"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 is back home this weekend to host the reigning MLS Cup champion LA Galaxy at 6 p.m. CT Sunday for Star Wars Night at Children's Mercy Park. Tickets for the match are available online at SeatGeek with live coverage on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV+ and local radio broadcasts on Sports Radio 810 WHB and 103.7 FM.
After weathering an early-season storm, Sporting has found its footing in recent weeks with a pair of wins and plenty of goals. Kansas City has found the back of the net 10 times in its last four games and will look to carry that scoring touch into a Sunday Night Soccer spectacle against the struggling Galaxy, who are off to the worst start by a defending MLS Cup champion.
As anticipation builds toward Sunday, we take a statistical look at the Western Conference clash in our newest edition of By The Numbers presented by Compass Minerals.
Head-to-Head
- Sporting is winless in its last five regular season meetings against LA since September 2022, taking two losses and three draws.
- Sporting last beat LA on Aug. 6, 2022, earning a 4-2 home win at Children’s Mercy Park in which Erik Thommy and Daniel Salloi bookended the scoring.
- The last three regular season meetings have seen both teams score at least two goals each. The three meetings have produced 15 total goals, six for Sporting and nine for LA.
- Sporting has scored multiple goals in eight of its last nine regular season meetings against LA since September 2019, going 3-3-3 during that stretch. LA has scored multiple goals six times during this nine-game span.
- Sporting is 7-4-7 against LA in the last 18 regular season meetings since October 2015, but the Galaxy swept the series last year with a 3-2 road win on March 23, 2024, and a 4-2 home win on June 15, 2024.
- Sporting went 3-0-3 in six regular season meetings against the Galaxy from 2021-2023 before losing both meetings last year.
- Sporting is 7-2-7 in its last 16 regular season home matches against LA since 2008. Kansas City’s only losses during that time came in May 2019 and March 2024.
- In 72 regular season meetings between the clubs, LA has a narrow advantage with a 28-26-18 record.
- Sporting KC interim head coach Kerry Zavagnin and LA Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney represented their current clubs as players when they squared off in the conference finals of the 2000 MLS Cup Playoffs. Zavagnin and Kansas City beat Vanney and LA with both players playing in every minute of the dramatic three-game series.
Sporting Kansas City
- 2025 MLS record: 2-7-1, 7 points (14th in West | 16 GF, 21 GA)
- 2025 MLS home record: 1-3-1 (8 GF, 9 GA)
- Last Five MLS Matches: 2-3-0, 6 points (L-W-L-W-L)
- Sporting has scored 10 goals in its last four MLS matches since April 5. The team scored just six goals in its first six league games.
- Sporting has won two of its last four matches since April 5 after a club-record 13-match winless streak across all competitions that began on Sept. 21, 2024.
- Sporting has scored multiple goals in three of its last four matches since April 5 after scoring multiple goals just once during the club’s 13-match winless streak.
- Forward Dejan Joveljic leads Sporting with five goals this season, all of which have come at home.
- Joveljic has 12 goals in his last 10 MLS home appearances dating back to last season with the LA Galaxy, including playoffs. Sunday marks the first time Joveljic will play against his former MLS club.
- Midfielder Zorhan Bassong came off the bench to score the first goal of his professional career in a 2-1 loss at FC Cincinnati on April 26. The goal saw fellow substitutes Erik Thommy and Andrew Brody record the primary and secondary assists, respectively.
- Midfielder Erik Thommy has three goal contributions (one goal, two assists) in 39 minutes across his last two appearances, both as a second-half substitute. Brody’s assist was his first since joining Sporting ahead of the 2025 season.
- Five of Thommy’s last six regular season goal contributions have come as a substitute dating back to Sept. 18, 2024.
- Forward Daniel Salloi was named MLS Player of the Matchday for Matchday 9 after tallying two goals and two assists in Sporting’s 5-3 win at San Jose on April 19. The game saw Salloi become the third player in club history to record multiple goals and multiple assists in an MLS road match, a feat that has happened 18 times in league history.
- Salloi is one of only four MLS players with six or more goal contributions in each of the last five regular seasons from 2021-2025, joining the San Jose trio of Chicho Arango, Cristian Espinoza and Josef Martinez.
- Salloi has six goal contributions (four goals, two assists) in Sporting’s last seven matches since March 15 after totaling seven goal contributions (two goals, five assists) during the entire 2024 MLS season.
