Sporting KC Weekly Schedule: July 10-16, 2017

Sporting Kansas City (8-4-8, 32 points) sits atop the Western Conference standings as Major League Soccer enters a two-week break for the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Manager Peter Vermes' men now shift their attention toward Tuesday's all-important matchup with FC Dallas in the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals. Kickoff at Children's Mercy Park is set for 7:30 p.m. CT with tickets available on SeatGeek.com. The match will also stream live on SportingKC.com with live radio broadcasts on ESPN 99.3 FM (English) and La Grande 1340 AM (Spanish).

Tuesday's Open Cup battle features the top two teams in the Western Conference, with FC Dallas lurking a point behind Sporting KC. In each of the previous two Open Cup meetings between the clubs in 2004 and 2015, Sporting KC claimed victory en route to winning the tournament championship. The quarterfinal clash also pits the winners of the last two Open Cups, as Sporting KC hoisted the trophy in 2015 before FC Dallas lifted its second title last year.

Following their game against FC Dallas, Sporting KC players will have five days off before returning to training next Monday, July 17, at Swope Soccer Village.

Sporting Kansas City trio Matt Besler, Dom Dwyer and Graham Zusi have joined the U.S. Men's National Team for the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup, the continental championship involving national teams from North and Central America and the Caribbean. All three players started in Saturday's 1-1 draw against Panama to open Group B, with Dwyer scoring his second goal in as many appearances for the Americans. The U.S. will round out Group B action this week, first facing Martinique at 8 p.m. CT Wednesday at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida (FS1, UniMas, UDN). Head coach Bruce Arena's side will then meet Nicaragua at 6 p.m. CT Saturday at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio (FOX, Univision, UDN).

The Swope Park Rangers (9-4-2, 29 points) pushed their unbeaten streak to seven USL matches, including four consecutive victories, with a 4-0 triumph over Rio Grande Valley FC on Saturday at Swope Soccer Village. Currently occupying third place in the Western Conference table, the Rangers will now embark on a three-game road trip in the Pacific Northwest, facing Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2, Portland Timbers 2 and Seattle Sounders FC 2 during a nine-day span. This week, SPR will battle Whitecaps FC 2 at 2 p.m. CT Wednesday at McLeod Athletic Park in Langley, British Columbia before meeting Timbers 2 at 4 p.m. CT Sunday at Providence Park in Portland. Both matches will stream live on SportingKC.com.

Sporting Kansas City will host two King of the Court futsal tournaments on Saturday, with one taking place at Highland Park in Kansas City, Kansas (4700 Shawnee Dr.) and another kicking off at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Overland Park, Kansas (11411 Pflumm Rd.). Both tournaments will be held separately, featuring 4-v-4 matches for players ages 8 and up as well as a block party complete with music, yard games, skills challenges, bounce houses and Sporting KC player appearances and autograph sessions. Tournament registration at each location is free for all teams at SportingKC.com/kingofthecourt.

Sporting KC fans can cast their votes for the Klement’s Sporting Sausage creation that will be sold in Children’s Mercy Park from Aug. 6 through the end of the season. Each entry will receive a Klement’s coupon in the mail prior to the contest’s conclusion. A grand prize will include a year supply of Klement’s products, a $50 Price Chopper gift card, two match tickets to a Sporting Kansas City match, a team-signed soccer ball and the opportunity to watch warm-ups from the field level at Children’s Mercy Park. Visit SportingKC.com/Klements for more information and to vote.

Single-game tickets for all Sporting Kansas City home matches in 2017 are on sale to the general public at SeatGeek.com, the club’s official ticketing provider that allows supporters to buy, share and sell tickets easier than ever before. In addition, away ticket requests are now open for Sporting KC's road matches at Seattle Sounders FC on Aug. 12 and at Houston Dynamo on Aug. 26. Visit SportingKC.com/awaytickets for easy navigation, and call 888-4KC-GOAL for more ticketing information.

For news, photos and instant updates throughout the 2017 season, follow Sporting KC on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat (sportingkc), and download the club’s official mobile app Sporting KC Uphoria on the App Store or Google Play.