Starting XI: All Eyes on Sunday

Starting XI, presented by StorageMart, is a biweekly series on SportingKC.com that highlights 11 of the biggest storylines and news updates from Sporting Kansas City, MLS and soccer around the globe. Click here to visit the Starting XI archive.

Sporting KC (15-8-6, 51 points) closed out the club's slate of cross-conference matches with a 2-0 loss at the Philadelphia Union (14-12-4, 46 points) on Sunday inside rain-soaked Talen Energy Stadium. Jay Simpson and John McCarthy capitalized on their first starts of the season with Simpson bagging a brace and McCarthy recording six saves for the clean sheet.

2. All Eyes on Sunday

Manager Peter Vermes' men will look to bounce back and secure a club-record eighth straight playoff berth with a win over fifth-place Real Salt Lake (13-11-6, 45 points) on Sunday at Children's Mercy Park. The rivalry match will kick off at 4 p.m. CT with national television coverage on FS1 and FOX Deportes and local radio broadcasts on ESPN 94.5 FM / 1510 AM and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM. The Final Whistle postgame show will air immediately afterward on ESPN 94.5 FM / 1510 AM.

A limited number of tickets for the highly anticipated showdown, including Coca-Cola Sunday Family 4-Packs, remain available and can be purchased by calling 888-4KC-GOAL or visiting SeatGeek.com. Sunday will also see Sporting KC host its fourth annual Childhood Cancer Awareness match, highlighted by The Victory Project welcoming more than 70 families the foundation has assisted for a special halftime ceremony and The Victory Project granting a Sporting Wish for a 19-year-old battling cancer since 2015.

3. The Power of Three

With five regular season matches still to play, Sporting KC find themselves in the thick of a tight race for top spot in the West. FC Dallas has a two-point lead at the summit, while third-place LAFC lurk a point behind Sporting KC. Looking ahead to this weekend, supporters will have the opportunity to see Sporting KC clinch a club-record eighth straight playoff berth Sunday when Manager Peter Vermes' men face Real Salt Lake in a nationally televised battle on FS1. Three points against their Utah rivals would guarantee Sporting KC a spot in the Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs. Click here to see Sporting KC’s most recent playoff math.

4. Beat the Lines

SportingStyle has reopened matchday pre-orders for pickup at Sunday's contest between Sporting KC and Real Salt Lake. Fans can shop a limited assortment of items between now and Sunday, including the men’s gray three-quarter sleeve tee, the youth travel jacket and the Kick Childhood Cancer scarf of the match. The SportingStyle Pop-In Store is also 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.

5. Hadji Stays Hot

Red-hot Swope Park Rangers forward Hadji Barry extended his all-time USL record by scoring for the eighth straight game in a 1-1 draw against Tulsa Roughnecks FC on Saturday night at ONEOK Field in Tulsa. Led by head coach Paulo Nagamura, the Rangers (14-10-8, 50 points) currently occupy sixth place in the USL’s Western Conference with two regular season matches remaining. The top eight teams will advance to the USL Cup Playoffs, which commence the weekend of Oct. 19-21. SPR own a seven-point cushion above the playoff line and are on course for their third straight postseason appearance, having advanced to the USL Cup Final as Western Conference champions in 2016 and 2017.

6. Title Bout

Reigning Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup champions Sporting Kansas City will relinquish their tournament title on Wednesday when the Philadelphia Union visit the Houston Dynamo in the 2018 U.S. Open Cup Final at BBVA Compass Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT on ESPN2 as a pair of MLS clubs play for their first Open Cup championship.

7. Magisterial Modric

Real Madrid and Croatia midfielder Luka Modric received FIFA's The Best award as world soccer’s best player in 2018 during a ceremony today in London. Modric’s  selection ends a decade-long hold on world soccer’s top prize, as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi had won every FIFA World Player of the Year award — which was renamed the FIFA Ballon d'Or in 2010 and The Best in 2016 — since 2008. Modric becomes the first Croatian player to win the award after an outstanding year for club and country, having led Real Madrid to the UEFA Champions League title before propelling Croatia to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final.

8. Toyota Tour Hits Lawrence

From 4-6 p.m. CT on Friday, Sporting KC fans of all ages are welcome to attend the next stop of the 2018 Toyota Tour at Crown Toyota in Lawrence, Kansas (3430 Iowa St.). Supporters will have the chance to win a Fan Appreciation Package that includes four tickets to the club's regular season finale vs. LAFC on Oct. 28, a $100 SportingStyle gift card and a signed Sporting KC jersey. Additional ticket giveaways will be conducted for Sporting KC's home match on Oct. 6 against Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the LA Galaxy. Club mascot blue will be in attendance from 5-6 p.m. for photo opportunities, while "No Other Bus" — Sporting KC’s new double-decker bus — will also be on site for visitors to explore.

9. Launch Party

In conjunction with the worldwide release of EA SPORTS FIFA 19, Sporting KC will host a FIFA 19 Tournament from 5-8 p.m. CT Friday at No Other Pub in the Kansas City Power & Light District. The single-elimination tournament, featuring appearances from two Sporting KC players, is open to the first 32 players who sign up by clicking here. The two finalists will both receive a copy of FIFA 19, and the event's champion will win a PlayStation 4 Pro.

10. Footgolf For a Cause

On Saturday, the Kansas City Cauldron supporters group will host its second annual charity footgolf tournament at the Heart of America Golf Course in Swope Park (7501 Blue River Rd., Kansas City, MO) featuring Sporting KC midfielder Ilie Sanchez and Sporting Legend Jimmy Conrad. All proceeds from event registrations and raffle items will benefit The Victory Project in its mission to help children fighting cancer and other serious illnesses. Registration begins at 10 a.m. CT, with the tournament kicking off at 11 a.m.

11. Young Guns

Two Sporting KC Academy clubs earned hard-fought victories on Saturday in a U.S. Soccer Development Academy tripleheader against Real Colorado at sun-drenched Children’s Mercy Victory Field. The Sporting KC U-15s triumphed 5-1 en route to their fourth straight win, while the U-17s used a Jacob Davis goal to prevail 1-0 and collect their first victory of the new campaign.

Games to Watch (Sept. 25-27, 2018)