost three years for Sporting from 2022-2025, recording 24 goals and six assists in 77 appearances for the club.
Sporting Kansas City
- 2025 MLS record: 5-10-4, 19 points (12th in West | 30 GF, 36 GA)
- 2025 MLS home record: 3-4-2 (16 GF, 19 GA)
- Last Five MLS Matches: 2-2-1, 7 points (T-W-L-L-W)
- Sporting earned a dramatic 2-1 home win over Charlotte FC on Wednesday, scoring in the 93rd and 96th minutes to mark the third time in club regular season history (and the first time since 2015) that Kansas City has scored the game-tying and game-winning goal in second-half stoppage time.
- Sporting trailed in the 93rd minute on Wednesday before coming from behind to prevail, marking the latest start to a comeback win in club regular season history.
- Wednesday’s match saw Sporting win after trailing at halftime in an MLS match for the first time since June 26, 2021 against LAFC, breaking a streak of 51 games without a win when trailing at halftime. Charlotte, meanwhile, was unbeaten in its previous 22 MLS matches when leading at halftime (18-0-4) dating back to April 8, 2023.
- Wednesday saw Sporting finish with season-highs in expected goals (2.82), shots (21) and shots inside the box (17). In the second half, Sporting’s 14 shots and 2.27 expected goals were both its highest totals in a single half this season.
- In Wednesday’s match, Sporting generated 1.93 expected goals (on nine shots) from the 80th minute onward and 1.73 xG (on seven shots) from the 89th minute onward.
- Sporting has scored 24 goals in 13 matches since April 1, the second most in the Western Conference during that time.
- Sporting has scored multiple goals eight times in its last 13 matches after doing so just once in its previous 13 matches across all competitions dating back to 2024.
- Sporting has scored 11 goals in its last five matches since May 24, including multiple goals in four of those five games.
- Sporting has scored seven goals from substitutes this season, third most in MLS.
- Sporting has come from behind to secure a result in four of its last seven matches since May 14.
- Sporting has been outscored 28-15 through the 60th minute while outscoring opponents 15-8 after the 60th minute during the 2025 regular season.
- Sporting has scored half of its goals (15 of 30) after the 60th minute this season.
- Kerry Zavagnin has a 5-5-3 record in 13 matches as Sporting’s interim head coach since the start of April. Kansas City opened the 2025 regular season with five losses and one draw.
- Forward Dejan Joveljic scored Sporting’s 96th-minute winner in the 2-1 win over Charlotte on Wednesday and is tied for third in MLS with 11 goals this season. His 11 goals are also fourth most by a Kansas City newcomer in club history.
- Joveljic is the first Sporting player since Johnny Russell in 2018 to score double-digit goals in his first MLS season with the club.
- Joveljic leads MLS with 32 goals since the start of 2024 (including playoffs).
- Joveljic has a goal contribution in six consecutive MLS appearances since May 14, the longest active streak in the league. He has six goals and one assist during that six-game stretch.
- Joveljic has scored in three straight road appearances since May 14, bagging four total goals in that three-game stretch.
- Midfielder Manu Garcia is tied for third in MLS with eight assists and leads Sporting with 32 key passes, more than double the amount of any other Kansas City player. His 10 total goal contributions (two goals, eight assists) are second most on the team behind Dejan Joveljic (13).
- Garcia assisted both of Sporting’s goals in the 2-1 win over Charlotte on Wednesday and has assists in three straight games.
- Garcia ranks third in MLS in fouls suffered (42), progressive passes (163) and successful passes into the final third (144) while ranking fifth in successful passes into the penalty area (42), sixth in successful through balls (10) and 10th in goal-creating actions (10).
- Forward Mason Toye came off the bench to score Sporting’s 93rd-minute. It was his first goal this season, his first in a Kansas City uniform and his first since April 20, 2024, when he played for CF Montreal.
