Everything you need to know about Sounders-Sporting KC

The Seattle Sounders host Sporting KC today with a chance to move up to fifth and pull within a point of third in the Western Conference standings. The Sounders are coming off a 4-0 win on the road against the Columbus Crew and have lost just one league home game in the last five months.

Here’s what you need to know:

Injury news

Sounders

OUT: João Paulo - Calf; Nouhou - Not Due to Injury

QUESTIONABLE: Léo Chú - Knee

Sporting Kansas City

OUT: Jake Davis - Suspension; Joaquin Fernandez - Groin; Nemanja Radoja - Groin

QUESTIONABLE: Logan Ndenbe - Hamstring

Stats to look smart

For fans who want to completely dismiss expected Goals, Sporting KC is a perfect example. They have scored 10 more goals than their xG and have allowed nine more goals than xGA. No team has skewed so badly on both sides of the ledger.
No team in MLS has allowed fewer goals at home than the Sounders (11) and no team in the Western Conference has a worse xGD on the road than Sporting KC (-11.5)

Tactics to impress

Traditionally one of the more aggressive teams in the league under Peter Vermes, Sporting KC has somewhat shed that ethos this year. They rank near the middle of the pack in fouls committed (352), are in the bottom third for passes per defensive action (13.9), have the second-worst success rate on take-ons (42.5%) and settle for longer shots (18.5 yards) than all but three teams. This is a team that can be bullied.
The Sounders have been shut out just four times in their last 29 times across all competitions. One thing that all four of those games have in common: Opponents who set a relatively deep line of confrontation. The Sounders have certainly won their share of games where teams attempt to do this, but it’s a tactic that has tended to work against them.