Starting XI: Refuse to Lose

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.

Daniel Salloi’s superb goal helped Sporting Kansas City secure a 1-1 draw against the Portland Timbers on Saturday at Children’s Mercy Park. The 20-year-old Homegrown forward opened his MLS scoring account in the 60th minute as Sporting Kansas City (8-4-7, 31 points) remained atop the Western Conference standings and extended the club’s home unbeaten streak to 18 MLS matches.

Diego Valeri fired Portland (7-7-5, 26 points) ahead with a stunning strike on 26 minutes, but the midfielder was denied his brace in the second half when Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper Tim Melia saved the Argentine’s penalty kick — becoming the first player in Sporting KC history to record three PK saves in the same regular season — to keep the scoreline deadlocked and preserve a point.

2. Sublime Salloi

Sporting Kansas City forward Daniel Salloi is one of five nominees for the AT&T MLS Goal of the Week. The 20-year-old Homegrown player’s first career MLS goal was a clinical finish, showcasing a deft receipt of Roger Espinoza’s inch-perfect diagonal pass and a silky finish into the roof of the net to help Sporting KC salvage a 1-1 draw against Portland. Voting is open through Wednesday night on SportingKC.com.

3. Dwyer’s American Dream

Sporting Kansas City forward Dom Dwyer marked his debut for the U.S. Men’s National Team with a goal in Saturday’s 2-1 friendly win over Ghana inside Pratty & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut. Dwyer’s emphatic strike in the 19th minute provided the dream start to his international career, coming less than four months after the England-born 26-year-old became an American citizen. His first U.S. match garnered plenty of social media buzz, including love from the likes of Abby Wambach and Kobe Bryant.

Two other Sporting KC players started Saturday in the United States’ lone tune-up for the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Matt Besler and Graham Zusi started and played 90 minutes along head coach Bruce Arena’s backline, earning their 40th and 49th caps, respectively. Dwyer’s maiden U.S. appearance came to a close in the 76th minute.

4. Local Night Lowdown

Undefeated in seven straight games across all competitions, Manager Peter Vermes' men will return to Children's Mercy Park on Thursday for an interconference clash against the Philadelphia Union (6-7-4, 22 points) at 7:30 p.m. CT. FOX Sports Kansas City, FOX Sports Midwest Plus and FOX Sports GO will televise three hours of live coverage beginning at 7 p.m. CT, while local radio broadcasts will air on Sports Radio 810 WHB (English) and La Grande 1340 AM (Spanish). In addition, a new episode of the Sporting KC Show will air at 6:30 p.m. CT Thursday on Sports Radio 810 WHB, serving as a 60-minute pregame program. Immediately after the match, the Final Whistle Postgame Show will also air on 810 WHB.

Thursday's match at Children's Mercy Park will have a Local Night theme, featuring food trucks from a variety of Kansas City establishments on the Sporting Plaza before kickoff, live music from KC musicians, a limited-edition Plaza-themed scarf at SportingStyle, and an "I Believe" pregame chant led by surprise guests. Tickets for the contest are on sale at SeatGeek.com.

5. Sixteens Step Into Spotlight

The Sporting Kansas City Academy U-16s will host the Real Salt Lake AZ U-16s in the 2017 U.S. Soccer Development Academy quarterfinals on Thursday at Children’s Mercy Park. The single-elimination showdown will kick off at 3 p.m. CT, taking place at the world-class venue prior to Sporting Kansas City’s home game against the Philadelphia Union. The occasion marks the first time a Sporting KC Academy team has played a competitive match inside Children's Mercy Park, and all fans with a ticket to the Sporting KC game that evening are welcome to attend the U-16 quarterfinal contest. Click here for more details, and follow @SKCAcademy on Twitter for live updates.

6. Rangers Riding High

The Swope Park Rangers pushed their unbeaten run to six straight USL matches with a 1-0 victory at LA Galaxy II on Friday night in Carson, California, receiving a goal from Nansel Selbol to claim a second road win in the space of four days. The Rangers (8-4-2, 26 points) have climbed to third place in the Western Conference and will look to continue their ascension Saturday when they return home to face eighth-place Rio Grande Valley FC (6-6-2, 20 points) at Children’s Mercy Victory Field inside Swope Soccer Village. The matchup will kick off at 7:30 p.m. CT with tickets available at SeatGeek.com or at the venue box office on matchday. SportingKC.com will also stream the match live.

7. Ice Cream Crazy

Interested in a free, family-size (48-oz.) carton of Breyer’s ice cream? Simply download the Sporting KC Uphoria app on the App Store or Google Play, register a free account and show the offer card to the cashier at your Kansas City-area Price Chopper. The offer will expire tonight at midnight before another exclusive Uphoria offer becomes available Thursday through Saturday: free Chips Ahoy cookies also at Price Chopper.

8. King of the Court

Sporting Kansas City will host a King of the Court Futsal Tournament on Saturday at Clopper Field in Kansas City, Kansas (3298 Powell Ave.), The event features 4-v-4 matches for players ages 8 and up as well as a block party complete with music, yard games, skills challenges, bounce houses and Sporting KC player appearances and autograph sessions. Tournament registration is free for all teams and now open at SportingKC.com/kingofthecourt.

9. The Week That Was

Week 18 of the MLS season delivered numerous storylines as the Chicago Fire stayed on fire, C.J. Sapong steered the Union to a runaway victory, San Jose struck late to win Cali Clasico and FC Dallas inched a bit closer to Sporting KC in the race for top spot in the West after pounding Toronto FC. MLSsoccer.com’s Matt Doyle provided an analytical take on the action, while Andrew Wiebe, David Gass, Bobby Warshaw and several revisited the craziest moments of the weekend.

10. Germany Reigns

Germany returned to the summit of the FIFA world rankings after defeating Chile 1-0 in Sunday’s Confederations Cup final in Russa. Despite fielding a less than full-strength squad for the duration of the tournament, head coach Joachim Low guided the 2014 World Cup champions to yet another major international trophy, making his squad the proverbial favorite to hoist next summer’s World Cup as well. Earlier Sunday, the third-place match saw Portugal top Mexico by a 2-1 scoreline in extra time.

11. Sporting Sausages

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 4-6)