Starting XI: Covet the Cup

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.

A monumental showdown awaits on Wednesday when Sporting Kansas City hosts the San Jose Earthquakes in the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup semifinals at Children’s Mercy Park. Sporting KC is seeking the club’s fourth U.S. Open Cup championship, having previously hoisted the title in 2004, 2012 and 2015. None of the other three teams remaining in the 2017 tournament — San Jose, the New York Red Bulls or FC Cincinnati — have ever won the Open Cup. 

Tickets for Wednesday's contest are available at SeatGeek.com while supplies last. Should Manager Peter Vermes' men advanced past San Jose, the team would also host the 2017 final on Sept. 20. The 2017 U.S. Open Cup winner will receive $250,000 in prize money and a berth in the 2019 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League, the premier club competition in North America. Sporting KC is currently in the midst of a 12-game unbeaten run across all competitions, one shy of tying the all-time club record set in 2012.

2. More Bitter Than Sweet

Sporting Kansas City went three points clear atop the Western Conference standings with a 1-1 draw against Atlanta United FC on Sunday at Children’s Mercy Park. Benny Feilhaber came off the bench and buried a 59th-minute penalty kick to give Sporting Kansas City the advantage, but fellow substitute Jacob Peterson denied his former club a victory by scoring in second-half stoppage time as Atlanta rescued an unlikely point.

Despite his team extending its home unbeaten run to 21 straight regular season matches, Vermes attested that Sunday's draw felt far more bitter than sweet. The narrative wasn't completely void of positives, however, as Feilhaber accomplished a rare feat only one other Sporting KC player has managed this decade.

3. Stalemate in St. Louis

The Swope Park Rangers dueled in-state rivals Saint Louis FC to a scoreless stalemate on Saturday night at Toyota Stadium in Fenton, Missouri. SPR goalkeeper Darrin MacLeod marked his USL debut with a second-half penalty kick save to help the Rangers (12-5-3, 39 points) emerge with a point at the expense of Saint Louis FC (6-8-5, 23 points).

SPR forward Nansel Selbol, who started in Saturday’s draw, won the USL Fan’s Choice Goal of the Month for the second straight time this afternoon. The Sporting KC Academy product secured the monthly honor for his brilliant strike in SPR’s 2-0 road victory over Seattle Sounders FC 2 on July 20. Selbol also won the June edition of the contest with a well-taken goal against LA Galaxy II on June 30.

4. Stay True to Truman

The Swope Park Rangers are teaming up with the Truman Library Institute for a free day of family fun this weekend. Swope Park Rangers Day at the Truman Library will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT Saturday at the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum in Independence, Missouri (500 W US Hwy 24). Free festivities on the museum lawn will include a futsal field, a bounce house, face painting and yard games for all ages, as well as appearances from an SPR player and mascot Hat Trick Harry.

The same theme will carry into Saturday evening during Truman Night at the Swope Park Rangers game. SPR hosts Orange County Blues SC at 7:30 p.m. CT at Children’s Mercy Victory Field inside Swope Soccer Village, and the first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a free Harry and Bess Truman Bobblehead. Match tickets are $20 — or just $14 for Truman Library Institute Members — by clicking here and using the “17Truman” access code.

5. Summer Camp

Sporting Kansas City Academy defender Jaylin Lindsey has joined the U.S. U-20 Men's National Team for the second time in a two-week span, venturing to the Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon for a training camp that runs through Sunday. U.S. U-20 head coach John Hackworth has assembled a 24-man squad for a camp that will include two friendlies against Chile, runners-up at the South American U-17 Championship earlier this year.

Lindsey, 17, joins the U.S. U-17s for the second of four training camps that will take place prior to the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup. He is one of 20 players returning from the USA’s nine-day training camp at Atlanta United FC in July. This squad is nearing the end of its two-year cycle and will move up to the U-19 age group after the U-17 World Cup, which will take place from Oct. 6-28.

6. Terrific Twosome

Sporting KC Academy midfielder Gianluca Busio and defender Mitch Eise have been named to the U.S. U-15 Boys’ National Team for competition in the 2017 CONCACAF U-15 Championship, running from Aug. 13-19 at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. The competition marks the second U-15 confederation championship and the first time that the U.S. will participate.

Busio and Eise both featured for the Sporting KC Academy U-16s last season and were key contributors for a team that advanced to the U.S. Soccer Development Academy quarterfinals.

7. Logjam

Following another unpredictable round of results in Week 22, just six points separate first place from seventh in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference standings. Even more crazy? The Houston Dynamo, FC Dallas, Seattle Sounders FC and Portland Timbers are all tied for second on 34 points, three behind leaders Sporting Kansas City.

MLSsoccer.com’s Matt Doyle gave his take on the action-packed weekend, which included a five-goal thriller in the Hudson River Derby, another lopsided loss for FC Dallas, and an entertaining battle between Portland and LA Galaxy that saw the use of newly instituted Video Review in overturning a goal. Elsewhere, the San Jose Earthquakes — Sporting KC’s opponent in Wednesday’s Open Cup semifinal — got the job done again in a 2-1 win over Columbus.

8. Video Review Debut

After several months of anticipation and speculation, Major League Soccer was finally treated to the application of Video Review in regular season matches. MLSsoccer.com’s Steve Brisendine and Charles Boehm give a comprehensive review of the first weekend involving Video Review, revisiting every play that saw the VAR called into action. The topic was examined even further in the latest episode of This Week in MLS, as hosts Calen Carr and Susannah welcomed Howard Webb to discuss the implementation of Video Review.

9. Neymar Makes His Move

After weeks of rampant speculation, the world record-shattering transfer of Neymar from FC Barcelona to French juggernaut Paris-St. Germain finally came to fruition last week. The 25-year-old Brazilian swapped superclubs for an eye-watering $261 million, more than double the previous world record that saw Paul Pogba join Manchester United last summer. Neymar’s move was reportedly spurred by the forward’s ambition to step out of Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi’s shadow and forge his own dynasty at PSG. Several entities across the sport have questioned how PSG could possibly afford such a move given current Financial Fair Play mandates, but it hasn’t stopped people from theorizing what it would take.

10. Now It’s Barca’s Move

A week after selling Neymar to PSG, Barcelona is armed and loaded with plenty of cash to splash in the transfer market. The Spanish giants have been linked with Liverpool playmaker Philippe Coutinho for several weeks, and now news has emerged from Sky Sports stating that the Brazilian wants to join the club. Yet Liverpool are adamant that their star player is not for sale, having signed him to a new five-year contract in January.

11. Get ‘Em While You Can

Single-game tickets for all Sporting Kansas City regular season home matches in 2017 are on sale to the general public at SeatGeek.com, the club’s official ticketing provider that allows supporters to buy, share and sell tickets easier than ever before. Away ticket requests are also open for the following road matches: Houston Dynamo (Aug. 26), New York City FC (Sept. 6) and Columbus Crew SC (Sept. 10). Visit SportingKC.com/awaytickets for easy navigation, and call 888-4KC-GOAL for more ticket information. Sporting KC is currently in the midst of a 99-game home sellout streak in MLS dating back to April 2012.

Games to Watch (Aug. 8-10)