New England Soccer Today

The Warm Up: #SKCvNE

Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz

Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz

The New England Revolution play their first mid-week match of 2015 on Wednesday when they travel to the Midwest to face Sporting Kansas City.

Location: Sporting Park, Kansas City

Scheduled kick-off: 8:00 pm

TV/Radio: ESPN2, ESPN Deportes

All-time/Season series:

• Sporting Kansas City leads the all-time season series winning 23 of 50 all-time meetings. The Revolution have won 16 matches, and the two teams have drawn 11 times. Kansas City has outscored the Revolution all-time 77-62.

• Kansas City has a 50% winning percentage at home vs. New England, winning 12 of the 24 home matches in the all-time series. The Revolution have won seven games in Kansas City, and the remaining five have ended in a draw.

• This will be the only meeting between the teams this season, as Kansas City was moved to the Western Conference for the 2015 season.

• The Revolution enjoyed success against Kansas City in 2014, winning all three of the matches between the teams.

• The last matchup saw the Revolution win 3-2 in Kansas City on Sept. 26, when Jermaine Jones scored the game-winner in the 85th minute. This was the first Revolution victory in Kansas City since Apr. 9, 2008, breaking an eight-game winless streak.

Revolution update:

• 5-2-4 overall, 19 points through 11 games (1.73 points per game), with 15 goals scored and 11 goals against.

• Currently in second place in the Eastern Conference Standings, two points behind DC United. The Revolution are two points in front of the New York Red Bulls, who have a game in hand.

• The Revolution are on a nine-game unbeaten streak, and have not lost since the second week of the season when they dropped a 2-0 loss to NYC FC. The locals’ nine-game unbeaten streak is the second-longest in team history, only trailing a 12-game unbeaten streak in 2004-2005.

• The Revolution are 2-2-1 on the road so far in 2015, earning their first road draw in their last road game on May 8 against Orlando City FC. After being held scoreless in their first two road games of the year, the Revolution have scored twice in each road game since, going 2-0-1 in their last three games away from Gillette Stadium.

• Teal Bunbury will be playing against his former team, which traded him to the Revolution during the 2014 offseason. From 2010 through 2013, Bunbury recorded 24 goals and 8 assists for Sporting Kansas City in 105 matches.

• London Woodberry was named to his second MLS team of the week in three weeks. Woodberry has recorded his first two career MLS assists through only five starts with the Revolution so far in 2015.

Sporting Kansas City Update:

• 3-2-5 overall, 14 points through 10 games (1.4 points per game), with 13 goals scored and 13 goals against.

• Currently tied for sixth place with the LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake in the Western Conference, though Sporting Kansas City has played one fewer game than Real Salt Lake and two fewer games than the LA Galaxy. Sporting Kansas City is seven points behind conference-leading FC Dallas.

• Currently 2-0-3 at Sporting Park in 2015, winning a 1-0 match against the Chicago Fire in their last home match.

• Sporting Kansas City has yet to win a game by two or more goals so far in the 2015 season.

• Sporting Kansas City is currently on a three-game unbeaten run, which includes draws on the road at DC United and the Houston Dynamo and a home victory over the Chicago Fire.

• Former Revolution midfielder Benny Feilhaber is one of Kansas City’s most prominent players, and leads Kansas City with 894 minutes played in 2015. Feilhaber is one of two players, along with Dom Dwyer, to start in all 10 matches for Sporting Kansas City, and leads the team with five assists. Feilhaber’s five assists are tied with Clint Dempsey, Ethan Finlay, Fabian Castillo, and Marco Pappa for first in the MLS.

• Five players are listed out for Sporting Kansas City, including former Revolution player Seth Sinovic, who is out with a concussion. Ike Opara (left Achilles), Chance Myers (left Achilles), Marcel de Jong (left hip muscle strain) and Graham Zusi (concussion) are also listed as out. Roger Espinoza (left adductor strain), Paulo Nagamura (lower back strain) and Bernaro Anor (right hamstring strain) are listed as questionable.

• Wednesday will be the 100th game played at Sporting Park, which includes six MLS postseason games, 10 U.S. Open Cup matches, five CONCACAF Champions League games and five friendlies. Sporting Park opened in Jun. 2011.

Next for the Revolution: Home vs. DC United on Saturday at 7:30pm.

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