- Midfielder Manu Garcia scored his first MLS goal and added two assists in Sporting’s win over San Jose on April 19. He leads Sporting with four assists this season while ranking second in MLS in goal-creating actions (eight), third in progressive passes (89), fifth in successful passes into the final third (76), sixth in successful take-ons (20), sixth in successful passes into the penalty area (22) and ninth in shot-creating actions (42).
- Defender Logan Ndenbe scored his first MLS regular season goal on April 19 against San Jose after scoring two goals in Sporting’s two-game sweep of St. Louis City SC in the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs. Ndenbe ranks third in MLS in progressive carrying distance (1,379 yards), fourth in tackles won (20) and tied for ninth in progressive carries (38).
- Forward Shapi Suleymanov ranks second in MLS in both fouls suffered (27) and progressive passes received (104). He also ranks third in dribbles into the penalty area (24) and tied for ninth in progressive carries (38).
LA Galaxy
- 2025 MLS record: 0-7-3, 3 points (15th in West | 8 GF, 20 GA)
- 2025 MLS away record: 0-3-2 (4 GF, 8 GA)
- Last Five MLS Matches: 0-4-1, 1 point (L-L-T-L-L)
- LA has endured its worst 10-game start to a regular season in club history. The Galaxy occupy last place in the Supporters’ Shield standings with three points and a winless 0-7-3 record. It is also the worst start to a regular season for a defending MLS Cup champion.
- LA has a goal differential of -12 through 10 matches, the worst in MLS.
- LA is one of two MLS teams still without a league win in 2025 alongside CF Montreal, which has an identical 0-7-3 record.
- LA last won an MLS match on Dec. 7, 2024, hoisting MLS Cup with a 2-1 home victory over the New York Red Bulls behind first-half goals from John Paintsil and current Sporting striker Dejan Joveljic.
- LA has been outscored 8-2 after the 75th minute during the 2025 regular season. The Galaxy’s eight goals conceded after the 75th minute are three more than any other team.
- Four of LA’s seven regular season losses have come by multiple goals.
- LA has scored first and led at halftime just once in 10 matches during the 2025 regular season, a 2-1 home loss to Orlando City SC on March 29.
- Sunday marks the start of a three-game road swing for LA, including East Coast trips to the New York Red Bulls on May 10 and the Philadelphia Union on May 14. Seven of the Galaxy’s next 10 matches through the end of June will be away from home.
- LA ranks second in MLS in passing accuracy (88.1%) and sixth in average possession (53.0%).
- According to Sportec, LA ranks 26th in successful balls into the box from open play (15), 29th in crossing accuracy (15.1%) and last in successful open play crosses (eight).
- LA ranks 28th in MLS in both expected goals per 90 minutes (0.99) and expected goals conceded per 90 minutes (2.1).
- According to Sportec, LA ranks 28th in MLS in distance covered per 90 (111.5km), 29th in distance covered via high-speed runs per 90 (5.84km) and last in distance covered via sprints per 90 (1.83km).
- Forward Gabriel Pec ranks third in MLS in shot attempts (37), fourth in dribbles into the penalty area (22), seventh in successful through balls (five) and ninth in successful take-ons (19). Pec had a brilliant debut campaign in MLS last year, recording team-highs in goals (16) and goal contributions (30) during the 2024 regular season.
- Forward Christian Ramirez leads LA with four goals during the 2025 regular season. Ramirez, who won the 2023 MLS Cup and 2024 Leagues Cup with the Columbus Crew, has scored in four of his last six MLS appearances dating back to March 16.
- Forward Joseph Paintsil marked his debut MLS campaign with 10 goals and 10 assists during the 2024 regular season. He has recorded one assist in five games this season since returning from injury on March 29.
- Midfielder Diego Fagundez ranks ninth in MLS with 20 successful passes into the penalty area. He is one of two Galaxy players, alongside fellow midfielder Edwin Cerrillo, to start in all 10 MLS matches this season.
- Goalkeeper John McCarthy has won two MLS Cup titles in his last three seasons, hoisting the trophy with LAFC in 2022 and the crosstown LA Galaxy in 2024.
Milestones and Miscellany
- Forward Daniel Salloi is one shy of his 200th career start for Sporting in all competitions.
- Defender Khiry Shelton is one shy of his 200th career regular season appearance.
- Midfielder Jake Davis is 38 minutes shy of 5,000 regular season minutes played for Sporting.
- Defender Tim Leibold is one shy of his 50th regular season appearance for Sporting.
- Forward Stephen Afrifa is one shy of his 50th professional club appearance, having played 37 matches for Sporting and 12 matches for Sporting KC II in MLS NEXT Pro.
