"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.
The stakes are simple: win (either in normal time or penalty kicks) and advance.
That's the name of the game on Monday as MLS originals Sporting Kansas City and Liga MX heavyweights Chivas Guadalajara lock horns in the Leagues Cup 2023 group stage finale at 9p.m. CT inside Children's Mercy Park. With FC Cincinnati already through as the group winner, Sporting and Chivas will now go head-to-head for the final berth into the tournament's round of 32.
Tickets for the highly anticipated matchup are available on SeatGeek as Sporting welcomes Chivas for the first time since the sides met in a 2011 friendly. The game will be free to watch on Apple TV in English and Spanish via MLS Season Pass in addition to airing nationally on FS1 and UniMas. Local radio coverage will air on Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340 AM with streams in the Sporting KC app. The match will also be shown by pub partners in the Sporting Pub Network, including an enhanced watch party at No Other Pub featuring photo opportunities with the Leagues Cup trophy from 7:30-9 p.m CT before kickoff.
With all to play for on Monday, we take a statistical look at the contest in our newest edition of By The Numbers, presented by Compass Minerals.
Head-to-Head
- Sporting and Chivas are meeting in a competitive match for the first time ever.
- Sporting and Chivas previously met in a friendly at Children’s Mercy Park on Oct. 12, 2011, playing to a 2-2 draw. Soony Saad and Kevin Ellis scored for Sporting, while Chivas struck through Marco Fabian and Erick ‘Cubo’ Torres.
- Chivas last played in Kansas City on Sept. 16, 2009, earning a 2-1 friendly win over rivals Club America at Arrowhead Stadium.
- Sporting are 8-6-6 at home in international competitions, including a 6-3-2 record at Children's Mercy Park.
- Sporting are 2-2-0 in competitive matches against Mexican opposition at Children’s Mercy Park, including wins over Cruz Azul (2013-14 CCL quarterfinals) and Toluca (2019 CCL round of 16) and losses to Monterrey (2019 CCL semifinals) and Club Leon (2021 Leagues Cup quarterfinals).
Qualification Scenarios
- FC Cincinnati has clinched first place in Central Group 3 and advanced to the Leagues Cup Round of 32. They will be joined in the knockout stage by either Sporting or Chivas.
- Sporting will finish second in Central Group 3 and advance to the Leagues Cup Round of 32 with a regulation win or penalty shootout win against Chivas.
- Sporting will finish third in Central Group 3 and be eliminated from Leagues Cup with a regulation loss or a penalty shootout loss against Chivas.
Sporting Kansas City
- 2023 MLS record: 6-11-8, 26 points (11th in West | 31 GF, 36 GA)
- 2023 MLS away record: 1-6-6 (11 GF, 21 GA)
- Last five MLS matches: 1-2-2 (L-W-T-T-L)
- Leagues Cup 2023 Opener: Tied 3-3 at FC Cincinnati (Lost 4-2 on PKs)
- Sporting have won six of nine penalty kick shootouts since Manager Peter Vermes began his head coaching tenure in 2009, including shootout victories in the 2013 MLS Cup and the 2012 and 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Finals.
- Sporting won six of seven shootouts from 2012-2020 before losing their last two (2022 Open Cup Semifinals at Sacramento Republic FC and Leagues Cup 2023 group stage at FC Cincinnati on July 23).
- Sporting have won all four penalty kick shootouts at Children’s Mercy Park, prevailing in the 2012 Open Cup Final, 2013 MLS Cup, 2017 Open Cup Semifinals and 2020 Western Conference First Round.
- Since the start of May, Sporting lead MLS with 28 goals scored (1.87 goals per match). The club scored just three goals in its first 10 league matches through the end of April.
- Sporting have scored two or more goals in four of their last five matches in all competitions since the start of July.
- Sporting rank second in MLS with 12 goals scored in the first 30 minutes of matches this season. The team also scored twice in the first 12 minutes of its Leagues Cup opener, a 3-3 draw at FC Cincinnati on July 23 that culminated with a 4-2 shootout defeat.
- Among players with at least 600 minutes this season, midfielder Gadi Kinda ranks second in MLS with 0.56 primary assists per 90 minutes (four primary assists in 645 minutes). He had a goal and an assist in Sporting’s 3-3 draw at FC Cincinnati on July 23.
