SPORTING KANSAS CITY vs. COLORADO RAPIDS
CHILDREN'S MERCY PARK, Kansas City, Kansas
APRIL 13, 2016 (WEEK 7, MLS GAME #53)
8:30 pm ET (MLS LIVE, KMCI-38 / SKCTVN, Altitude 2)
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The league’s top two defenses in the early going this season face off when Sporting Kansas City play host to the Colorado Rapids on Wednesday evening at Children’s Mercy Park, exactly 20 years after they played each other for the first time during the inaugural MLS season of 1996. Both clubs have allowed just three goals on the season thus far. Sporting sit atop the Western Conference with four wins in five matches, returning home following a 2-0 win at the New York Red Bulls last weekend. The Rapids saw their undefeated run halted after three matches over the weekend after a 1-0 loss at Rocky Mountain rival Real Salt Lake on Saturday evening.
- Benny Feilhaber scored for a second consecutive match as Sporting Kansas City became the first team to reach four wins in MLS this season with their 2-0 victory against the New York Red Bulls on Saturday evening at Red Bull Arena.
- The Rapids had their three-game undefeated run ended with a 1-0 Rocky Mountain Cup loss to Real Salt Lake on Saturday at Rio Tinto Stadium. Both of the Rapids’ defeats have come by 1-0 scorelines this season; their two wins have also been by 1-0 results.
REFEREE: Robert Sibiga. AR1 (bench): Sean Hurd; AR2 (opposite): Jason White; 4th: Nima Saghafi
Sibiga MLS Career: 4 games; FC/gm: 26.0; Y/gm: 2.3; R: 1; pens: 1
SUSPENDED: COL: Jermaine Jones (through April 13)
DISABLED LIST: none
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD ALL-TIME
Kansas City lead 29W-24L-16D in all competitions.
MLS REGULAR SEASON (55 meetings): Sporting 23 wins (1 shootout), 93 goals … Rapids 19 wins (3 shootout), 74 goals … Ties 13
REG SEASON AT KC (27 meetings): Sporting 18 wins (0 shootout), 57 goals … Rapids 4 wins (1 shootout), 27 goals … Ties 5
PLAYOFFS (4 series, 9 games): Sporting 5 wins, 13 goals … Rapids 2 wins, 9 goals … Ties 2 … Sporting 3 series wins … Rapids 1 series win
US OPEN CUP (5 meetings): Rapids 3 wins, 10 goals … Sporting 1 win, 9 goals … Ties 1 (COL 1-0 shootout)
RETURN MATCHES:
5/11: Colorado Rapids vs. Sporting Kansas City, 7 p.m. MT
7/16: Colorado Rapids vs. Sporting Kansas City, 7 p.m. MT
LAST YEAR (MLS):
6/27: KC 2, COL 0 (Németh 32; own goal 64)
8/29: COL 2, KC 1 (Figueroa 53; Doyle 76 – Dwyer 47)
10/21: KC 0, COL 2 (Powers 78; Sarvas 86)
- The Rapids have won the last two meetings between the teams – both ending long winless streaks. Colorado’s 2-0 victory last Oct. 21 in the final meeting at Sporting Park was their first win in Kansas City since 2002, a 2-1 win at Arrowhead Stadium. After that, Kansas City went 9-0-4 at home vs. Colorado before the win in the last meeting.
- The Rapids ended a nine-game winless streak against Sporting with their 2-1 win Aug. 29 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. After the previous Colorado victory, March 28, 2009 in Commerce City, KC was 4-0-5 vs. Colorado.
- Coaches' records:
Peter Vermes vs. COL: P12 W4 L2 D6
Pablo Mastroeni vs. KC: P5 W2 L2 D1
