Starting XI: Colorado Crushed

Starting XI 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 Kansas City extended its unbeaten start to 2017 with a comprehensive 3-1 win over the Colorado Rapids on Sunday at sold-out Children’s Mercy Park. Veteran Seth Sinovic scored his first career regular season goal in the sixth minute before Gerso and Dom Dwyer added second-half strikes of their own in a wire-to-wire performance. An efficient offensive display, sparked by Sinovic of all people, helped Sporting KC extend its home unbeaten streak to 12 regular season matches, tying the all-time club record. The result vaults Sporting KC to fourth place in the West ahead of this weekend’s colossal encounter with the first-place Portland Timbers.

2. Fearsome Foursome

Sunday’s victory had no shortage of standouts, as four Sporting KC players landed MLS Team of the Week recognition on Monday. Defender Ike Opara and midfielder Roger Espinoza were included in the MLSsoccer.com Team of the Week, while defender Seth Sinovic and striker Dom Dwyer – both goal scorers – received the honor from Goal.com.

3. Gerso Fine You Blow My Mind

The acrobatic outlet pass from Gerso. The trickery at midfield from Dom Dwyer. The patience and vision from Roger Espinoza. And the exquisite finish from Gerso, whose lung-busting run from one end of the pitch to the other was rewarded with his maiden MLS goal. The flowing move — Sporting KC’s second goal in Sunday’s 3-1 win — is nominated for MLS Goal of the Week, and fans can click here to vote.

4. PDX is Next

With a commanding win over Colorado in their back pocket, manager Peter Vermes' men will now hit the road for a marquee Western Conference matchup against the first-place Portland Timbers (4-1-1, 13 points) at 9:30 p.m. CT Saturday. FOX Sports Kansas City Plus will broadcast three hours of live coverage from Providence Park beginning at 9 p.m., while listeners can follow the action live on ESPN 99.3 FM (English) and La Grande 1340 AM (Spanish). Mobile users can also watch a live stream via FOX Sports GO and receive live updates on the Sporting KC Uphoria app. Click here for broadcast listings.

5. Party at NOP

All supporters are welcome to the official watch party for Saturday's match at No Other Pub in the Kansas City Power & Light District. A variety of watch party specials will be available beginning at 9 p.m. CT, including 16-oz. Corona cans for $5 and a food buffet consisting of wings, cheese curds, pretzels and a nacho bar.

6. Radio Hits

A new episode of the Sporting KC Show will air at 7 p.m. CT Tuesday on Sports Radio 810 WHB with hosts Nate Bukaty, Carter Augustine and Jillian Carroll. The trio will have no shortage of topics to discuss, with a Week 6 recap and a preview of Sporting KC vs. Portland prominently on tap. In addition, The Final Whistle: Sporting KC Postgame Show will air at 11:30 p.m. CT Saturday on 810 WHB, immediately following the contest at Providence Park.

7. Rangers Return

The Swope Park Rangers (2-0-0, 6 points) host Sacramento Republic FC (3-0-0, 9 points) on Saturday in a battle of still-perfect USL teams in the Western Conference. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT at Children’s Mercy Victory Field in Swope Soccer Village, and tickets can be purchased on SeatGeek.com or at the stadium box office on game day. The match will also stream live on SportingKC.com as the Rangers — defending USL Western Conference champions — face a Sacramento side that topped the West in the final 2016 regular season standings.

8. Eyes on 2026

One of the world’s grandest and most celebrated sporting events could be coming to North America. The United States, Canada and Mexico on Monday announced their intention to submit a unified bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup. FOX Soccer analyst Alexi Lalas offered his five hopes for a North American World Cup, and ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle provided additional timeline details for the event — which U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati said has full support from U.S. President Donald Trump.

9. Week 6 Rewind

There were 26 goals scored in Week 6 of the 2017 MLS campaign, and ESPN FC brings us all of them in 90 seconds. MLSsoccer.com recapped a busy weekend with Charles Boehm’s rapid-fire rundown and an analytical take from Matt Doyle, but also took to the camera with Susannah Collins and Calen Carr for another episode of This Week in MLS. Most notably, the Portland Timbers and FC Dallas — Sporting KC’s next two opponents on the road— both stayed hot with wins over the Philadelphia Union and Minnesota United FC, respectively. The next few weeks will be tricky, to be sure.

10. Heavyweights Collide

Four mouthwatering fixtures are on tap across Tuesday and Wednesday as the 2016-17 UEFA Champions League enters the quarterfinal stage. Tuesday’s set will see Juventus host Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund host Monaco, while Wednesday presents Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid vs. Leicester City. ESPN FC’s Herculez Gomez and Sebastian Salazar had their say on which clubs would triumph and progress to the semifinals.

11. Your Uphoria Fix

Sporting KC Uphoria users can kick off their week by taking advantage of two exclusive, limited-time offers. Fans can receive a free appetizer today at No Other Pub with any $20 purchase, while Kansas City-area Price Chopper customers can redeem a free box of BelVita breakfast bars through Tuesday night at midnight. Sporting KC Uphoria can be downloaded for free on the App Store or Google Play, featuring the latest breaking news, live stats, SeatGeek mobile ticketing, MySKC Cam and more.

Games to Watch (April 11-13)