Starting XI: Fight with Philly

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.

Riding a seven-game unbeaten streak in all competitions, Sporting Kansas City (8-4-7, 31 points) will look to retake sole possession of first place in the Western Conference when they host the Philadelphia Union (6-7-4, 22 points) at 7:30 p.m. CT Thursday inside Children’s Mercy Park. FOX Sports Kansas City and FOX Sports Midwest Plus will air three hours of live coverage beginning at 7 p.m. CT, while local radio broadcasts will be available on Sports Radio 810 WHB (English) and La Grande 1340 AM (Spanish).

The Local Night matchup comes five days after Sporting KC tied the Portland Timbers 1-1 to push their home undefeated run to 18 regular season matches. Daniel Salloi scored the second-half equalizer in that affair and is eager to carry his scoring form into the fixture. Tickets for the game are on sale at SeatGeek.com.

2. The Power of Three

Sporting Kansas City trio Matt Besler, Dom Dwyer and Graham Zusi are with the U.S. Men’s National Team for Saturday’s CONCACAF Gold Cup opener against Panama at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. The match is slated for at 3:30 p.m. CT on FOX, Univision and UDN as the Americans seek their sixth Gold Cup title all-time. Speaking with MLSsoccer.com’s Arielle Castillo on Monday, Zusi — who is in contention for his 50th career U.S. MNT cap on Saturday — asserted that this summer’s Gold Cup is “a winnable tournament” for the team. On a broader level, ESPN FC’s Paul Carr assessed what is at stake for U.S. players at this summer’s tournament.

3. Sixteens Take Center Stage

The Sporting Kansas City Academy U-16s will square off with the Real Salt Lake AZ U-16s in the 2017 U.S. Soccer Development Academy quarterfinals Thursday afternoon at Children’s Mercy Park. The first Academy match ever played at the world-class stadium will kick off at 3 p.m. CT, taking place prior to Sporting Kansas City’s home game against the Philadelphia Union. All fans with a ticket to the Sporting KC match are welcome to attend the U-16 quarterfinal contest. The winner will advance to the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Championships at the U.S. Soccer National Training Center in Carson, California, set for July 14-16. Click here for more information on Thursday’s Academy showdown.

4. You Need Uphoria

Sporting KC Uphoria users have more than a few things to be excited about as Thursday’s home match against the Philadelphia Union approaches. Uphoria features include a new Local Night photo filter on MySKC Cam, an opportunity to win two tickets to Thursday’s contest via trivia, and the chance to redeem a free box of Chips Ahoy cookies at any Kansas City-area Price Chopper location. Be sure to download Sporting KC Uphoria on the App Store or Google Play and register a free account if you haven’t done so already.

5. Power Couple

The quintessential power couple of American soccer consists of two individuals who moved to the U.S. from abroad. But now Sporting KC’s Dom Dwyer and FC Kansas City’s Sydney Leroux are now U.S. citizens, and as this week’s FOX4KC video feature illustrates, the married parents of one son have left an unmistakable mark on the American soccer landscape. The local news segment was one of multiple features to showcase Dwyer and Leroux living out soccer’s American Dream, as was chronicled by the Associated Press earlier this week. Dwyer’s progression, in particular, has garnered coverage in his birth nation of England, where The Telegraph’s Bob Williams published a feature on the Sporting KC striker.

6. Rangers Return Home

The Swope Park Rangers (8-4-2, 26 points) will put a six-game unbeaten run on the line Saturday when they host Rio Grande Valley FC (6-6-2, 20 points) at 7:30 p.m. CT inside Swope Soccer Village. Tickets for the match are available on SeatGeek.com or at the venue box office on matchday. The Rangers are coming off a two-game road trip that included hard-fought wins over Tulsa Roughnecks FC and LA Galaxy II, with left back Tyler Pasher receiving USL Team of the Week honors for his contributions in both victories.

7. Benny on the Border

With plenty to play for in the coming days, Sporting KC midfielder Benny Feilhaber joined The Border Patrol hosts Steven St. John and Nate Bukaty on Sports Radio 810 WHB Wednesday morning. Feilhaber touched on a variety of topics, including Saturday's scrappy 1-1 draw with the Portland Timbers, the importance of these forthcoming home games and the U.S. Men's National Team's CONCACAF Gold Cup campaign involving Sporting KC trio Matt Besler, Dom Dwyer and Graham Zusi. Click here to listen to the full podcast.

8. Go For Gold

The 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup raises its curtains Friday, kicking off a three-week tournament that will culminate with the final on Wednesday, July 26. While the U.S., Mexico and Costa Rica remain the heavyweight favorites, a variety of others will be looking to make a splash in the biennial tournament contested among national teams from North and Central America as well as the Caribbean. MLSsoccer.com offers a wide variety of preview content leading up to the competition, including a look at seven rising stars to watch this month (we see you, Dom Dwyer). Click here for the full Gold Cup schedule and results.

9. Dead Even with Dallas

Sporting Kansas City no longer sits alone atop the Western Conference table. FC Dallas’ 4-2 home win against D.C. United on Tuesday lifted the club level with Sporting KC on 31 points ahead of Thursday’s action at Children’s Mercy Park. FC Dallas has finished atop the West in each of the last two regular seasons and currently holds the head-to-head tiebreaker with Manager Peter Vermes’ men thanks to superior goal difference. Coincidentally, Sporting KC and FC Dallas will battle next Tuesday at Children’s Mercy Park in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals. Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. CT showdown are on sale now at SeatGeek.com.

10. Should I Stay or Should I Go?

The beginning of July has signaled the start of an always eventful summer transfer window in Europe. English Premier League side Arsenal was quick to make a statement as the club tries to atone for failing to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, signing 26-year-old French striker Alexandre Lacazette for what is reported to be a club-record fee of roughly $60 million, while superstar Lionel Messi has agreed to a new, three-year contract extension at FC Barcelona that will keep him at the club until 2021. On the American front, former U.S. international Perry Kitchen has left Scottish side hearts to join Danish outfit Randers FC.

11. Sausage Party

Sporting Kansas City fans can cast their votes for the Klement’s Sporting Sausage creation that will be sold in Children’s Mercy Park from Aug. 6 through the end of the season. Each entry will receive a Klement’s coupon in the mail prior to the contest’s conclusion. A grand prize will include a year supply of Klement’s products, a $50 Price Chopper gift card, two match tickets to a Sporting Kansas City match, a team-signed soccer ball and the opportunity to watch warm-ups from the field level at Children’s Mercy Park. Visit SportingKC.com/Klements for more information and to vote.

Games to Watch (July 7-10)