Starting XI: Psyched for Saturday

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.

Sporting Kansas City is back at Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday to face the upstart San Jose Earthquakes in a 7:30 p.m. kickoff on FOX Sports Kansas City. San Jose is off to an impressive start with two wins in as many games, while the hosts are unbeaten in 10 straight home matches dating back to last June. SportingKC.com caught up ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle to preview the Western Conference clash, while Manager Peter Vermes spoke candidly about the importance of finishing off chances.

2. American Man

Sporting Kansas City’s star striker is now a U.S. citizen. Dom Dwyer took his Oath of Allegiance during his naturalization ceremony on Thursday at the Charles Evans Whittaker Courthouse in downtown Kansas City. SportingKC.com provides behind-the-scenes video footage and a photo gallery of the ceremony, while Goal.com’s Thomas Floyd discusses Dwyer’s potential future with the U.S. Men’s National Team, for which the player is now eligible to represent.

3. March Madness

The #Trending video series is back in 2017, and just in time for March Madness. Ike Opara, Matt Besler and a host of other Sporting KC players gathered at Swope Soccer Village to fill out their bracket, settling on a national champion after plenty of debate, disagreement and banter. The end result is a must-watch segment on SportingKC.com.

4. Know the Foe

Erik Palmer-Brown and the U.S. U-20 Men’s National Team learned their group stage opponents for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World cup on Wednesday, joining Ecuador, Senegal and Saudi Arabia in Group F. Palmer-Brown, a 19-year-old Homegrown defender, captained the U.S. to the CONCACAF U-20 Championship title earlier this month, receiving the Gold Ball award as the tournament’s best player after the Americans knocked off Honduras in the final. The United States’ top-four finish at the CONCACAF competition secured a spot at U-20 World Cup, which runs May 20 – June 11 in six cities throughout Korea Republic.

5. We All Scream for (Free) Ice Cream

Last week Sporting KC Uphoria delivered users free Oreos at any Price Chopper location in the Kansas City area. The club’s official app is getting in on the fun again this Saturday, offering fans a free family-size carton of Breyer’s ice cream at Price Chopper. The exclusive offer will be available beginning Saturday morning, and supporters can redeem their free ice cream until Monday night at midnight. Download Uphoria on the App Store and Google Play to enhance your Sporting KC experience with breaking news, live stats, Seat Geek ticket managing and more.

6. Pro Pipeline

The professional pipeline to Sporting Kansas City’s senior team will be on full display Saturday at Swope Soccer Village. The action begins when the Sporting KC Academy U-18s and U-16s host Lonestar SC in a U.S. Soccer Development Academy doubleheader beginning at 10 a.m. CT. The Swope Park Rangers will then take the field at 3:30 p.m. for their final preseason tune-up against Creighton University. All three matches are free and open to the public, with live updates available via @SwopeRangers and @SKCAcademy on Twitter.

7. See Our Snaps?

Ever wondered what it's like inside a locker room on a training day? How about inside a locker room on a match day? This is your week to find out, as Sporting KC is hosting its March to Soccer Social Media Takeovers, presented by H&R Block. A different Sporting KC player is taking over an account each day leading up to the club's home match on Saturday against the San Jose Earthquakes. In addition to the social media takeovers, Sporting KC is giving away a pair of tickets each day to a lucky fan who is following both Sporting KC and H&R Block on Twitter. Click here for details.

8. Roster Revealed

Head coach Bruce Arena has named 24 players to the U.S. Men’s National Team in advance of pivotal World Cup qualifiers against Honduras and Panama. Wednesday’s announcement confirmed the return of forward Clint Dempsey, who missed the latter half of 2016 with an irregular heartbeat, as well as the inclusion of recent breakthroughs Sebastian Lletget and Kellyn Acosta. But as MLSsoccer.com’s Matthew Doyle points out, the omissions of players like Benny Feilhaber, Graham Zusi and Sacha Kljestan raise a few questions.

9. Some Will Win, Some Will Lose

The first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals delivered a mixed bag of results for MLS participants. Vancouver Whitecaps FC stuttered to a 2-0 defeat at Tigres UANL on Tuesday, conceding twice in the final half-hour to leave plenty of work to be done in the return leg on April 5 at BC Place. FC Dallas, however, came from behind to top Pachuca 2-1 at home on Wednesday. Oscar Pareja’s men fell behind early, but goals from Maxi Urruti and Kellyn Acosta gave FC Dallas a slender advantage heading into leg two on April 4 in Pachuca.

10. National Spotlight

Two MLS matches will be shown nationally in Week 3, including the league’s live debut on the Univision Deportes Facebook page. Expansion side Atlanta United FC (1-1-0) will host the Chicago Fire (1-0-1) at 3 p.m. CT in the first MLS match streamed live on the popular social network, allowing fans across the country to watch free of charge. The following evening, MLS Cup champion Seattle Sounders FC (0-1-1) seek their first win of 2017 when Sacha Kljestan and the New York Red Bulls (2-0-0) visit CenturyLink Field for a 6 p.m. CT kickoff on FS1. Sam Stejskal gives a full rundown of this weekend’s action on MLSsoccer.com.

11. And Then There Were Eight

The UEFA Champions League quarterfinal field is set, featuring a plethora of powerhouses alongside Cinderella outfit Leicester City. The Foxes shocked the soccer world last season by lifting the Premier League title, and now Leicester eyes an even more illustrious prize in Europe’s the most prestigious club tournament. The quarterfinal draw will take place at 6 a.m. CT Friday on FS1, determining matchups for Leicester, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Monaco and Real Madrid.

Games to Watch (March 17-20)