Sporting KC Game Notes | July 31, 2021 vs. FC Dallas | SportingKC.com/Game-Notes #SKCvDAL: HEAD-TO-HEAD
#SKCvDAL: BY THE NUMBERS
Sporting Kansas City takes a five-game unbeaten streak into the weekend as the team prepares to take on FC Dallas for the first time in 2021 at Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday night. Sporting are winless in five against Dallas, going 0-4-1 since their last victory over the Texas side in late 2018. In 2020, Sporting and Dallas faced off three times - twice at Children’s Mercy Park and once at Toyota Stadium. In the first meeting at CMP on Sept. 5, 2020, the two sides shared the points following a 1-1 draw after Khiry Shelton equalized in first-half stoppage time following Franco Jara’s early opener for the visitors. The repeat fixture on Sept. 19 was a frustrating affair, as Dallas scored either side of halftime through Jara, only for Sporting to roar back into the game and level the score with a Johnny Russell brace. However, a poor backpass allowed Dallas to retake the lead in the dying moments through Ryan Hollingshead. The most recent meeting between the sides came at Toyota Stadium on Oct. 14, 2020, with Hollingshead’s goal late in the first half enough to seal a victory for Dallas. The game will be remembered for a controversial decision to deny Sporting a late equalizer, as Gadi Kinda appeared to be fouled in the area before Russell fired home, only for the referee to rule that Kinda had fouled Dallas goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer. Sporting trails in the regular season series 25-27-13, including but hold a 15-11-8 mark at home. #SKCvDAL: Recent Meetings (DAL leads 27-25-13 in regular season)
Sporting KC Team Notes • Sporting rank second in MLS in goals (28) and goals per match (1.87). They have been shut out just once this season. • Sporting are 7-1-2 in their last 10 matches since May 16 and 4-0-1 in their last five since June 23. • Sporting are on pace for 68 points in the regular season, which would eclipse the club record of 63 set in 2012. • Sporting’s 30 points through 15 matches are their second most ever after 15 games (33 points in 2000). • Sporting rank second in MLS in shots per match (16.2) and fourth in chances created per match (11.5). • Sporting are unbeaten in their last 11 regular season home matches since October 2020, good for the third longest streak in club history (8-0-3 record). • Sporting have scored in a club-record 22 straight regular season home matches dating back to August 2019. • Sporting lead MLS with 17 points and five wins from losing positions this season. No other club has more than eight points and two wins from losing positions. • Sporting have outscored opponents 13-4 in the final 30 minutes of matches this season. Their plus-9 goal differential during that interval is the best in MLS. • Sporting leads MLS in passing accuracy at 85.5% and ranks third in possession at 54.4%. • Sporting KC Academy products have scored or assisted in Sporting’s last 10 matches.
Date
10/14/2020 09/19/2020 09/02/2020 10/06/2019 07/20/2019
Score
KC 0 at DAL 1 KC 2 vs DAL 3 KC 1 vs DAL 1 KC 0 at DAL 6 KC 0 vs DAL 2
Result Details L L T L L
Sporting KC Player Notes • Forward Daniel Salloi leads MLS with 12 combined goals (nine) and primary assists (three). He also leads the league with five game-winning goals. • Forward Khiry Shelton boasts a 27-9-11 regular season record as a Sporting starter dating back to 2018. Additionally, Sporting are 15-3-6 in the 24 regular season matches Shelton has started at center forward. • Forward Johnny Russell has scored in two of his last three appearances. His four assists are tied with Shelton for the team lead. • Midfielder Roger Espinoza has a 9-1-2 record as a starter this season and a 17-4-5 record as a starter since the beginning of 2020. • Defender Andreu Fontas leads MLS by a wide margin in passes (1,181) and passes completed (1,060) while also ranking second in touches (1,347). • Defender Luis Martins is the only Sporting player to start all 15 matches this season.
