By The Numbers presented by KDOT: #HOUvSKC

"By The Numbers" is a season-long series sponsored by The Kansas Department of Transportation, giving a statistical preview of every Sporting KC match.
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Chasing first place in the Western Conference, Sporting KC enters the penultimate week of the MLS regular season with back-to-back games on tap against the Houston Dynamo. The first of which will take place Wednesday, kicking off at 7 p.m. CT at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston and televised live on FOX Sports Kansas City, FOX Sports Midwest and FOX Sports GO.

Sporting KC (12-7-12, 48 points) can secure a club-record seventh straight playoff berth with a win or a draw, but Houston (11-10-10, 43 points) has held a decisive upper hand in the head-to-head series over the last six regular season meetings. We take a statistical look at Wednesday's matchup in our By The Numbers preview.

Head-to-Head

• The sides most recently met in the 2017 U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 on June 28, as Ike Opara and Gerso scored second-half goals to give Sporting KC a 2-0 victory at BBVA Compass Stadium.
• Prior to their 2-0 win in June, Sporting KC had suffered three straight losses in Houston across all competitions.
• Sporting KC is winless in its last six regular season meetings against Houston, going 0-3-3 ever since emerging 2-0 winners at BBVA Compass Stadium on June 6, 2014.
• Sporting KC is 10-13-12 in all competitions against Houston, including a 5-9-11 mark in the MLS regular season.
• Sporting KC has faced Houston 24 times in all competitions since 2011, more than any other opponent (9-7-8 record). This includes five playoff games (2011-2013) and four U.S. Open Cup matches (2011, 2015-2017).

Houston Dynamo

• 2017 MLS record: 11-10-10, 43 points (5th in West)
• 2017 MLS home record: 10-1-4 (38 GF, 16 GA)
• Last five games: 1-2-2, 5 points (L-L-T-T-W)
• Last MLS match: W 2-1 vs. Minnesota United FC on Sept. 30
• Houston leads the Western Conference with 1.68 goals per game, including a conference-best 2.53 goals per home game.
• Houston is 10-1-4 at BBVA Compass Stadium in MLS play, and their plus-22 goal home differential is the best in the Western Conference.
• Houston is coming off a 2-1 home win over Minnesota, which snapped a six-game winless skid that included three losses and three draws.
• Houston is 10-0-4 when scoring first this season, but 1-10-3 when conceding the first goal.
• Houston has scored 11 goals in the first 15 minutes of matches this season, second-most in MLS.
• Forward Erick "Cubo" Torres leads Houston with 14 goals this season, but has scored in just one of his last eight games.
• Defender Adolfo Machado has played every minute in all 31 MLS matches this season. Machado leads MLS with 187 clearances and ranks third with 79 interceptions.
• Midfielder Alex leads Houston in assists (10) and chances created (51).
• Midfielder Juan David Cabezas is tied for third in MLS with 57 fouls committed.

 Sporting KC

• 2017 MLS record: 12-7-12, 48 points (2nd in West)
• 2017 MLS away record: 2-6-7 (8 GF, 14 GA)
• Last five games: 2-1-2, 8 points (T-W-W-L-T)
• Last MLS match: T 1-1 at Minnesota United FC on Saturday
• SKC's 0.81 goals against average is on pace to be the second-lowest in a 34-game regular season in MLS history.
• SKC's 25 goals conceded are 10 fewer than any other team in MLS. Their 14 road goals conceded are also a league-low.
• SKC has scored just eight goals in 15 road games, the second-fewest in MLS.
• SKC's six road losses (2-6-7) are the fewest among Western Conference clubs in 2017.
• SKC has conceded just two goals in the first 15 minutes of matches this season, the fewest in MLS.
• SKC is 11-0-6 when scoring first this season, but 1-7-2 when conceding the first goal.
• Defender Ike Opara boasts a 16-4-12 record as a starter in all competitions. SKC has a 0.66 goals against average and 13 shutouts in the 32 matches he has played.
• Midfielder Ilie ranks third in MLS in total passes (2,112) and passes completed (1,816). He also ranks fourth among MLS midfielders with 58 interceptions.
• Forward Gerso leads Sporting KC with 10 goals in all competitions. Diego Rubio is second with seven, all of which have come since July 6.
• Rubio's 0.67 goals per start (six goals in nine games) since July 1 are tied for eighth-best in MLS among players with at least nine starts during that time.

Milestones and Miscellany

• Sporting KC can clinch a club-record seventh straight playoff appearance with a win or a draw on Wednesday.

Team stats (2017 regular season)

MLS rank in parenthesis (source: Opta)

Recent #HOUvSKC meetings in all competitions

• Regular season record vs. Houston: 5-9-11
• Record vs. Houston in all competitions: 10-13-12