Starting XI: The Boys are Back

Starting XI, presented by Ford, 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.

Major League Soccer’s two-week hiatus for the CONCACAF Gold Cup is done and dusted. This Saturday marks the resumption of the regular season campaign for Western Conference leaders Sporting Kansas City (8-4-8, 32 points), who travel to face rivals Real Salt Lake (6-12-2, 20 points) for a 9 p.m. CT kickoff at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. The match will air on FOX Sports Kansas City Plus and FOX Sports Midwest Plus, and will also be joined in progress on FOX Sports Kansas City’s main channel following Kansas City Royals baseball coverage. Sporting KC defeated RSL in the first meeting between the clubs on April 29, running away with a comfortable 3-0 victory amidst rainy conditions.

All supporters are welcome to attend the official watch party for Saturday's match at No Other Pub in the Kansas City Power & Light District (1370 Grand Blvd.). Beginning at 8:30 p.m., No Other Pub will offer $5 Boulevard drafts as well as an all-you-can-eat buffet with bottomless domestic beer and soda.

2. Should I Stay or Should I Go

Three Sporting Kansas City players have represented the United States over the past two weeks at the CONCACAF Gold Cup. However, only two of them will remain with the U.S. Men’s National Team as head coach Bruce Arena made six changes to the squad on Sunday. Sporting KC forward Dom Dwyer is one of six players returning to his club, while defenders Matt Besler and Graham Zusi — who assisted the Americans’ all-important third goal in a 3-0 win over Nicaragua on Saturday — will remain with the MNT through the knockout stages.

The U.S. MNT will take the field Wednesday against El Salvador in the Gold Cup Quarterfinals, slated for 8 p.m. CT at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. The match will air live on FS1, UniMas and UDN with a spot in Saturday's semifinals on the line. Dwyer, who scored twice in three recent international appearances, has returned to Kansas City and will be available for Saturday's regular season match at Real Salt Lake.

3. Bring It Home

Sporting Kansas City will host the San Jose Earthquakes in the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup semifinals, U.S. Soccer announced on Friday. The highly anticipated match at Children’s Mercy Park will take place on Aug. 9 at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets for the semifinal showdown will be included in Sporting KC Season Ticket Member packages as Game C, and single-game tickets for the showdown will go on sale Tuesday at 10 a.m. CT via SeatGeek.com.

U.S. Soccer held an official draw on Friday to determine hosting priorities for both semifinal matchups as well as the tournament Final. Should Sporting Kansas City defeat San Jose, the club will also host the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final, currently scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 20. In the other semifinal pairing, either Miami FC (NASL) or FC Cincinnati (USL) will host the New York Red Bulls. The quarterfinal contest between Miami FC and FC Cincinnati was slated for Wednesday, but dangerous weather in South Florida postponed the match. The makeup date for that game is Aug. 2 at Riccardo Silva Stadium in Miami.

4. Scenes From a Dream

Last Tuesday’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup victory over FC Dallas won’t soon be forgotten among Sporting Kansas City players, coaches and supporters. Now fans can relive the epic encounter by visiting this photo gallery and watching the latest edition of Behind the Shield, which encapsulates all of the emotion and drama packed into the evening—from Neal Patterson’s commemoration, to the early red card, to Ike Opara’s injury, and finally to the late barrage of goals that sent Children’s Mercy Park into a frenzy.

In addition to checking out Behind the Shield, supporters can catch the newest episode of Sporting Stories, which offers a gripping look back at Peter Vermes’ experience with the U.S. Men’s National Team at the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy.

5. All They Do Is Win

The Swope Park Rangers defeated Portland Timbers 2 by a 1-0 scoreline on Sunday at Providence Park in Portland, extending their club-record winning streak to six straight regular season matches. Kharlton Belmar came off the bench to score the winning goal for the second consecutive game, this time heading home off a cross from Nansel Selbol in the 61st minute to push the Rangers’ unbeaten run to a team-record nine USL matches. The result also gave goalkeeper Adrian Zendejas his fourth straight clean sheet as SPR’s gaudy shutout streak reached 381 minutes.

SPR wraps up a three-game tour of the Pacific Northwest with a visit to Seattle Sounders FC 2 on Thursday. Kickoff is set for 9:30 p.m. CT at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Washington. The match will stream live on SportingKC.com with in-game updates available through the club’s Twitter, Facebook and Instagram channels.

6. Pitch Black

Sporting Kansas City will host the club’s Pitch Black awards show on Friday, Oct. 13 at Children’s Mercy Park. Pitch Black, presented by Jaguar and Land Rover of Merriam and Aristocrat Motors, welcomes supporters of all ages to join Sporting Kansas City players and coaches for an evening of drinks, dining, live entertainment and award presentations on the pitch.

Tables of 10 for Sporting Kansas City’s premier annual event are available online at VictoryKC.org/PitchBlack. All proceeds will benefit The Victory Project, Sporting KC’s philanthropic arm that unites players, coaches, staff and fans to help children fighting cancer and other serious illnesses. For every table purchased, The Victory Project will invite one couple from that party for free. All ticket holders are encouraged to wear cocktail attire with a Sporting twist.

7. Fab Four

Four Sporting Kansas City Academy players received U.S. Soccer Development Academy Best XI honors on Thursday during an end-of-year awards ceremony held in Carson, California.Midfielder Cameron Duke and forward Gianluca Busio landed Central Conference Best XI recognition at the U-15/16 level, while goalkeeper Steve Tekesky and midfielder Wan Kuzain Wan Kamal were Best XI selections in the U-17/18 age group.

8. Kansas City Kings

Sporting Kansas City will host the next King of the Court futsal tournament on Saturday at Wyandotte High School in Kansas City, Kansas (2501 Minnesota Ave.). The interactive event features 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 is free for all teams at SportingKC.com/kingofthecourt.

9. Knockouts Near

The CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals are set in stone, with the U.S. MNT joining seven other countries in the knockout stages. Wednesday’s doubleheader in Philadelphia begins when Costa Rica and Panama meet in arguably the best quarterfinal pairing of the tournament, kicking off at 5 p.m. CT. Three hours later, the U.S. will have home field advantage against an El Salvador side that took four points from three group stage matches.

Thursday’s doubleheader will unfold at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, beginning at 6:30 p.m. CT when Canada and 2015 finalist Jamaica lock horns. A pro-Mexico crowd will then cheer on El Tri against Honduras at 9:30 p.m. CT. All four quarterfinal matches will be televised live on FS1.

10. Making the Grade

With the 2017 MLS season a little more than halfway complete, MLSsoccer.com’s Matt Doyle handed out midterm grades to all 22 clubs. Sporting KC has certainly impressed, and as Doyle puts it: “They built the best defense in the league – again – and have, in Tim Melia, the current favorite for Goalkeeper of the Year. Ilie has been overshadowed by some other, starrier, imports, but he's been essential at defensive midfield. Gerso and Latif Blessing have both had their moments on the wings, as has Daniel Salloi. Graham Zusi has adjusted well to right back.”

11. For the Sake of Sausage

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.

Games to Watch (July 18-20)