Starting XI: Domo Arigato, Cristian Lobato

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.

Sporting Kansas City (10-6-11, 41 points) moved within three points of first place in the Western Conference following a 1-1 draw at Columbus Crew SC (13-12-4, 43 points) on Sunday. Cristian Lobato fired the visitors ahead with his first career MLS goal in the 19th minute, but Ola Kamara equalized on the stroke of halftime to salvage a point for Crew SC in a back-and-forth interconference battle. Sporting KC goalkeeper Tim Melia enjoyed another strong outing, making four excellent saves as Columbus was denied victory for the first time in five home matches.

2. Revs Reunion

Manager Peter Vermes' men will now return home to kick off a four-game homestand that begins Saturday at 7:30 p.m. CT against the New England Revolution (10-12-5, 35 points). FOX Sports Kansas City and FOX Sports Midwest will televise three hours of live coverage at Children's Mercy Park beginning at 7 p.m. CT, while local radio calls will air on Sports Radio 810 WHB (English) and La Grande 1340 AM (Spanish). In addition, The Final Whistle postgame show will air immediately after the match on 810 WHB.

Tickets for Saturday's interconference clash are available at SeatGeek.com, and the first 5,000 fans through the stadium gates will receive a free Sporting KC wall decal courtesy of match sponsor US Bank. Sporting Kansas City is currently riding a club-record 22-game home unbeaten streak in the MLS regular season, tied for the fourth longest run in MLS history. The Revolution, meanwhile, boast a trio of former Sporting KC attacking players in Teal Bunbury, Kei Kamara and Krisztian Nemeth.

3. The Countdown Continues

Sporting KC will look to write another glorious chapter in club history on Sept. 20 when the New York Red Bulls visit Children’s Mercy Park for the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final, slated for 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes.

In our 21-day Countdown to Cup, SportingKC.com is highlighting the most relevant storylines, historical narratives and statistical trends surrounding the Open Cup Final, U.S. Soccer’s National Championship. Today’s installment of the daily countdown showcases the formidable center-back partnership between Matt Besler and Ike Opara.

4. Clockwork Orange

The Swope Park Rangers (13-7-6, 45 points) took a 2-1 loss at Orange County SC (8-8-9, 33 points) on Saturday to stay in fourth place in the USL's Western Conference. Kharlton Belmar scored his team-leading 10th goal of the season, but Kevin Oliveira saw a late penalty saved as the Rangers narrowly fell in Souther California.

Head coach Nikola Popovic’s side will look to bounce back this Sunday in a vital 4 p.m. CT showdown with third-place San Antonio FC (13-2-10, 49 points) at Children's Mercy Victory Field. Tickets for the game are on sale at SeatGeek.com or at the Swope Soccer Village box office on matchday, while a live stream will be available on SportingKC.com.

5. Nansel Treble

Swope Park Rangers forward Nansel Selbol made it three-for-three on Monday, winning the USL Fans' Choice Goal of the Month for the third straight time, having previously claimed the award in both June and July. The 20-year-old Sporting KC Academy product earned the August award for his sensational strike in a 2-2 draw with Real Monarchs at Swope Soccer Village on Aug. 18. The Nigerian has five goals and two assists in 21 USL appearances this season.

6. Back to School

The Sporting Kansas City Academy will kick off the 2017-18 U.S. Soccer Development Academy season on Saturday with a tripleheader against FC Dallas at the University of Tulsa. The U-15s will kick off a full day of action at noon CT, followed by the U-17s at 2:30 p.m. and the U-19s and 5 p.m. Follow @SKCAcademy on Twitter and Instagram for updates on Saturday and throughout the Development Academy season.

7. Grand Opening

Atlanta United FC began their tenure at the brand new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in style, thrashing FC Dallas 3-0 on Sunday afternoon before a crowd of 45,314. The fixture was played on the same day Orlando City SC flew to Atlanta following Saturday night’s 2-1 win at D.C. United, as the Lions were unable to return to Orlando due to the dangers of Hurricane Irma. Orlando is scheduled to face Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday, and the intention is for Jason Kreis’ side to return to Orlando before heading back north of the Flordia-Georgia border for the match.

8. Reds Roll

Toronto FC remained in irresistible form on Saturday, trouncing the San Jose Earthquakes 4-0 to extending their Supporters’ Shield lead to nine points while becoming the first club to clinch a spot in the 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs. Jozy Altidore bagged a brace while Victor Vazquez and Jonathan Osorio also got in on the scoring act for a Toronto side that is aiming to make history.

9. Rapid Roundup

The Portland Timbers continued their uptick on Saturday, taking first place in the Western Conference behind a deserved 1-0 win over New York City FC on Saturday at Yankee Stadium. Seattle Sounders FC had the opportunity to supplant Portland at the summit on Sunday evening, but the defending MLS Cup champions were held to a 1-1 home draw against LA Galaxy. Elsewhere, the Colorado Rapids pulled off a shocking upset in Houston — using a 94th-minute goal from Dominique Badji to hand the Dynamo their first home defeat of the season — while Vancouver Whitecaps FC edged Real Salt Lake in a 3-2 thriller at BC Place.

10. Best of the Best

The 2017-18 UEFA Champions League group stage kicks off this week with a mouthwatering slate of games on tap. A rematch of the 2015 final is set for Tuesday when Lionel Messi and Barcelona host Italian giant Juventus on FS2. The following day, U.S. wunderkind Christian Pulisic and Borussia Dortmund travel to historic Wembley Stadium in London for a high-powered showdown with Tottenham.

11. Championship Dreams

All remaining tickets for the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final between Sporting Kansas City and the New York Red Bulls are on sale to the general public at SeatGeek.com. Serving as U.S. Soccer's National Championship, the Open Cup Final is slated for 8 p.m. CT next Wednesday, Sept. 20, at world-class Children's Mercy Park. The highly anticipated showdown will be televised nationally on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes.

Games to Watch (Sept. 12-14)