- Defender Dany Rosero has scored headers in back-to-back matches off set pieces. He has accounted for three of Sporting’s five headed goals this season in all competitions, all off set pieces.
- Sporting are 4-0-1 when the center back pairing of Andreu Fontas and Dany Rosero start together at home this season.
- Sporting have failed to win their last four matches in international competitions, conceding 19 goals (4.75 per game) and scoring six (1.5 per game) with a 0-3-1 record (shutout loss at Cincinnati on July 23 accounting for the tie).
- Sporting last won an international home match on March 14, 2019, earning a 3-0 win over Panamanian side Independiente in the 2019 Concacaf Champions League Quarterfinals.
- Sporting own a 13-16-10 record in 39 international matches all-time, scoring 54 goals (1.38 per game) and conceding 66 goals (1.69 per game).
- Sporting’s best finishes in an international competition came in 2002 and 2019 when the club reached the semifinals of the Concacaf Champions Cup and Concacaf Champions League, respectively.
Chivas Guadalajara
- 2023 Liga MX Apertura record: 3-0-0, 9 points (1st Place | 7 GF, 2 GA)
- 2023 Liga MX Apertura away record: 1-0-0 (2 GF, 1 GA)
- Leagues Cup 2023 Opener: Lost 3-1 at FC Cincinnati
- Chivas fell 3-1 to MLS Supporters’ Shield leaders FC Cincinnati in their Leagues Cup opener at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati. The first 60 minutes were played on Thursday night before a weather postponement prompted the final 30 minutes to be played on Friday afternoon.
- In the loss to Cincinnati, Chivas conceded twice in the first eight minutes before grabbing a goal back in the 60th minute through Antonio Briseño. Cincinnati forward Brandon Vazquez then completed his hat-trick to seal the 3-1 result.
- Chivas have lost four straight matches against MLS opponents: the second leg of the 2018 Concacaf Champions League Finals against Toronto FC, two matches in the 2022 Leagues Cup Showcase at LA Galaxy and FC Cincinnati, and their Leagues Cup 2023 opener at FC Cincinnati.
- Chivas are 0-4-1 in their last five matches against MLS opponents on American soil since 2018, scoring two goals and conceding nine during that stretch.
- Chivas defeated three MLS opponents on aggregate to hoist the 2018 Concacaf Champions League when Sporting striker Alan Pulido was a member of the club: Seattle Sounders FC in the quarterfinals, New York Red Bulls in the semifinals and Toronto FC in the finals.
- Chivas occupy first place in the early Liga MX standings as the only team with a perfect 3-0-0 league record. Chivas prevailed 2-1 at Club Leon on July 3 before posting a pair of home wins, beating Atletico San Luis 3-1 on July 8 and Necaxa 2-0 on July 13.
- Chivas have won seven straight Liga MX regular season matches dating back to April 8, 2023. The club advanced to the Liga MX Clausura playoff finals in May, losing 3-2 on aggregate to Tigres UANL by squandering a 2-0 lead in the decisive second leg on home soil.
- Chivas are playing for their third continental championship, having won the Concacaf Champions Cup/League in 1962 and 2018. Chivas have also won 12 Liga MX titles and four Copa MX titles.
- Chivas are led by head coach Veljko Paunovic, who managed Chicago Fire FC from 2016-2019. He posted a 41-58-37 regular season record and led Chicago to the MLS Cup Playoffs in 2017.
- Midfielder Fernando Beltran and 17-year-old forward Yael Padilla scored two goals apiece in Chivas’ first three Liga MX matches of the season earlier this month.
- Defender Cristian Calderon leads the team with two assists through the first three weeks of the Liga MX campaign.
- Captain and midfielder Victor Guzman leads Chivas with 23 progressive passes and six key passes through Week 3 of the Liga MX campaign. He led Chivas with seven goals during the 2022-23 Liga MX season.
- Chivas scored 47 goals from 20 different goal scorers (and three own goals) during the 2022-23 Liga MX season.
Notable Upcoming Milestones
- Forward Daniel Salloi is one shy of his 200th career appearance for Sporting in all competitions.
- Forward Marinos Tzionis is one shy of his 50th career appearance for Sporting in all competitions