- Forward Santiago Munoz has a goal contribution in three of his last four MLS appearances (two goals, one assist) since May 31, all as a second-half substitute. He assisted Joveljic’s 96th-minute winner on Wednesday.
- Goalkeeper John Pulskamp was named to the MLS Team of the Matchday on Thursday after making four saves in Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Charlotte.
- Pulskamp is the only Sporting player to start in all 19 MLS matches and in all 21 matches across all competitions this season.
- Forward Daniel Salloi has nine goal contributions (five goals, four assists) this season, third most on the team behind Joveljic and Garcia, after totaling just seven goal contributions during the 2024 MLS campaign (two goals, five assists).
- Salloi ranks second on the team in both goals (five) and assists (four).
- Forward Shapi Suleymanov is tied for second on the team with four assists. He is tied with Manu Garcia for third in MLS in fouls suffered (42) and ranks seventh in dribbles into the penalty area (31).
- At 19 years and 264 days (as of Saturday, June 28), midfielder Jacob Bartlett is the youngest player to start at least 16 MLS matches this season. He has started in 14 straight matches for Sporting since March 29.
- Defender Jansen Miller has played the most regular season minutes (1,395) of any 2025 MLS SuperDraft selection this year. He has played every minute in each of Sporting’s last 15 games since March 22.
- Midfielder Erik Thommy has five goal contributions this season, four of which have come as a substitute (two goals and two assists as a sub, one goal as a starter).
- Midfielder Zorhan Bassong has recorded assists in back-to-back MLS matches for the first time in his career. He has missed Sporting’s last three matches since the start of June while on international duty with Canada.
Real Salt Lake
- 2025 MLS record: 5-10-3, 18 points (13th in West | 18 GF, 25 GA)
- 2025 MLS away record: 2-7-1 (12 GF, 20 GA)
- Last Five MLS Matches: 1-3-1, 4 points (L-L-T-L-W)
- RSL has 10 losses this season, tied for second most in the Western Conference (5-10-3 record).
- RSL earned a 2-0 home win over D.C. United in the team’s last match on June 14 to snap a seven-game winless skid that yielded four losses and three draws during the month of May.
- RSL is looking to win consecutive matches for the first time this season. The team is 0-4-0 in matches immediately following wins.
- RSL is 0-3-2 in its last five road games since earning a 3-1 away win over Western Conference leaders San Diego FC on April 26.
- RSL has scored 18 goals this season, tied for the second fewest in the Western Conference.
- RSL has scored six goals in the second half this season, the fewest in MLS. RSL has been outscored 13-6 after halftime.
- RSL has scored five goals in the first 15 minutes of matches this season, one shy of the MLS lead.
- RSL has six losses by a one-goal margin, tied for second most in MLS.
- Four of RSL’s five wins have come by a multi-goal margin.
- RSL is 5-3-2 when scoring the first goal and 0-7-0 when conceding the first goal this season. Similarly, RSL is 4-0-1 when leading at halftime and 0-6-0 when trailing at halftime.
- Attacking midfielder Diego Luna leads RSL in both goals (eight) and assists (four). He will miss Saturday’s match while on international duty with the United States at the Gold Cup.
- Midfielder Emeka Eneli ranks sixth in MLS in fouls suffered (38).
- Goalkeeper Rafael Cabral is the only RSL player who has appeared and started in all 18 MLS matches this season. He has played all 1,620 minutes of the 2025 campaign.
Milestones and Miscellany
- Sporting is one victory shy of 450 wins in all competitions and 300 home wins in all competitions.
- Forward Daniel Salloi is tied for sixth in club history with 273 appearances in all competitions, one shy of passing Davy Arnaud and Nick Garcia on the all-time chart.
- Goalkeeper John Pulskamp ranks seventh in club history in both shutouts (nine) and wins (14) in the regular season. His next shutout will tie Mike Ammann for sixth most in club history.
- Midfielder Memo Rodriguez is 57 minutes shy of reaching 10,000 minutes played in his MLS regular season career.
