The Seattle Sounders leave the West Coast for the first time in two months when they visit Sporting KC today at 5:30 PM. The Sounders are coming off a tie against the Columbus Crew and a win against Austin FC, while Sporting are in the midst of a three-game unbeaten run.

Here’s what you need to know:

Injury news

Sporting KC

OUT: Jacob Bartlett – Suspended; Dany Rosero – Ankle; Erik Thommy – Hip

Sounders

OUT: Paul Arriola - Knee; Stefan Frei - Head; Kalani Kossa-Rienzi - Suspended; Stuart Hawkins - Quad; João Paulo - Knee

QUESTIONABLE: Yeimar Gómez Andrade - Hamstring; Kim Kee-hee - Calf

Opposition players to watch

Dejan Joveljic: The former Galaxy striker has picked up right where he left off last year, when he knocked out the Sounders from the playoffs. Joveljic has 12 goals, albeit on just 4.5 non-penalty xG. Joveljic is perhaps the best embodiment of Sporting KC’s ability to over-perform the underlying numbers.

Manu Garcia: The Spanish import has been easily their most impactful playmaker in several years, scoring two goals with seven primary assists on the season. Garcia is particularly good with the ball at his feet and leads the team with 182 progressive passes.

Sounder at Heart will receive a portion of all sales made using this link.

Stats to look smart

1.26: Sporting KC is making a mockery of underlying analytics, right now, having over-performed their xGD (expected goal-difference) by 1.26 in the 15 games under Kerry Zivagnen. If that were to be maintained over an entire season, it would be by far the largest over-performance of a team in MLS history, topping last year’s Inter Miami who over-performed by 1.01.

1.81: Sporting KC has allowed an average of 1.81 xGA at home, which is the most in MLS. Remarkably, that number is 1.92 under Zavagnin even as they’ve gone 3-2-2.

Tactics to impress

No team is as patient as Sporting KC in their buildup, which is why they rank dead last in MLS with just 9.9 shots per game. But a shocking number of those shots turn into goals, presumably because they are willing to wait for their chances. The Sounders need to take advantage of that timidity.
Going the other way, Sporting KC allow more expected assists than anyone else. This is a team who will allow dangerous shots if the Sounders are patient enough to find them.