1. Young'uns earn first MLS starts
Two homegrown youngsters, Wan Kuzain Wan Kamal and Jaylin Lindsay, made their first career MLS starts for Sporting KC on Saturday night in Portland at Providence Park. Kuzain became the sixth-youngest player to start in a regular season match for Sporting KC, and Lindsey became the second-youngest player to start for the club. The two played all 90 minutes versus Portland, keeping the Timbers off the scoresheet at home for the fifth time in Sporting KC's last six visits to Providence Park.
2. Besler breaks the record
Captain Matt Besler, a hometown hero of Sporting KC since 2009, made history against Portland on Saturday, becoming the all-time leader in regular-season appearances for the club at 241. Besler already holds an impressive list of accomplishments: two-time MLS best XI, five-time MLS All-Star, World Cup veteran, three-time Open Cup champion, 2013 MLS Cup champion and now, Sporting KC’s leader in regular season appearances.
Sporting KC held the Timbers to a 0-0 tie on Saturday night, marking the first time that Portland has failed to score since April 2017. Providence Park has been hailed a fortress in MLS circles, as the Timbers have won nearly 70 percent of their regular season matches at home since 2014. Sporting KC has always posed a challenge for Portland, shutting them out in five of the last six meetings at Providence Park. The Timbers have only averaged 0.5 goals per game against Sporting KC in those six games, compared to more than two goals per regular season home game against other MLS opponents.
4. Onto the Open Cup
After defeating Real Salt Lake 2-0 in the fourth round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup last Wednesday, Sporting KC heads back home to host FC Dallas this Saturday, June 16. The U.S Open Cup Round of 16 clash will kick off at 8 p.m. CT as Sporting KC and FC Dallas battle for a spot in the quarterfinals. Tickets for the showdown at Children’s Mercy Park are included in Sporting KC Season Ticket Member packages as Game A. Single-game tickets are still available on SeatGeek.com.
Sporting KC will stay at home after hosting FC Dallas on Saturday to welcome the Houston Dynamo on June 23. Looking to stay at the top of the table in the Western Conference, Sporting KC will have to continue their offensive success against a team without defender Adolfo Machado, who will be representing Panama in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. The match will kickoff at 7:30 p.m. CT at Children’s Mercy Park. Single-game tickets for the match can be purchased here.
6. Rangers grab big road win
The Swope Park Rangers brought home three points after a big 1-0 road win against the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC at Weidner Field on Saturday night. Hadji Barry’s 40th-minute strike would lead the Rangers to a victory. Sporting KC Academy product Roman Knox notably made his first professional start for the Rangers as a central midfielder. Knox was one of five Sporting KC Academy products to play for SPR on Saturday.
7. SPR Father’s Day Cup
The Swope Park Rangers will take on the Real Monarchs this Wednesday, June 13, at 7:30 p.m. CT at Children’s Mercy Park in conjunction with the Father’s Day Cup. Fans are welcome to join an early Father's Day celebration while ringing in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which kicks off the next day. A $25 soccer scarf package is still available, which includes one general admission ticket and an exclusive SPR scarf. Tickets for the Father’s Day Cup showdown can be purchased at SeatGeek.com.
8. No other place for the World Cup
Thirty-two teams. Thirty-two days. From the opening match on Thursday to the final on July 15, No Other Pub in the Kansas City Power and Light District downtown will be Sporting KC’s World Cup headquarters throughout the 2018 FIFA World Cup this summer. No Other Pub will open early at 9 a.m. on World Cup matchdays to show 54 of the 64 matches live from Russia on the venue’s 10 foot by 15 foot video wall and surrounding HDTV screens with broadcast audio playing on the sound system from kick off to final whistle. Food and drink specials will be available during each day’s World Cup watch party and attendees can enter to win giveaways including Sporting KC tickets.
9. MLS All-Star Game voting continues
Voting for the 2018 MLS All-Star game can now only be done exclusively through MLSsoccer.com. Fans can vote for 10 players: a goalkeeper, three defenders, four midfielders and two forwards. Sporting KC has eight players eligible for the match against Juventus on Aug. 1 in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium:
- Goalkeeper: Tim Melia
- Defenders: Matt Besler, Ike Opara and Graham Zusi
- Midfielders: Roger Espinoza and Ilie Sanchez
- Forwards: Johnny Russell and Daniel Salloi
MLS All-Star head coach, Gerardo “Tata” Martino will select the matchday roster from the pool of eligible players, consisting of the All-Star Fan XI, two MLS Commissioner picks and players on the official All-Star Fan XI ballot. All voting ends at 11:55 p.m. PT on June 20.
10. Fill out your 2018 Ultimate Cup bracket
Do you think you know the team who will lift the 2018 FIFA World Cup trophy? Now you can prove it with the 2018 Ultimate Cup Bracket, which is live on MLSsoccer.com. All 23 MLS clubs have their own leagues, which participants are automatically entered into by selecting a favorite team. Each club league winner will receive a JLab Audio Block Party Wireless Multi-room Bluetooth Speaker at a value of $150.
11. USA stuns World Cup-bound France with draw
A very young United States Men’s National Team finished a three-game stretch of friendlies with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against World Cup contenders France on Saturday. Julian Green seized upon an error in the back and scored an opportunistic strike just before halftime to give the Americans the lead in Lyon. However, France would strike back when Kylian Mbappe leveled the score at 1-1 in the 78th minute. Columbus Crew goalkeeper Zack Steffen made his case for future No. 1 for the U.S. with seven saves, with one crucial save coming in the final seconds to keep the score level.
