Starting XI: Leap of Faith

Starting XI 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.

The Western Conference leaders will host the reigning Western Conference champions on Sunday as Sporting Kansas City (4-1-1) welcomes Seattle Sounders FC (0-3-0, 0 points) to Children's Mercy Park for a 3 p.m. CT kickoff on ESPN, Sports Radio 810 WHB and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM.

Tickets for the match are available via SeatGeek.com or by calling 888-4KC-GOAL to purchase the Coca-Cola Sunday Family Four Pack, consisting of four tickets, four Coke products, four hot dogs and four bags of chips. The first 2,500 fans through the stadium gates will also receive a commemorative Faith and Family Day bookmark.

• By The Numbers: #SKCvSEA
• Five Things to Know: #SKCvSEA

2. Leap of Faith

Sporting KC will host its inaugural Faith and Family Day on Sunday at Children’s Mercy Park when the team faces Seattle Sounders FC at 3 p.m. CT. Programming will feature discounted South Stand tickets for $30 apiece as well as pre-game speeches from Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Chris Conley and former University of Kansas All-American and NBA champion Wayne Simien. Conley and Simien will speak on the Toyota Plaza at 2:30 p.m. CT prior to kickoff. Rock band 7eventh Time Down will perform a concert on the Toyota Plaza immediately after the match before Simien takes the stage again for a postgame discussion and Q&A with Sporting KC defenders Matt Besler, Ike Opara and Seth Sinovic.

3. Melia’s Magic

Sporting KC goalkeeper Tim Melia has been voted Alcatel MLS Player of the Week by the North American Soccer Reporters for Week 6, Major League Soccer announced Tuesday. Melia set a career-high and regular season club record with 10 saves in Sporting KC’s 2-0 victory over the LA Galaxy on Sunday at StubHub Center. The 31-year-old goalkeeper made seven of his 10 stops in the second half as Sporting KC pushed their unbeaten run to five matches and moved into a tie for first place in the Supporters’ Shield standings.

4. Solo Stunner

The dashing run. The clever split. The clinical finish. Of the 24 goals scored throughout Week 6 of the 2018 MLS season, none were better than Johnny Russell's spectacular solo effort that sealed Sporting KC's 2-0 win over the LA Galaxy on Sunday night. Russell officially captured his first AT&T MLS Goal of the Week honor on Thursday. His deft strike after beating two LA defenders took home 46 percent of the vote, edging the 40-percent push for Orlando City SC striker Dom Dwyer.

5. Center Stage

For the second straight weekend, Sporting KC is among the clubs competing on national television. Manager Peter Vermes' men are riding a wave of momentum into Sunday's home tilt with defending Western Conference champion Seattle Sounders FC, unbeaten in five straight games and sitting atop the Supporters' Shield standings. The Faith and Family Day matchup is one of four games available to soccer fans across the country in Week 7 as ESPN, FS1 and Univision combine to provide action from Friday through Sunday.

6. Toronto Triumphs

Toronto FC's magical run in the 2018 Concacaf Champions League continued Tuesday when the Reds tied Mexican giant Club America 1-1 at Estadio Azteca to claim a 4-2 aggregate victory in the CCL semifinals. The result propels Toronto FC to the finals against another storied Mexican club in Chivas de Guadalajara, with the first leg set for next Tuesday, April 15 at 7:15 p.m. CT in Toronto. The decisive second leg of the finals will take place Wednesday, April 25 at 8:30 p.m. CT in Guadalajara. Chivas defeated the New York Red Bulls in the other semifinal matchup, prevailing 1-0 on aggregate after salvaging a scoreless draw at Red Bull Arena on Tuesday.

7. Radio Rewind

As Sporting KC preps for a showdown with the two-time defending Western Conference champions, two prominent individuals joined The Sporting KC Show on Tuesday night to preview game against Seattle. First up was Taylor Twellman, who spoke glowingly about Sporting KC's early-season form in a wide-ranging interview with hosts Nate Bukaty and Carter Augustine. The ESPN color commentator was followed by Sporting KC defender/midfielder Brad Evans, who arrived in Kansas City this offseason after spending the previous nine seasons with Seattle.

8. New Frontier

MLS LIVE is now on ESPN+, ESPN's new live and on-demand streaming service. For just $4.99 a month, MLS fans can watch hundreds of out-of-market MLS games plus gain access to thousands of other ESPN events, original shows and films – including USL and international soccer. Click here for more information about ESPN+ and how to catch out-of-market MLS matches

9. Man on Fire

Sporting KC and Rangers forward Kharlton Belmar was named USL Player of the Month for March today. Belmar bagged four goals and added two assists in just three games in March, taking home 37 percent of the vote.

10. Distinguished Debut

Sporting KC Homegrown player Gianluca Busio was tnamed to the bench of the USL Team of the Week on Tuesday after appearing in his first two professional matches last week. In his professional debut on April 4 against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC at Children's Mercy Park, the 15-year-old set up the only goal of the game with an excellent turn and pass to find Tyler Blackwood for the early game-winner.

11. Down to Four

The UEFA Champions League semifinal draw will take place Friday morning at 6 a.m. CT on FS2, when two-time defending champion Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Roma will learn their semifinal opponents for the prestigious tournament. In quarterfinal action earlier this week, Madrid barely survived a furious comeback by Juventus, Bayern eased past Sevilla, Liverpool topped England neighbor Manchester City for the second time in a week, and Roma pulled off a shocking comeback to knock off Lionel Messi and Barcelona.

Games to Watch (April 13-15, 2018)