By The Numbers: Sporting KC vs. San Jose Earthquakes | March 16, 2024

"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.

Sporting Kansas City (0-0-3, 3 points) will return to the friendly confines of Children's Mercy Park on Saturday when the San Jose Earthquakes (0-3-0, 0 points) visit for a 7:30 p.m. CT showdown on Apple TV, Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340 AM. Tickets for the Western Conference clash are available online at SeatGeek, including the Coca-Cola Friends & Family 4-Pack, Wild West 5-Pack and Sporting U Pass.

An unbeaten start to the season continued for Sporting last weekend with a well-earned 0-0 draw at LAFC. Buoyed by a strong defensive record in the early stages of 2024, Manager Peter Vermes' men will now face a San Jose side that has struggled out of the gates and will be equally hungry to bounce into the win column.

As two longtime foes prepare to lock horns, we offer a statistical preview in our newest edition of By The Numbers presented by Compass Minerals.

Head-to-Head

• Sporting are 9-2-6 against San Jose in the last 17 meetings in all competitions since September 2016.
• Sporting have prevailed in 19 of 21 home matches against San Jose since August 2004, posting a 16-1-4 record with three of the four draws consisting of shootout wins in the 2017 U.S. Open Cup semifinals and the opening rounds of the 2020 and 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs.
• San Jose has one win in Kansas City since August 2004, a 5-0 victory in the regular season on Aug. 19, 2015.
• Since losing to San Jose in August 2015, Sporting have a 6-0-1 regular season home record against the Earthquakes with 14 goals scored and five conceded.
• Since August 2004, the home team in the fixture is 26-4-8 across all competitions.
• On Oct. 25, 2023, Sporting and San Jose met in the MLS Cup Playoffs for the fourth time as SKC prevailed 4-2 on penalties following a 0-0 draw in the Wild Card Round at Children’s Mercy Park. San Jose prevailed in the 2003 conference finals (3-2 extra-time win) before Sporting prevailed in the 2004 conference semifinals (3-2 aggregate win over two legs) and the 2020 conference quarterfinals (3-0 shootout win following a 3-3 draw).
• Both regular season meetings in 2023 resulted in 3-0 wins for the home side. San Jose prevailed 3-0 on April 15 behind a Jeremy Ebobisse brace and a Cristian Espinoza strike. Sporting secured the same result on Aug. 26 with goals from Daniel Salloi, Johnny Russell and Erik Thommy.
• Sporting own a 31-28-12 record in 71 MLS meetings with San Jose (including a 1-2-2 record in five playoff matches), scoring 93 goals (1.31 per game) and conceding 89 goals (1.25 per game).
• Sporting goalkeeper Tim Melia has an 8-5-3 regular season record against San Jose and has three penalty shootout wins against the Earthquakes, coming in the 2017 Open Cup and the 2020 and 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs. In the three shootouts combined, only six of the 13 penalties Melia faced were successful. He saved six and one was missed off target. 
• Sporting forward Daniel Salloi has four goals and two assists in eight career regular season matches against San Jose, including goals in each of his last three regular season home appearances.
• San Jose forward Jeremy Ebobisse has three goals in six career regular season starts against Sporting.
• San Jose winger Cristian Espinoza has one goal and five assists in 10 career MLS appearances against Sporting (including two playoff matches).

Sporting Kansas City

• 2024 MLS record: 0-0-3, 2 points (10th in West | 2 GF, 2 GA)
• First three matches: T 1-1 at HOU, T 1-1 vs. PHI, T 0-0 at LAFC
• In last Saturday’s 0-0 draw at LAFC, Sporting became the first team in MLS history to record multiple regular season shutouts at LAFC (won 2-0 at LAFC in August 2018). Tim Melia was in goal for Sporting on each occasion.
• Sporting are one of five MLS teams that has yet to trail this season (Cincinnati, Columbus, Montreal, Toronto).
• Sporting are unbeaten in their first three matches of a regular season for the first time since 2017 when they went their first six games without a loss (3-0-3).
• Sporting have opened a regular season with three straight draws for the first time in club history.
• Only Toronto (zero), Vancouver (one) and Cincinnati (one) have conceded fewer goals than Sporting’s two through three weekends of the regular season.
• Sporting rank fourth in MLS in passing accuracy (86.9%) and second in long ball accuracy (63.2%).
• Goalkeeper Tim Melia made six saves in last Saturday’s 0-0 draw at LAFC, becoming the 10th goalkeeper in MLS history to record 30 regular season shutouts on the road.
• Melia is 10-4-4 in his last 18 MLS starts since May 7, 2023 (including playoffs).
• Defender Andreu Fontas ranks second in MLS in successful passes (242) with a 92.6% completion rate. From 2021-2023, Fontas had 550 more completed passes (5,869) than any other MLS player has attempted passes (Ilie 5,319) in regular season play.
• Fontas also leads MLS this season with 26 accurate long balls, while fellow center back Dany Rosero ranks third in the league with 17.
• Defender Jake Davis has recorded three assists in his last seven regular season home appearances at Children’s Mercy Park since July 12, 2023.
• Davis has started in each of Sporting’s last 30 matches in all competitions since May 28, 2023.
• Midfielder Remi Walter has scored goals in back-to-back regular season home matches for Sporting, having scored in the 2023 regular season finale and a 1-1 draw against Philadelphia on March 2.

San Jose Earthquakes

• 2024 MLS record: 0-3-0, 0 points (14th in West | 2 GF, 7 GA)
• First three matches: L 1-2 at DAL, L 1-3 vs. LA, L 0-2 vs. VAN
• San Jose is one of three MLS teams to open the season with three straight losses alongside New York City FC and the New England Revolution.
• San Jose has opened the season with a 0-3-0 record for the first time since 2019 when the club lost its first four games.
• San Jose has posted 10 straight non-winning seasons since 2014, the longest streak in MLS history.
• San Jose’s -5 goal differential through three matches is third worst in MLS, ahead of only New England and Orlando (-6).
• San Jose’s seven goals allowed through three matches are third most in MLS, fewer than only New England and Orlando (eight).
• Forward Christian Espinoza ranks fourth in MLS with six successful crosses. During the 2023 regular season, Espinoza led San Jose in both goals (13) and assists (13) as one of two players (Lucho Acosta) with at least 13 goals and 13 assists.
• Forward Jeremy Ebobisse, who was second on San Jose with 10 goals last season, has yet to attempt a shot through three games of 2024. He has started in each of the club’s last 72 regular season matches since Nov. 7, 2021.
• Defender Paul Marie is tied for third in MLS with 10 fouls committed.
• Defender Rodrigues is fifth in MLS in aerial duels (17) and eighth in successful passes (190).

Milestones and Miscellany

• Forward Johnny Russell is one shy of his 200th appearance for Sporting in all competitions since joining the club in 2018.
• Russell has 56 regular season goals for Sporting, one shy of tying Dom Dwyer for second most in club history.
• Forward Daniel Salloi has 77 goal contributions (45 goals, 32 assists) in the regular season, one shy of tying Davy Arnaud for fifth most in club history.
• Midfielder Erik Thommy is one shy of his 50th regular season appearance for Sporting and one shy of his 50th start for Sporting in all competitions. He has appeared in 53 straight MLS matches (including playoffs) since making his MLS debut on July 23, 2022.
• Forward Willy Agada is one shy of 50 goals in his professional club career.
• Defender Dany Rosero is one shy of 350 appearances in his professional club career.