Starting XI: Call of Duty

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.

Boasting a club-record 15-game home unbeaten streak in the MLS regular season, Western Conference leaders Sporting Kansas City (6-4-4, 22 points) returns to Children's Mercy Park on Saturday to host expansion side Minnesota United FC (4-7-2, 14 points) at 4 p.m. CT before a national television audience on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. Tickets for the match are available at SeatGeek.com, and the first 10,000 fans through the stadium gates will receive free Sporting KC sunglasses courtesy of Mark One Electric.

Minnesota won the inaugural MLS meeting between the sides by a 2-0 scoreline on May 7 in Minneapolis, but now the Loons are tasked with visiting a Sporting Kansas City side that hasn't lost a league match at Children's Mercy Park since May 2016. Manager Peter Vermes' men have recorded 12 wins and three draws in their previous 15 MLS home games and own the longest active home unbeaten run in the league.

2. Call of Duty

Sporting Kansas City defenders Matt Besler and Graham Zusi joined the U.S. Men’s National Team on Sunday for a training camp ahead of two all-important World Cup qualifying matches. Besler and Zusi link up with the 27-man squad in Denver as head coach Bruce Arena’s side continues its Hexagonal campaign on Thursday, June 8 versus Trinidad and Tobago at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado. Kickoff is set for 6:50 p.m. CT on FS1, UniMas and UDN. Three days later, the U.S. will visit Estadio Azteca in Mexico City to battle archrivals Mexico at 7:30 p.m. CT on FS1, Univision and UDN.

In preparation for the pivotal World Cup qualifiers, the U.S. will host Venezuela in a friendly this Saturday, June 3, at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah (9 p.m. CT, FS1, Univision).

3. Sports Trivia Night

Sports fans will have the opportunity to test their trivia knowledge against Sporting KC players on Wednesday when No Other Pub hosts Sports Trivia Night benefiting The Victory Project. Teams of 2-4 players will go head-to-head with Sporting KC players and compete for a variety of prizes — including Sporting KC fieldside tickets, autographed merchandise and gift cards — and Steven St. John of Sports Radio 810 WHB will emcee the event. Entry is $50 per team with all proceeds going to The Victory Project, the philanthropic arm of Sporting KC that unites players, coaches, staff and fans to help children battling cancer. Sign-up is open now at SportingKC.com/trivia.

4. Top of the Group

Sporting Kansas City defender Erik Palmer-Brown and the U.S. U-20 Men’s National Team finished atop Group F of the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup with a 1-1 draw against Saudi Arabia on Sunday in Daejeon, Korea Republic. Brooks Lennon fired the U.S. ahead in the 40th minute before Saudi Arabia drew level in the 74th minute, producing a result that vaulted both teams into the knockout stages of the competition. Palmer-Brown and the U.S. U-20 MNT will now turn their attention to Thursday’s Round of 16 clash against New Zealand at Incheon Football Stadium in Incheon, set for 6 a.m. CT on FS1 and Telemundo.

5. Colorado Consternation

First-place Sporting Kansas City slipped to a frustrating 1-0 defeat to the Colorado Rapids (3-8-1, 10 points) on Saturday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Colorado's Kortne Ford bagged the decisive goal in the 11th minute, giving the hosts all three points despite Sporting Kansas City’s unprecedented domination in possession and shot attempts. The visitors enjoyed 73 percent possession and held a 25-6 edge in shots, including an MLS-record 20 attempts from outside the box during the Opta era (2010-present), but ultimately suffered their fourth defeat in as many visits to Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

6. Sitting Pretty

The Sporting Kanas City Academy U-18s all but secured a spot in the 2016-17 U.S. Soccer Development Academy Playoffs on Saturday with a 1-0 victory over the Dallas Texans on the campus of the University of Tulsa. Sebastian Cruz fired home the game-winner in the 21st minute to give head coach Jon Parry's men their first league triumph since March 25 and strengthen Sporting KC's likelihood of landing a postseason berth.

Saturday's doubleheader in Tulsa concluded with a 1-1 draw between the Sporting KC U-16s and Dallas Texans U-16s. With a playoff berth already secured, Josh Gardner's team went ahead in the 14th minute through Abdu Kikhia, but the Texans equalized on 69 minutes.

7. Still at the Summit

Despite a 1-0 setback in Colorado, Sporting Kansas City remained atop the Western Conference thanks to a variety of other results falling their way in the Western Conference. FC Dallas and the Houston Dynamo played to a scoreless Texas Derby, while the LA Galaxy won a 4-2 thriller over the San Jose Earthquakes. MLSsoccer.com analyst Matt Doyle broke down all the Memorial Day Weekend action, while Charles Boehm served up a detailed recap from coast to coast — including impressive performances from the top two teams in the East, Toronto FC and Chicago Fire. Elsewhere, FOX Sports’ Caitlin Murray shared her nine takeaways from a busy Week 13.

8. MLS Reps

Matt Besler and Graham Zusi are two of 15 MLS players selected to the U.S. Men’s National Team’s 27-player roster ahead of World Cup Qualifers against Trinidad and Tobago and Mexico. Sporting KC is one of four MLS clubs — alongside Toronto FC, Seattle Sounders FC and FC Dallas — to have two players included in the squad. Brian Straus gave his position-by-position breakdown of Bruce Arena’s roster on SI.com.

9. Cup Conquerors

A weekend full of domestic cup finals across Europe saw several clubs lift trophies to close out the 2016-17 campaign. Arsenal denied Premier League champion Chelsea a double with a 2-1 win in the FA Cup Final, Christian Pulisic and Borussia Dortmund defeated Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 to lift the DFB Pokal, Lionel Messi starred in Barcelona’s 3-1 Copa del Rey triumph over Alaves, Paris-St. Germain won a third straight Coupe de France, and Celtic completed a historic treble in Scotland by ousting Aberdeen 2-1 to finish the entire domestic season unbeaten.

10. Hail to Huddersfield

Huddersfield Town earned promotion to the English Premier League for the first time in club history after a 4-3 penalty shootout win over Reading following a 0-0 draw on Monday at Wembley Stadium in London. It also means that next season Huddersfield will compete in the top division of England for the first time since 1972. The Terriers finished in fifth place in the English Championship and won the subsequent four-team playoff, edging Sheffield Wednesday over two legs before overcoming Reading in the English Championship playoff final.

11. Patio Goals

Sporting Kansas City is teaming up with Westlake Ace Hardware in May for the All-Star Patio Sweepstakes. One entrant will win Sporting KC merchandise, tickets to an upcoming match and a variety of patio essentials. Fans can enter the sweepstakes and learn more at SportingKC.com/westlakepatio.

Games to Watch (May 30 - June 1)