Starting XI: Fight or Flight

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.
Today's special edition revolves around two narratives: Sporting KC's Knockout Round battle with the Houston Dynamo tonight at 8:30 p.m. CT and the Swope Park Rangers' playoff showdown Saturday at Children's Mercy Park.

Bitter rivals will lock horns for the third time in two weeks when No. 5-seed Sporting KC (12-9-13, 49 points) visits the No. 4-seed Houston Dynamo in the Western Conference Knockout Round of the Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs on Thursday. Live coverage of the single-elimination showdown at BBVA Compass Stadium begins at 8:30 p.m. CT on FOX Sports Kansas City, FOX Sports Midwest, FOX Sports GO and UniMas, while local radio broadcasts will air on Sports Radio 810 WHB (English) and La Grande 1340 AM (Spanish).

Sporting KC and Houston have already dueled twice this month, settling for a scoreless draw on Oct. 15 at Children’s Mercy Park four days after the Dynamo earned a 2-1 comeback victory at BBVA Compass Stadium. The first meeting of 2017 also unfolded in Houston, as Sporting KC used goals from Ike Opara and Gerso to prevail 2-0 in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 before eventually lifting the tournament title on Sept. 20.

2. No Other Party

All Sporting KC fans are welcome to attend the official watch party for Thursday's pivotal playoff match at No Other Pub in the Kansas City Power & Light District (1370 Grand Blvd.). Watch party festivities will begin Thursday at 7 p.m. CT, featuring a variety of raffle giveaways — including an autographed Sporting KC jersey — as well as music from DJ G Train and a Sporting KC player appearance. In addition, No Other Pub will offer an all-you-can-eat buffet with bottomless domestic beer or soda and drink specials from Boulevard, Bud Light, Corona and Till Vodka.

3. Ruled Out

Sporting KC will open the Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs without the services of standout goalkeeper Tim Melia. The team's MVP remains sidelined with a hamstring strain suffered in the 1-1 draw with Minnesota United FC on Oct. 7, meaning Andrew Dykstra will pick up his fourth straight start.

Houston, meanwhile, suffered a blow earlier this week when defender A.J. DeLaGarza was ruled out for the remainder of the postseason after suffering a torn ACL in the Dynamo's win over the Chicago Fire on Sunday. The only other name on the hosts’ injury report is Memo Rodriguez, who is out with a knee sprain.

4. Familiar Foes

So they meet again. Sporting KC and the Houston Dynamo will take their rivalry into the MLS Cup Playoffs for the fifth year when Manager Peter Vermes’ men visit BBVA Compass Stadium on Thursday for the Western Conference Knockout Round. The single-elimination showdown will serve as the seventh postseason battle between the clubs and the third head-to-head meeting in the space of a fortnight. Interestingly enough, both teams are seeking their first playoff victory since 2013, when Sporting KC ousted Houston in the conference finals prior to winning the MLS Cup.

SportingKC.com has revisited each of the six playoff matches between the bitter rivals. Houston holds an overall edge with three wins, but Sporting KC has managed two wins and a draw in each of the last three installments

5. Portland Awaits

The top-seeded Portland Timbers await the winner of tonight’s Knockout Round battle between Sporting KC and Houston. Should Sporting KC advance, the club would host Portland in the first leg of the Western Conference Semifinals next Tuesday, Oct. 31 at 9 p.m. CT inside Children’s Mercy Park. Tickets for that potential home playoff game are now on sale to the general public via SeatGeek.com. The second leg of the Western Conference Semifinals will then take place Sunday, Nov. 5 in Portland.

6. Reasons to Hope and Mope

The Kansas City Star’s Sam McDowell has outlined a few fundamental reasons why Sporting KC is poised for a run to MLS Cup — and why the club could be destined for a Knockout Round exit for the fourth year running. The old adage goes that defense wins championships, and Peter Vermes’ men certainly boast a stout backline that ranks at the top of MLS. On the flipside, the team’s form has dipped in recent weeks and goal scoring has dried up. Whether Sporting KC is set for a breakthrough or an early elimination will be decided tonight in Houston.

7. Here to Stay

Is this the final playoff run for Sporting KC’s long-running core of veterans such as Matt Besler, Graham Zusi, Seth Sinovic and Benny Feilhaber? This is the question MLSsoccer.com’s Steve Brisendine poses in the lead-up to Thursday’s Knockout Round, and the likes of Besler and Zusi provided an answer earlier this week: most definitely not. While both players are in their early 30s now, they feel there is plenty more time to continue their impressive trophy haul in Kansas City.

8. Barcelona Pipeline

First came Oriol Rosell, then Jordi Quintilla, and now Ilie and Cristian Lobato. Four products of FC Barcelona’s famed La Masia Academy have joined Sporting KC since the turn of the decade thanks to a pipeline developed by Manager Peter Vermes. Henry Bushnell of Yahoo! Sports brings us the story of how Sporting KC’s head coach forged strong connections with one of the greatest soccer clubs on the planet.

9. Rangers Stay Home

The Swope Park Rangers will host Sacramento Republic FC on Saturday in the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2017 USL Cup Playoffs, kicking off at 4 p.m. CT at Children’s Mercy Park. General admission tickets for Saturday’s playoff match will be available today at 2 p.m. CT via SeatGeek.com or at the Children’s Mercy Park box office prior to kickoff.

Led by head coach Nikola Popovic, the No. 4-seed Rangers (17-8-8) will welcome No. 8-seed Sacramento (13-12-8) after defeating Phoenix Rising FC in the Western Conference Quarterfinals, prevailing 4-2 in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw on Sunday afternoon at Swope Soccer Village. Sacramento Republic FC, which finished 12 points below SPR in the regular-season standings, used a shootout victory of their own to upset top-seeded Real Monarchs away from home last Friday.

10. Academy in Action

The Sporting KC Academy continues its 2017-18 U.S. Soccer Development Academy campaign on Saturday with a tripleheader against Real Colorado at Fort Hays State University Soccer Stadium in Hays, Kansas. The U-15s will kick off at noon CT, followed by the U-17s at 2:30 p.m. and the U-19s at 5 p.m. Follow @SKCAcademy on Twitter for live updates this weekend and throughout the Academy season. Fifteen-year-old Sporting KC homegrown signing Gianluca Busio has featured extensively for the U-19s, who have won four of their first six league matches in addition to posting a 2-0-1 record in Generation adidas Cup Qualifying earlier this month.

11. Helping Hand

Sporting Kansas City fans can visit SportingKC.com/helpful to cast their vote for the Westlake Ace Hardware Helpful Moment of the Month. Individuals can choose among three nominees for the month of October, with each participant receiving a $7 coupon to Westlake Ace Hardware locations in the Kansas City area. The grand prize includes a $300 Westlake gift card, a Sporting KC replica jersey and two tickets to an upcoming match at Children's Mercy Park.

Games to Watch (Oct. 26-29)