By The Numbers presented by KDOT: #SKCvMIN | Aug. 25, 2018

"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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Winners of three straight matches, Sporting Kansas City (12-6-6, 42 points) will aim to stay hot on Saturday when they host regional rivals Minnesota United FC (9-14-2, 29 points) at Children's Mercy Park. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. CT with three hours of live coverage on FOX Sports Kansas City Plus, FOX Sports Midwest Plus and FOX Sports GO beginning at 7 p.m. CT. The game will also air locally on Sports Radio 810 WHB and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM, while the Sporting KC Uphoria app will provide in-game updates and an exclusive offer for free Chips Ahoy cookies at Kansas City area Price Chopper locations.

A limited number of tickets for Saturday's match are available via SeatGeek.com as Sporting KC hosts its second annual Sporting Salutes, an immersive military appreciation night for service members and their families. Manager Peter Vermes' men have been perfect during the month of August, while Minnesota is seeking its first victory in over a month. We take a statistical look at the fixture in our newest edition of By the Numbers.

Head-to-Head

• Sporting KC owns a 3-0-0 home record against Minnesota United FC in all competitions, including a 4-1 win on June 3 that produced goals from Daniel Salloi, Wan Kuzain Wan Kamal, Cristian Lobato and Diego Rubio.
• Sporting KC has outshot Minnesota 49-13 across their first two meetings of 2018, which also includes a 1-1 draw on May 20 at TCF Bank Stadium that saw Khiry Shelton and Darwin Quintero trade first-half goals.
• Sporting KC has outscored Minnesota 11-1 in three home meetings since the Loons joined MLS in 2017.
• Sporting KC forward Diego Rubio has scored in each of his last two appearances against Minnesota.
• Minnesota is the only opponent Sporting KC will face three times during the 2018 regular season.
• Minnesota won the inaugural MLS meeting between the sides in May 2017 but has gone 0-2-2 in the series since then.

Minnesota United FC

• 2018 MLS record: 9-14-2, 29 points (9th in West)
• 2018 MLS away record: 1-10-1 (14 GF, 33 GA)
• Last MLS match: L 0-2 at FC Dallas on Aug. 18
• Last five MLS matches: 1-3-1, 4 points (W-L-L-T-L)
• Minnesota has a league-worst 1-10-1 road record this season. Their 33 goals conceded away from home are the most in the Western Conference.
• Minnesota has conceded 2.0 goals per game, the most in the Western Conference. They have allowed 120 league goals since the start of 2017, more than any other team.
• Minnesota ranks second-to-last in shots per game (10.6) while also ranking last in fewest shots faced (17.1).
• Minnesota has suffered eight multi-goal defeats this season, the most in the Western Conference.
• Minnesota is 0-10-1 this season when trailing at halftime and 1-12-2 when conceding the first goal.
• Minnesota leads MLS with 14.8 tackles won per game and ranks second with 22.3 clearances per game. Midfielder Rasmus Schuller ranks first individually in fouls committed (50), tackles won (88) while also ranking third in interceptions (62) and sixth in duels won (175).
• Forward Darwin Quintero ranks sixth in MLS with 3.1 chances created per game. He leads Minnesota in both goals (10) and assists (nine).
• Quintero has scored or assisted in six straight MLS appearances and in 12 of his 19 games played this season.
• Midfielder Miguel Ibarra ranks second on the team in both goals (six) and assists (seven).
• Goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth has just two shutouts in 19 MLS appearances this season, posting a 2.00 goals against average.

 Sporting KC

• 2018 MLS record: 12-6-6, 42 points (2nd in West)
• 2018 MLS home record: 7-2-3 (27 GF, 14 GA)
• Last MLS match: W 3-0 vs. Portland Timbers on Aug. 18
• Last five MLS matches: 3-2-0, 9 points (L-L-W-W-W)
• Sporting KC has posted three straight shutout victories for the fifth time in club regular season history.
• Sporting KC's plus-15 goal differential (45-30) is five goals better than any other team in the Western Conference.
• Sporting KC has allowed zero goals in its last three league games, having conceded 16 in its previous six.
• Sporting KC has scored multiple goals in 10 of its last 13 games across all competitions.
• Sporting KC leads MLS in shots per game (17.1) and passing accuracy (84.5%) while ranking second in average possession (58.4%).
• Sporting KC has outscored opponents 12-4 after the 75th minute this season, the second-best differential in MLS.
• Sporting KC is 6-0-2 this season when Matt Besler and Seth Sinovic start together on the left side of defense.
• Goalkeeper Tim Melia leads MLS with 10 shutouts. He has become the eighth keeper in league history to record 10 or more clean sheets in back-to-back seasons.
• Forward Diego Rubio leads MLS with 1.21 goals per 90 minutes played, having scored six goals in 448 minutes. Rubio's 60.0 scoring percentage (six goals on 10 shots) is the second-best in MLS history for a single season.
• Forward Johnny Russell leads Sporting KC with 18 combined goals (10) and assists (eight) in all competitions.
• Forward Daniel Salloi has 16 combined goals (nine) and assists (seven) this season in all competitions, more than any other MLS Homegrown Player.
• Midfielder Ilie Sanchez leads MLS with 882 successful passes in the attacking half and ranks seventh with 42 chances created from open play.
• Midfielder Roger Espinoza has a team-best and career-high nine MLS assists this season.
• Graham Zusi leads MLS defenders with 46 chances created and ranks second in the league in touches (2,117).

Milestones and Miscellany

• Defender Matt Besler is one shy of his 292nd appearance for the club in all competitions, which would pass current assistant coach Kerry Zavagnin for the most in Sporting KC history.

Recent #SKCvMIN regular season meetings

• Regular season record vs. Minnesota: 2-1-2
• Regular season home record vs. Minnesota: 2-0-0

Team stats (2018 regular season)

MLS rank in parenthesis (source: Opta, as of Aug. 22)