Starting XI: Light the Fire

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.

A daunting road test awaits Saturday when Sporting KC travels to face the Chicago Fire at 5 p.m. CT. FOX Sports Kansas City and FOX Sports Midwest Plus will broadcast the match live from Toyota Park, while ESPN 94.5 (English) and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM (Spanish) will provide live radio calls. As Manager Peter Vermes’ men prepare for their first away date of 2018, SportingKC.com visits five storylines surrounding the contest and gives a statistical preview of the interconference matchup.

2. No Other Party

With the return of Sporting KC road matches comes the return of watch parties at No Other Pub in the Kansas City Power & Light District. All supporters are welcome to attend the official #CHIvSKC watch party on Saturday as the Chicago Fire welcome Sporting KC for their season opener. No Other Pub's matchday specials will begin at 4:30 p.m., featuring $6 Till Vodka as well as an all-you-can-eat buffet with endless domestic draft beer. Interactive programming will also include giveaways for Sporting KC tickets and Till Vodka merchandise.

3. Broadcast Besties

Sporting KC and Sports Radio 810 WHB announced on Tuesday a new three-year local broadcast partnership for the station to continue as the club’s official radio partner through the 2020 season. Sports Radio 810 WHB, along with sister stations 94.5 FM and 1510 AM, will broadcast all 34 of Sporting KC’s MLS regular season matches this season.

4. Over the Air

The same day Sporting KC and Sports Radio 810 WHB announced their broadcast partnership extension, two Sporting KC players appeared on the station to recap last Sunday’s home opener and look ahead to Saturday’s battle with Chicago. Captain Matt Besler joined The Border Patrol on Tuesday morning before Daniel Salloi appeared on the Sporting KC Show that evening with hosts Nate Bukaty and Carter Augustine.

5. Rowdy with the Rangers

The Rangers will host a 2018 season kickoff party on March 22 at Fox & Hound (10428 Metcalf Ave.) in Overland Park, Kansas, welcoming all fans for a night of festivities prior to the club’s home opener on March 24 against Seattle Sounders FC 2. The party is free for fans of all ages to attend and will feature food and drink specials as well as the opportunity to meet Rangers players and head coach Paulo Nagamura.

The Rangers wrap up their preseason campaign this Saturday, hosting UMKC at 2 p.m. CT at Swope Soccer Village in a match that is free and open to the public. Rangers tickets for all 17 home games this season — starting at just $9 — are on sale at SeatGeek.com.

6. Stars at Swope

Swope Soccer Village is set to host the 2017-18 U.S. Soccer Development Academy Championships from July 8-11, U.S. Soccer announced on Wednesday. The event will feature the nation's top youth teams in the following four divisions:

• Girls U-15 Semifinals and Final
• Boys U-16/17 Semifinals and Final
• Girls U-16/17 Semifinals and Final
• Boys U-18/19 Semifinals and Final

A total of 16 matches will be played at Swope Soccer Village with 16 teams vying for national titles as four of the five U.S. Soccer Development Academy championship matches for the 2017-18 season take place in Kansas City for the first time.

7. A Real Test

The groups are now set for the Champions Division at the 2017-18 GA Cup Finals at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, where the Sporting KC Academy U-17s will open the competition against Spanish giants Real Madrid before taking on Brazil's Atletico Paranaense and fellow MLS academy New York City FC. Group stage matches for the prestigious youth tournament will take place from March 23-27.

8. Messing with Mexico

What a week it was for Major League Soccer teams in the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League. Three MLS clubs earned massive victories in the first legs of their quarterfinal ties against Mexican opposition, marking a significant shift in momentum in the battle against Liga MX.

The action started Tuesday when the New York Red Bulls used a Bradley Wright-Phillips brace to post a 2-0 road win over Club Tijuana. The success continued in Wednesday’s doubleheader as Toronto FC came from behind to notch a dramatic 2-1 home victory over Tigres UANL and Seattle Sounders FC scrapped a 1-0 home triumph against Chivas de Guadalajara. The decisive second legs for all three ties will take place next Tuesday and Wednesday.

9. Big League

Concacaf announced on Wednesday the details and format of the Concacaf Nations League, a new tournament set to debut in 2019 for men’s national teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The inaugural competition will separate competing counties into three leagues based on sporting performance: A, B and C. The top league — which will include Concacaf powers such as the United States, Mexico and Costa Rica — will culminate with a championship match in March 2020. The new event will also serve as a qualifying path for the region’s national teams to the newly expanded Concacaf Gold Cup.

10. Diversity Reigns

With a youthful crop of Designated Players and newcomers joining clubs across the U.S. and Canada, Major League Soccer enters 2018 as the youngest and most diverse league in North America. According to MLS Communications, a total of 72 countries are represented from the current MLS player pool, more than any other soccer league on the planet.

Among the 637 players in MLS, 234 have played for their respective national teams (36.7 percent) and 40 have been included on a FIFA World Cup roster. In addition, 36 of the league’s 53 Designated Players (averaging 27.3 years in age) have earned caps at the senior international level.

11. Camping Out

Sporting KC Academy midfielder Osvaldo Cisneros has returned to the United States U-15 Boys' National Team for another domestic training camp that runs through Sunday in Chula Vista, California. Cisneros, a 13-year-old native of Omaha, Nebraska, is participating in his second U.S. youth national team camp after first joining the U-15 side in January for a training stint in Sunrise, Florida.

Games to Watch (March 9-11, 2018)