From 1 to 50: A statistical recap of Sporting KC's 2016 season

Sporting Kansas City's 2016 campaign is in the books.

The end came quicker than players and supporters would have liked, as a 1-0 setback to Seattle Sounders FC spelled elimination in the knockout round for a third straight season.

Despite the disappointment of another heartbreaking postseason exit, a retrospective look at the year reminds us that 2016 wasn't all doom and gloom. The following statistical recap supports that notion, rolling from 1 to 50 with relevant facts and figures from Sporting Kansas City and its players.

1. Forward Diego Rubio became the first player in Sporting KC history to score in the MLS regular season, U.S. Open Cup and CONCACAF Champions League in the same season
2. Sporting KC averaged 2.3 goals per game in its final nine MLS home matches of 2016 (7-0-2).
3. Dynamic defender Jimmy Medranda led MLS with 3.5 tackles won per 90 minutes. The 22-year-old left back enjoyed a breakout season with 32 appearances in all competitions, recording a goal and two assists.
4. Defender Matt Besler was named an MLS All-Star for the fourth straight year. He scored the last-gasp winner in arguably the game of the season — a 3-2 win over Columbus on July 3 — and came on strong in October, leading Sporting KC to consecutive shutouts at the end of the regular season.
5. Forward Jacob Peterson scored in five straight MLS home games between July 24 and Sept. 9, becoming the third player in club history to do so. Peterson finished the 2016 campaign with six goals, the most in his 11-year MLS career and more than 2013-2015 combined.
6. Sporting KC reached the MLS Cup Playoffs for a club-record sixth straight season.
7. Saad Abdul-Salaam tallied seven assists in all competitions, the most in a single season by a Sporting KC defender since Chance Myers had seven in 2012. Abdul-Salaam finished tied for first among MLS defenders with six regular season assists.
8. Goalkeeper Tim Melia was the only MLS goalkeeper to record eight shutouts in fewer than 30 league appearances this season.
9. Sporting KC ended the 2016 regular season on a nine-game home unbeaten run, tied for the third longest such streak in club history.
10. Sporting KC won 10 regular season home games for the second straight year. The club is 25-7-8 at Children’s Mercy Park over the last two seasons in all competitions.
11. Sporting KC was 11-1-2 when scoring the first goal in the regular season.
12. Sporting KC scored 12 road goals during the regular season, their fewest since 2010 and the third fewest in club history.
13. Sporting KC reached 13 wins for the sixth straight regular season, becoming just the third club in MLS history to accomplish the feat (LA Galaxy, Seattle Sounders FC).
14. Midfielder Benny Feilhaber tallied 14 assists in all competitions, 13 of which in the regular season. He became just the second player in club history to hit double digit assists in multiple regular season campaigns.
15. Midfielder Brad Davis ended a 15-year MLS career with his retirement last month. The MLS legend leaves the game as a two-time MLS Cup Champion, a six-time All-Star and a World Cup veteran.
16. Forward Dom Dwyer led Sporting KC with 16 goals, becoming the first player in club history to score at least 12 goals in three straight regular seasons.
17. Children’s Mercy Park sold out all 17 regular season matches, extending its MLS sellout streak to 87 games since 2012.
18. Peterson started 18 straight MLS matches between May 27 and Oct. 1, the longest run of consecutive starts in his 11-year career.
19. Sporting KC averaged 19.3 interceptions per game, sixth most in MLS.
20. Midfielder Roger Espinoza’s 20 regular season assists are tied for 10th most in club history. He tallied an MLS career-high five assists in 2016.
21. Sporting KC played 21 MLS matches on KMCI 38 The Spot and SKCTV. Fourteen league games were televised nationally on ESPN or FOX.
22. Sporting KC conceded 22 road goals during the regular season, second fewest in MLS.
23. Sporting KC outshot its opponent in 23 of 34 regular season games. Peter Vermes’ men finished second with 14.0 shots per game while facing a league-low 9.5 shots per game. 
24. Sporting KC averaged 24 touches inside the opponent’s box per game, the most in the Western Conference.
25. Ike Opara logged an MLS career-high 25 appearances in 2016. The athletic defender stayed healthy for most of the year after missing nearly all of 2014 and 2015 with injuries.
26. Twenty-six different players started a match for Sporting KC in the CONCACAF Champions League.
27. Twenty-seven different players featured in a regular season match for Sporting KC this season.
28. Feilhaber’s 28 regular season assists since 2015 are the second most in MLS.
29. Soni Mustivar started 29 games in all competitions, serving as Sporting KC’s first-choice holding midfielder for a second straight season.
30. Sporting KC scored 30 home goals during the regular season, the most since 2006 and the most in Children’s Mercy Park history.
31. Feilhaber has started at least 31 matches in all competitions every year since joining Sporting KC in 2013.
32. Medranda made 32 appearances across all competitions in 2016, more than double his games played from 2013-15 combined (14).
33. Dwyer equaled his MLS career high with 33 regular season appearances, tied for second most in club history among field players.
34. Sporting KC set a single-game MLS record with 34 shots in a 2-1 win over Orlando City SC on May 15 at Children’s Mercy Park.
35. Espinoza led Sporting KC with 35 chances created from open play, one more than Feilhaber.
36. Dwyer led Sporting KC with 36 appearances in all competitions, marking the third straight year in which he has played at least 36 games.
37. Besler has now earned 37 caps for the U.S. Men’s National Team. He scored his first international goal on Sept. 2, the same day his daughter was born in Kansas City.
38. Sporting KC created 38 “big chances” during the regular season, defined by Opta as a situation in which a player should reasonably be expected to score. That number ranked fourth in the Western Conference.
39. Opara won 39 aerial duels during the regular season. His 66 percent aerial duel success rate was the highest on the team.
40. Sporting KC ranked last in MLS with a shooting accuracy of 40 percent.
41. Sporting KC played 41 games across all competitions in 2016, including four in the CONCACAF Champions League, two in the U.S. Open Cup and one in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
42. Winger Graham Zusi finished second on the team with 42 chances created despite missing 13 games through injury and international duty.
43. Dwyer scored his 43rd regular season goal in a 2-2 draw against the Montreal Impact on June 25, moving to second place on the club’s all-time chart.
44. Zusi has 44 MLS assists since the start of 2012, sixth most in the league (including playoffs).
45. Sporting KC has now played 45 games in the MLS Cup Playoffs, going 17-20-8 all-time.
46. Sporting KC recorded 46 assists during the regular season, seventh most in MLS.
47. Sporting KC finished the regular season with 47 points, their sixth straight season with at least that number of points.
48. Sporting KC averaged 48 duels won per game, eighth most in MLS but their lowest mark since 2011.
49. Heading into the November international break, Espinoza has 49 caps for the Honduras Men’s National Team.
50. On Decision Day, Feilhaber became the fourth player in Sporting KC history to tally 50 assists for the club in all competitions.