Starting XI: Rest and Recover

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 KC exited the 2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with a 4-2 quarterfinal loss to the Houston Dynamo on Wednesday at BBVA Compass Stadium. The result ends Sporting KC’s bid for a second consecutive Open Cup title and puts Houston through to the semifinals for the third time in their history. Manager Peter Vermes’ men are winless in five straight games and will take this weekend to rest and recover before returning to the pitch on July 28 when they host Western Conference leaders FC Dallas at Children’s Mercy Park.

2. The Champs are Coming

U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Jill Ellis has selected 25 players to the training camp roster for the 2018 Tournament of Nations, which begins next Thursday, July 26, when the U.S. faces Japan at world-class Children's Mercy Park in the second game of a high-profile doubleheader.

The U.S. WNT and Japan will square off at 6 p.m. CT on the opening matchday of an elite tournament that showcases four of the best women's national teams in the world. The first match of the Children’s Mercy Park double-feature will see Brazil battle Australia at 3:15 p.m. CT. Tickets for the doubleheader are now on sale through ussoccer.com, ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000.

3. Summer Sale

All Sporting KC fans are welcome to the SportingStyle End of Summer Sale this Saturday, July 21, at Children's Mercy Park. The event serves as the biggest sale event of the 2018 season for supporters, offering 30 percent off full-priced items and up to 50 percent off sale items. The End of Summer Sale — one of the few times throughout the year that fans can purchase SportingStyle products at a discounted price — will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT at the Budweiser Brew House inside Children's Mercy Park.

4. Onto the Next

The Swope Park Rangers didn’t fare any better than Sporting KC on Wednesday night. SPR took a 4-0 home loss to Orange County FC and will look to bounce back Sunday when they play host to Rio Grande Valley FC at Children’s Mercy Park. The match will kick off at 4 p.m. CT and stream live on ESPN+ with tickets available at SeatGeek.com.

5. Marathon Men

Sporting KC will take center stage tonight on FOX Sports Kansas City. FSKC will replay four of the top Sporting KC matches of the first half of the 2018 season, running from 6 p.m. CT through 2 a.m. CT Friday morning. The midseason marathon can be seen on FOX Sports Kansas City and FOX Sports Midwest in the Sporting KC TV footprint, including DirecTV channel 671 and Dish 418 or 412-08. The games will also be streamed on FOX Sports GO.

6. Cup Clashes

Three other U.S. Open Cup matches took place on an action-packed Wednesday night as the Philadelphia Union, Chicago Fire and LAFC joined Houston in the semifinals. Philadelphia edged Orlando City SC by a 1-0 scoreline, Chicago made quick work of USL side Louisville City with a 4-0 win, and LAFC outlasted the Portland Timbers in a 3-2 thriller.

7. Portland Protests

Oh, but wait. The Timbers are protesting their Open Cup defeat on Wednesday because of the number of foreign players in LAFC’s lineup. U.S. Soccer announced today that the semifinal draw will be delayed while it investigates Portland’s complaint. The confusion may stem from LAFC's inclusion of two Canadians, Mark-Anthony Kaye and Dejan Jakovic, who do not take up international roster spots in MLS but could be counted as "foreign" under Open Cup rules. Jakovic has a valid U.S. green card.

8. Turn On the Tele

Sporting KC may be off this weekend, but Kansas City soccer fans won’t be completely starved of MLS action. The lone nationally broadcast match will see Atlanta United FC host Wayne Rooney and D.C. United at 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday. The game can be seen in Spanish on Univision and will also stream in English on Twitter at @univisionsports.

9. Hall of Fame Sweepstakes

Fans can enter the National Soccer Hall of Fame Fly Away Sweepstakes for the chance to win an all-inclusive prize package, provided in partnership with the National Soccer Hall of Fame and Visit Frisco. The trip will take place in conjunction with Sporting KC's road match at FC Dallas on Oct. 21.

• One three-night stay for two at Omni Frisco (Oct. 19-22, 2018)
• Roundtrip airfare for two
• Two tickets to the National Soccer Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 20
• Two tickets to the Imagine Dragons concert on Saturday, Oct. 20
• Two tickets to the Sporting KC vs. FC Dallas match on Sunday, Oct. 21
• $100 to the British Lion Pub and $100 to City Works at The Star

10. Champions Collide

Some of Europe’s best clubs will take the field in the coming weeks in the International Champions Cup, a high-profile preseason tournament that includes several matches taking place on U.S. soil. Notable participants include Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. The first televised match of the tournament will see reigning English Premier League champions Manchester City face U.S. starlet Christian Pulisic and Borussia Dortmund at 8 p.m. CT Friday on ESPN2.

11. Belmar’s Thing

In the first edition of AT&T My Thing, Sporting KC forward Kharlton Belmar discusses his favorite off-the-field hobby of photography. Check it out below.

Games to Watch (July 20-22, 2018)