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.
1. Capital Records
Sporting Kansas City (2-3-4, 10 points) ventures to the nation's capital this weekend for a battle with D.C. United (6-3-2, 20 points) on Sunday at Audi Field. The interconference clash will kick off at 6 p.m. CT with live coverage on FS1, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports GO, Sports Radio 810 WHB, SiriusXM FC and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM.
Sunday's showdown gives Sporting the opportunity to bounce back into the win column, having collected just two points from their previous five league matches. D.C. United packs formidable firepower with the likes of Wayne Rooney and Luciano Acosta pulling the strings, but Manager Peter Vermes' men will be eager to shore things up defensively in the final fixture before a three-game homestand at Children's Mercy Park.
Sporting announced Wednesday that the club has acquired midfielder Benny Feilhaber in a trade with the Colorado Rapids. The 34-year-old was added to the Sporting roster ahead of Major League Soccer’s Primary Transfer Window deadline on Tuesday night. Feilhaber previously starred for Sporting from 2013-2017, amassing 33 goals and 56 assists in 180 appearances for the club across all competitions. He helped lead Sporting to the 2013 MLS Cup, Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup titles in 2015 and 2017, and five straight playoff appearances during his first stint in Kansas City.
3. Party at the Pubs
Supporters across the Kansas City region are invited to #DCvSKC watch parties on Sunday at any of the club's official pub partners. Among them is No Other Pub in the Kansas City Power & Light District, serving as the flagship hub for Sporting in the heart of downtown. From 5:30 p.m. CT until the final whistle, No Other Pub will offer $4 Bud Light drafts, $5 Coronas and an all-you-can-eat buffet with bottomless domestic drafts.
4. On Sale Now
Single-game tickets to Sporting’s last nine MLS home matches of 2019, beginning with a star-studded showdown against first-place LAFC on July 3, are now on sale at SportingKC.com/tickets. Supporters have the opportunity to purchase single-game tickets for every remaining regular season match at world-class Children’s Mercy Park as Sporting aims to secure a club-record ninth straight playoff berth.
Sporting KC and The Victory Project will host their sixth annual blood drive from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. CT on June 10-11 at No Other Pub in the Kansas City Power & Light District (1370 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO). Donors wishing to participate in the life-saving blood drive can make an appointment online or by calling 816-753-4040. All individuals who sign up will receive an “I Bleed Sporting Blue” T-shirt, while supplies last. Guests will also have an opportunity to win a variety of raffle prizes, enjoy food and drink inside No Other Pub and take photographs with Sporting mascot Blue.
6. Get to Know Graham
A new episode of The Sporting KC Show Podcast debuted Tuesday night on Sports Radio 810 WHB with hosts Nate Bukaty and Carter Augustine. Sporting center back Graham Smith was among this week's guests, joining the show to discuss his increased role with the first team after spending most of the last 14 months with the Swope Park Rangers in the USL Championship.
7. Young Guns
Sporting midfielder Gianluca Busio and forward Tyler Freeman will continue their Concacaf U-17 Championship campaign this week with the United States U-17 Men's National Team at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. The USA U-17s will begin the knockout rounds tonight, facing Guadeloupe in the Round of 16 at 5 p.m. CT with an English-language live stream on the Concacaf Facebook page and a Spanish-language telecast on Univision Deportes.
The Swope Park Rangers claimed their first victory of the 2019 USL Championship season on Monday with a dramatic 3-2 triumph over reigning USL Cup champions Louisville City FC in a weather-delayed affair at Children’s Mercy Park. The result sees SPR improve to 1-4-2 on the season ahead of Saturday's visit to Nashville SC, slated for 7 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
9. Swope Saturdays
The Sporting KC Academy U-15s, U-17s and U-19s will continue their playoff pushes next Saturday in a U.S. Soccer Development Academy tripleheader against Texans SC Houston at Swope Soccer Village. The U-19s will kick off at 10 a.m. CT, followed by the U-17s at 12:30 p.m. and the U-15s at 3 p.m. All three games are free and open to the public, and fans can follow @SKCAcademy on Twitter for live updates.
10. Midweek Recap
A busy Week 11 slate in MLS kicked off Wednesday with four matches, each of which produced a winner. Upstart Atlanta sank Toronto FC 2-0, Columbus snapped a five-game skid with a 3-1 victory over the LA Galaxy, Chicago thrashed the hapless Revolution 5-0 in a game that led to New England dismissing head coach Brad Friedel, and Montreal emerged with a huge 2-1 road win over the Red Bulls.
Sporting and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City are teaming up throughout 2019 to recognize Blue KC Sporting Samaritans, honoring students and teachers who make the Kansas City community a better place to live, work and play. Once a month, a Samaritan will be recognized on the pitch at Children's Mercy Park before a Sporting KC home game. The Samaritan and a limited number of guests will receive a behind the scenes VIP experience with a wide variety of all-inclusive perks. Supporters can nominate members of their community to be the next Blue KC Sporting Samaritan at SportingKC.com/bluekc.
