Starting XI: Seattle Showdown

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.

Latif Blessing struck twice on Saturday as Sporting Kansas City battled Orlando City SC to an exciting 2-2 draw at the new Orlando City Stadium. Blessing struck in both halves, his goals coming on either side of Orlando’s first-half goals from Cyle Larin and Kaka. Blessing’s first MLS start was historic on multiple levels as a confident Sporting KC side racked up a jaw-dropping 88.8 percent passing accuracy clip against the Lions, who had their previously perfect 5-0-0 home record snapped.

Among the spectators in attendance on Saturday was U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bruce Arena, who shared his thoughts on Sporting KC forward Dom Dwyer — a potential addition to the national team setup after becoming a U.S. citizen in March. Dwyer served a one-game suspension Saturday due to caution accumulation, giving Blessing his chance to shine.

2. Showdown with Seattle

Sporting Kansas City now turns its attention to Wednesday's highly anticipated Retro Night match against defending MLS Cup champion Seattle Sounders FC (2-4-4, 10 points) at Children's Mercy Park. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT on FOX Sports Kansas City Plus, FOX Sports Midwest Plus, Sports Radio 810 WHB (English) and La Grande 1340 AM (Spanish), with The Final Whistle postgame show airing immediately after the match on 810 WHB.

Tickets for the Retro Night showdown are on sale at SeatGeek.com. A limited-time Throwback Four-Pack — consisting of four tickets, four hot dogs, four sodas and four bags of chips — is also available by calling 888-4KC-GOAL or by filling out this online form. The contest is a rematch of the 2016 Western Conference Knockout Round in which Seattle prevailed 1-0 behind a contentious goal in the 88th minute. Sporting KC’s club-record 14-game home unbeaten streak dating back to last June is the longest active run in MLS.

3. Blast From the Past

Fans are encouraged to arrive early to Children’s Mercy Park on Retro Night. At the forefront, the new Charlie Brown retro training top will be available for purchase while supplies last at all SportingStyle locations inside the stadium on the night of the match. Additional Retro Night programming will see 1990s cover band Lost Wax perform on the Sporting Plaza before kickoff, while DJ G-Train will roll a 90s pregame music playlist on the stadium sound system. Former striker Mo Johnston will be formally inducted into the Sporitng Legends hall of honor during an on-field pregame ceremony, and the Sporting KC Media Game will then take place at halftime.

4. Donations Accepted

In addition to giving away amenity kits to the first 7,000 fans inside Children’s Mercy Park on Wednesday when Sporting KC hosts Seattle Sounders FC, the Darol Rodrock Foundation will set up a donation bin at the Sporting Plaza as fans enter the stadium. All ticket holders are encouraged to drop off unwrapped items for children transitioning from group homes and foster families to independent living, including new school and dorm supplies, new toiletry and hygiene products, gift cards and cash donations.

5. Latif Lauded

Latif Blessing was justly rewarded for two-goal performance today, receiving a game ball from teammate Dom Dwyer and being named to the MLS Team of the Week bench on MLSsoccer.com and Goal.com. With goals in the ninth and 74th minutes, Blessing became the youngest Sporting KC player to score twice in a competitive match, doing so at the age of 20 years and 134 days. He is only the fifth player to score a brace in his first MLS start for the club, joining Digital Takawira (1996), Mo Johnston (1996), Birahim Diop (2010) and Omar Bravo (2011).

6. ReplyBuy Onboard

Sporting KC today announced a new partnership with ReplyBuy, the leading mobile platform for messaging-enabled commerce. ReplyBuy will deliver an entirely new form of fan engagement and ease of purchasing for supporters. Fans can complete their purchase by simply responding with a quick text message, eliminating the traditional friction in the e-commerce purchase flow. Click here for more information.

7. NTCDC Spotlight

When the NTCDC opens its doors this winter, the U.S. Soccer Coaching Department will have a permanent home for the first time. Located along the north side of the NTCDC, the U.S. Soccer National Coaching Education Center will provide a world-class environment uniquely designed to maximize the development of coaches and referees at all levels. Click here to read the latest NTCDC Spotlight feature story.

8. Road Blues

The Swope Park Rangers stumbled to a 1-0 defeat at Rio Grande Valley FC at H-E-B Park in Edinburg, Texas on Saturday. The Rangers (4-3-0, 12 points) have dropped all three road games this season but own a perfect 4-0-0 home record at Children’s Mercy Victory Field inside Swope Soccer Village, where they will return to action on Friday, May 26 against USL Western Conference leaders San Antonio FC (7-0-2, 23 points). Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT and tickets can be secured via SeatGeek.com or at the venue box office on matchday.

9. Duo Delights

Thanks to their sterling starts in 2017, goalkeeper Tim Melia and defender Ike Opara earned spots on Matt Doyle's Q1 Best XI on MLSsoccer.com last Friday. Melia leads MLS with six shutouts, ranks second with a 0.64 goals against average and is third with a 77.5 save percentage. Opara, meanwhile, has started 10 matches in central defense, contributing to all six shutouts while slowing down some of the league’s best players—namely Sebastian Giovinco, Jozy Altidore, Bradley Wright-Phillips, Fanendo Adi and Diego Valeri.

10. Mother’s Day Magic

To celebrate Mother’s Day, SportingKC.com shared the stories of two mothers who have enriched the Sporting Kansas City supporter culture for the last decade-plus while making the club an integral part of their respective lives. Many of the club’s players also delivered heartfelt messages to their mothers on the special Sunday.

11. Goals on Goals on Goals

Week 11 of the MLS season wasn’t short of entertainment value, delivering fans a whopping 44 goals across 12 matches. Click here to view them all in 90 seconds. Matt Doyle gave his analytical take on the action — saving specific praise for Gerso, Sporting KC’s dynamic winger — while Susannah Collins and Calen Carr revisited the biggest storylines of a goal-packed weekend on a new episode of This Week in MLS.

Games to Watch (May 16-18)