Starting XI: Desert Delight

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.

Sporting KC concluded their 2019 preseason, presented by Children’s Mercy, with a 4-1 victory and a 1-1 draw in split-squad matches against the Houston Dynamo at Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona, on Wednesday night. The 4-1 triumph was highlighted by a Krisztian Nemeth brace and additional strikes from Johnny Russell and Felipe Gutierrez.

Sporting will train in Scottsdale for another week before returning to Kansas City ahead of their Concacaf Champions League Round of 16 opener against Deportivo Toluca FC at Children’s Mercy Park next Thursday, Feb. 21.

2. Sporting Stats

Preseason results may not matter all that much at the end of the day, but an age-old saying continues to be applicable for any sports team following a successful preparation period before the start of a new campaign: Winning is a habit.

By and large, that’s precisely what Sporting KC has done over the last month under the warm Arizona sun. Manager Peter Vermes’ side have ended their preseason, presented by Children’s Mercy, with a 5-0-1 record while outscoring opponents 28-4. Click here for the club’s full preseason stat log.

3. Hooray for Yahoo

Concacaf announced today that all 2019 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League matches will stream live in English on the Yahoo Sports app on iOS and Google Play, as well as at YahooSports.com.

In addition, fans will be able to follow all the action through the Confederation’s partner networks, including Univision Deportes (United States), Fox Sports Latin America (Mexico & Central America), Flow Sports (Caribbean) and other local broadcast partners.

4. Catch the Podcast

A fast-paced episode of The Sporting KC Show Podcast dropped Tuesday night on Sports Radio 810 WHB as the club's play-by-play commentator Nate Bukaty was joined by two hosts. Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star was in-studio, while sideline reporter Carter Augustine was stationed at Sporting KC's preseason training camp in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The episode was highlighted by an interview with Spanish defender Andreu Fontas, who reflected on his new family life in Kansas City, his partnership with Matt Besler in central defense, his lofty goals for the 2019 campaign and the task at hand in the Concacaf Champions League.

5. Swope Swagger

The Swope Park Rangers unveiled the club’s new primary and secondary jerseys today ahead of the 2019 USL Championship season. The primary kit features a dark indigo base with orange elements, including the Ivy Investments wordmark and a thin, vertical white stripe running down both sides of the uniform. A dark indigo wordmark and horizontal stripes adorn the predominantly white secondary kit.

Both jerseys will be on sale at every Rangers home match during the 2019 USL Championship season. For the second straight year, SPR will host regular-season games at world-class Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas. Single-game tickets for all 17 home matches are now on sale at SeatGeek.com, while SPR season tickets are also available by calling 888-4KC-GOAL.

6. Rangers Roll

The Swope Park Rangers claimed a 2-1 victory over North Texas SC at Toyota Soccer Center in Frisco, Texas, on Wednesday morning as the side continues its preseason ahead of the 2019 USL Championship season. Jerome Ngom Mbekeli and Enoch Mushagalusa scored early in the second half to complete the compeback after North Texas SC took a fifth-minute lead.

7. Open the Window

Sporting KC’s offseason roster shuffle has yielded six new additions to the club's roster: defenders Botond Barath, Abdul Rwatubyaye and Rodney Wallace, midfielder Kelyn Rowe and forwards Tyler Freeman and Erik Hurtado. It was only on Wednesday, however, that Major League Soccer’s primary transfer window officially began. The early-season window will remain open until closing on Tuesday, May 7.

8. President’s Day

This Monday, Sporting KC is making sure President's Day doesn't go unnoticed. Sporting KC President and CEO Jake Reid will conduct a question and answer session with fans on Twitter at 10 a.m. CT. Supporters can submit their questions by tagging the @SportingKC or @JakeReid33 Twitter handles or by using the hashtag #AskJake.

9. Next Generation

The Sporting KC Academy U-15s and U-17s will venture to Houston this weekend for the resumption of 2019 Generation adidas Cup Qualifying at Houston Sports Park. The U-17s will take the field at 3 p.m. CT on Friday and Saturday, facing the Chicago Fire and Houston Dynamo, respectively, while the U-15s will meet the Chicago Fire at 12:30 p.m. CT on Friday and Minnesota United FC at 10 a.m. CT on Saturday. Follow @SKCAcademy on Twitter for updates throughout the weekend.

10. Futsal Phenoms

While the U-15s and U-17s compete in Houston, the Sporting KC U-12s, U-13s and U-14s will take the courts at multiple indoor soccer facilities across Kansas City for the 2019 U.S. Youth Futsal National Championships. The tournament, taking place Friday through next Monday, Feb. 18, boasts a record 161 teams from across the United States at the boys and girls U-9 through U-19 levels.

11. Cisse Season

The second event of the 2019 eMLS season will take place on Sunday at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Frisco, Texas, starting at 4:30 p.m. CT. Macisse Diop will represent Sporting KC in eMLS League Series Two, featuring some of the top EA SPORTS FIFA players from across the country. Fans can follow the @eSportingKC Twitter account for the latest eMLS news and updates over the course of 2019.

Matches to Watch (Feb. 15-17, 2019)