Sporting KC Weekly Schedule: May 21-27, 2018

Sporting Kansas City (7-2-3, 24 points) opened a four-point lead at the top of the Western Conference with a 1-1 draw at Minnesota United FC on Sunday afternoon. With a two-game road swing in the books, Manager Peter Vermes' men will return to Children's Mercy Park on Sunday to host Columbus Crew SC (7-3-3, 24 points) in a marquee interconference clash at 5 p.m. CT. The match will be televised nationally on FS1 with local radio broadcasts airing on Sports Radio 810 WHB (English) and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM (Spanish). The Final Whistle Postgame Show will air immediately after the match on 810 WHB.

Tickets for Sunday's game are available via SeatGeek.com as Sporting KC celebrates Retro Night, paying homage to its proud roots in a comprehensive throwback experience. An expansive collection of retro merchandise will be on sale at every SportingStyle location in the stadium, and the first 10,000 fans through the stadium gates will receive a retro jersey koozie courtesy of match sponsor Vision Source. As part of the Retro Night celebration, the annual Sporting KC Media Game will take place at halftime in an old school MLS shootout format.

The Swope Park Rangers (4-2-4, 16 points) played Rio Grande Valley FC to a 0-0 draw on Saturday in Edinburg, Texas. Led by head coach Paulo Nagamura, the Rangers will play their first home game in nearly a month when Didier Drogba and Phoenix Rising FC (6-2-3, 21 points) visit Children's Mercy Park for a 4 p.m. CT kickoff on Saturday. Tickets are available at SeatGeek.com and the match will stream live on ESPN+.

SportingStyle has reopened matchday pre-orders for pickup at Sunday's game between Sporting KC and Columbus Crew SC. Fans can shop a limited assortment of items between now and Sunday, including the highly anticipated Retro Collection featuring a rainbow-themed top, shorts, socks and scarf of the match. The SportingStyle Pop in Store is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Budweiser Brew House at Children's Mercy Park. Follow @SportingStyle on Twitter and Instagram for sneak peeks of all the latest club apparel.

A new episode of The Sporting KC Show will air Wednesday at 6 p.m. CT on Sports Radio 810 WHB. Hosts Nate Bukaty and Carter Augustine will recap an exciting weekend of MLS action and look ahead to Sunday's showdown between Sporting KC and Columbus, who are tied for second place in the Supporters' Shield standings.

Defending Open Cup champion Sporting KC will learn its first opponent of the 2018 tournament on Thursday, when U.S. Soccer announces all pairings for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Fourth Round. The official draw will take place at Soccer House in Chicago, with 16 Fourth Round matches set to take place June 5-6.

From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CT on Saturday, Sporting KC fans of all ages are welcome to attend the next stop of the 2018 Toyota Tour at McCarthy Toyota of Sedalia (3110 W Broadway Blvd, Sedalia, MO). Supporters will have photograph opportunities with the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup trophy and club mascot Blue. All in attendance will also have a chance to win a fan appreciation package to Sporting KC's home match on July 7 against defending MLS Cup champion Toronto FC, consisting of four tickets, a $100 SportingStyle gift card and a signed Sporting KC jersey.

Sporting KC forward Khiry Shelton will appear at Neymar Jr.'s Five 5-v-5 soccer tournament on Saturday at Wyandotte Sporting Fields (1500 N. 90th St., Kansas City, KS). The tournament is slated to begin at noon CT featuring teams of five to seven players aged 18-25, with winning teams advancing to the national competition in Miami later this summer.

All soccer fans are welcome to No Other Pub in the Kansas City Power & Light District (1370 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO) on Saturday for a 2018 UEFA Champions League Final watch party. No Other Pub will show the game on its 15-foot cinema screen as Real Madrid and Liverpool lock horns at 1:45 p.m. CT in one of the biggest soccer showcases of the year.

Three Sporting KC Academy teams will return to Swope Soccer Village on Saturday and Sunday for a pair of tripleheaders against the Colorado Rapids. On both days, the Sporting KC U-15s will kick off at 10 a.m. CT, followed by the U-17s at 12:30 p.m. and the U-19s at 3 p.m. All six games will be free and open to the public to attend. Follow the Sporting KC Academy on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat (skcacademy) for updates this weekend and throughout the year.

For news, videos, photos and instant updates throughout the 2018 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.