Hollingshead scores winner as late SKC equalizer disallowed Russell scores brace before Hollingshead nabs winner for DAL Shelton equalizer cancels out early Jara opener Sporting routed in dead rubber game to end 2019 season Badji & Ferreira score either side of halftime in DAL road winy
#SKCvDAL: PLAYER HISTORY • Defender Graham Zusi has three goals and seven assists against Dallas, including a two-goal and one assist performance in a 4-1 road win on June 12, 2011 and a two-assist performance in a 2-0 home win on August 19 ,2017. He also recorded assists on both goals as Sporting KC earned a 2-1 win at Children’s Mercy Park on March 25, 2012. Zusi had one goal and two assists in the 4-0 rout at home on May 29, 2015. • Forward Johnny Russell has scored three times against Dallas. He scored a late penalty in the 3-0 road win on Oct. 21, 2018, before bagging a brace in the 3-2 home loss on Sept. 19, 2020. • Midfielder Roger Espinoza has scored twice against FC Dallas, the first coming in a 3-1 defeat at Toyota Stadium on March 14, 2015 before tallying another in the 3-0 road win on Oct. 21, 2018. • Forward Daniel Salloi has two goals against FC Dallas, netting a late consolation goal in the 3-2 home defeat on July 28, 2018 and the game-winner in a 3-0 road win on Oct. 21, 2018. • Forward Khiry Shelton has scored twice vs. Dallas. His first came as a member of New York City FC in a 2-2 home draw on Sept. 17, 2016 before tallying again in the 1-1 home draw for SKC vs. FC Dallas on Sept. 2, 2020. • Midfielder Felipe Hernandez recorded his first MLS assist against Dallas in the 1-1 home draw on Sept. 2, 2020. • Midfielder Gianluca Busio has one assist against Dallas, coming in the 3-2 home loss on Sept. 19, 2020. • Goalkeeper Tim Melia is 4-5-3 all-time against FC Dallas, posting a 1.00 goals against average and five shutouts. Melia also saved Reto Ziegler’s penalty kick in the 3-0 road win on Oct. 21, 2018.
FC Dallas Team Notes • Dallas have lost all seven road matches this season, scoring twice and conceding 15. • Dallas’ eight-game road losing streak in the regular season, dating back to Nov. 8, 2020, is the longest in team history. • Dallas are 0-9-1 in their last 10 MLS road matches (including playoffs) and haven’t won away from home since beating Nashville on Nov. 4, 2020. • Dallas have failed to score in five of seven away matches this season. • Five of Dallas’ seven losses have come by two or more goals. • Dallas has scored twice in seven road matches this season at a clip of 0.29 per game, the lowest in MLS. • Dallas are 3-0-1 when scoring the first goal and 0-7-3 when conceding the first goal. FC Dallas Player Notes • At age 18, forward Ricardo Pepi ranks fifth in MLS with eight goals. He scored a hat trick in Dallas’ 4-0 home win over the LA Galaxy on Saturday. Pepi has seven goals in his last eight games. • Defender Ryan Hollingshead and forward Jesus Ferreira are tied for the team lead with three assists apiece. Hollingshead is the only Dallas player to start all 15 matches this season. • Forward Franco Jara leads Dallas with 36 shots but has managed just two goals this season.
NOTEWORTHY MILESTONES
#SKCvDAL: PLAYER/COACH CONNECTIONS
• Manager Peter Vermes is one shy of his 200th coaching win for Sporting in all competitions. • Sporting will play their 400th regular season home match on Saturday.
• Defender Graham Zusi has been teammates with FC Dallas’ Matt Hedges on the U.S. National Team. • Striker Alan Pulido was teammates with FC Dallas forwrd Franco Jara at Olympiakos in Greece in 2015. • Midfielder Roger Espinoza has played alongside FC Dallas midfielder Bryan Acosta on the Honduras National Team since 2014. • Forward Daniel Salloi and FC Dallas midfielder Szabolcs Schön are both from Budapest, Hungary. • Defender Jaylin Lindsey has played alongside FC Dallas members Brandon Servania and Paxton Pomykal on the U.S. Under-20 National Team. • Midfielder Gianluca Busio and FC Dallas striker Ricardo Pepi were teammates on the U.S. Under-17 National Team during the U-17 Concacaf Championship in 2019. • Dallas forward Dante Sealy is the son of former Kansas City Wizards forward Scott Sealy.
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