Ten Things To Know: Sporting Kansas City vs. Colorado Rapids

Friday, October 23, 2020

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Our Rapids play-by-play announcer, Richard Fleming, is renowned for being detailed in his preparation when calling MLS games, and he is offering us a little insight into some of his pregame notes.

Find below some things you may find useful ahead of this weekend’s game at Sporting Kansas City. We have coverage on Altitude and AltitudeNOW from 6.00pm this Saturday.

1. After he conceded nine goals in his first three games, William Yarbrough has given up just three in the last six. He has gone 314 minutes since conceding a goal, which came in the 1-1 home draw with Houston Dynamo on September 9.
2. The Rapids’ record vs. Sporting Kansas City is 24-26-16. They have a 6-20-5 record on the road.
3. Head coach Robin Fraser has a 10-6-4 record from his opening 20 games in charge. That is 34 points, at 1.7 PPG, enough for 57.8 points over a season.
4. Under Fraser, when scoring first, the Rapids are 8-2-2.
5. Having gone seven games without win, the Rapids have since won three out of four. All wins came with clean sheets.
6. Sporting KC have lost just one of the previous five. That 1-0 defeat at FC Dallas on October 14 marked the first time they had been kept off the scoresheet this season. They were the last MLS team to be shutout in 2020.
7. Children’s Mercy Park is one of a handful of MLS venues allowing fans. They are restricted to 14 per cent of capacity, which is a little under 2,600 spectators.
8. Having not played in more than four weeks, the Rapids are playing catch-up with the rest of MLS. They have been forced to postpone seven games since September 23 (includes the rearranged game at home to Sporting KC).
9. The Rapids will be unable to rearrange five of the above games: LAFC (H), LA Galaxy (H), Seattle (A), Real Salt Lake (H), and Sporting KC (H), which means they will play a maximum of 18 games.
10. Reports have circulated that the Western Conference playoff positions will be determined by points-per-game rather than points. If that is confirmed by MLS, then the Rapids would rise from 11th to fourth in the current standings. The top four play a home game in the first round of the playoffs.