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.
1. Humbled at Home
Sporting KC’s 24-game home unbeaten streak was snapped in a frustrating 1-0 defeat to Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday night at Children’s Mercy Park. Vancouver forward Erik Hurtado scored against the run of play in the 53rd minute, ending the third-longest home undefeated streak in MLS history as Sporting KC suffered a regular-season home loss for the first time since May 27, 2016. The result lifts Vancouver (15-10-6, 51 points) four points clear of third-place Sporting KC (12-7-11, 47 points) at the top of the Western Conference table heading into the final month of the 2017 regular season campaign.
Currently in a three-way tie for second place in Major League Soccer's Western Conference, Sporting KC will look to bounce back this Saturday when the club visits Minnesota United FC (9-16-5, 32 points) at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT with three hours of live coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m. CT on FOX Sports Kansas City, FOX Sports Midwest and FOX Sports GO. The match will also air live on ESPN 99.3 FM (English) and La Grande 1340 AM (Spanish), while the Sporting KC Uphoria app will provide live updates.
A victory on Saturday would guarantee Sporting KC a club-record seventh straight appearance in the MLS Cup Playoffs, which will begin Oct. 25 and culminate with the 2017 MLS Cup on Dec. 9. Manager Peter Vermes' men lost their first meeting at Minnesota on May 7 before claiming a pair of home wins in the series, prevailing 3-0 on June 3 and 4-0 on June 14 in the U.S. Open Cup.
3. Playoff Math
With Week 30 of the MLS regular season in the books, Sporting KC's playoff math is as simple as it's been all year: win, and they're in.
- Sporting KC's magic number is 2. Two points from Sporting KC's final four matches would guarantee another trip to the MLS Cup Playoffs.
- Sporting KC's magic number for a top-two finish is 7. Seven points from Sporting KC's last four games would guarantee a top-two spot in the West and the Knockout Round bye that comes with it.
- Sporting KC's magic number for a home playoff game is 6. Six points from Sporting KC's last four fixtures would guarantee that the MLS Cup Playoffs return to Children's Mercy Park.
4. Sink or Swim
Sporting KC’s Matt Besler, Benny Feilhaber and Graham Zusi were named to the U.S. Men’s National Team on Sunday for the country’s final two World Cup qualifying matches in CONCACAF’s Hexagonal. Besler, Feilhaber and Zusi will join head coach Bruce Arena’s 26-man squad ahead of Friday’s all-important showdown with Panama at Orlando City Stadium in Orlando, broadcast live at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2, Univision and UDN. The Americans will then travel to face Trinidad & Tobago next Tuesday, Oct. 10, in their Hexagonal finale at Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva, set for 7 p.m. CT on beIN SPORTS and Universo.
The U.S. MNT currently occupies fourth place in the Hexagonal standings, one point behind Friday’s opponent Panama. The top three finishers will advance automatically to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia next summer, while the fourth-place team will face either Australia or Syria in a two-legged playoff in November with a World Cup berth on the line. Wins over Panama and Trinidad & Tobago would ensure the U.S. a top-three finish and an eighth consecutive World Cup appearance.
Team |
PTS |
W |
L |
D |
GF |
GA |
GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mexico (Q) |
18 |
5 |
0 |
3 |
11 |
3 |
+8 |
Costa Rica |
15 |
4 |
1 |
3 |
12 |
5 |
+7 |
Panama |
10 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
7 |
5 |
+2 |
United States |
9 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
12 |
11 |
+1 |
Honduras |
9 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
9 |
16 |
-7 |
Trinidad and Tobago |
3 |
1 |
7 |
0 |
4 |
15 |
-11 |
5. Welcome to Japan
Sporting KC midfielder James Musa has joined the New Zealand Men’s National Team for an international friendly against Japan on Friday at Toyota Stadium in Nagoya, Japan, kicking off at 5:20 a.m. CT. Musa, 25, appeared twice for New Zealand earlier this month as the All Whites defeated Solomon Islands to win the OFC Playoff Final. The result propelled Musa’s country into a two-legged World Cup playoff — to be played Nov. 6 and 10 — against the fifth-place finisher from the South American qualifying region. That opponent will be determined next week when CONMEBOL qualifying concludes.
New Zealand will use Friday's friendly against Japan as a valuable tune-up ahead of their World Cup qualifying playoff. Japan is currently No. 40 in the FIFA rankings, second-highest among Asian countries, and has already qualified for what will be their sixth consecutive World Cup appearance.
6. The Man from Cape Verde
Sporting KC midfielder Kevin Oliveira has joined the Cape Verde Men's National Team for a crucial World Cup qualifier against Senegal on Saturday at Estadio Nacional de Cabo Verde in Praia, Cape Verde, kicking off at 12:30 p.m. CT. Oliveira was previously named to Cape Verde's squad for an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Uganda in June, where he was an unused substitute. The creative midfielder is seeking his first international appearance at the senior level, having represented the Cape Verde U-16s in 2012.
Oliveira's selection to the Cape Verde squad continues a banner month for the 21-year-old, who signed an MLS contract with Sporting KC from the Swope Park Rangers on Sept. 15 and made his MLS debut a day later in a 3-1 win over the New England Revolution. He was also a second-half substitute in Sporting KC's 2-1 defeat of the New York Red Bulls in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final on Sept. 20.
7. Soony Summoned
Sporting KC forward Soony Saad will be in contention for his 10th cap when he joins the Lebanon Men's National Team for a 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualifier against North Korea, set for next Tuesday, Oct. 10, at Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium in Beirut, Lebanon. Saad, 25, has scored three goals in nine previous appearances for Lebanon since debuting in 2013. He has played two AFC Asian Cup qualifiers in recent months, starting in a 2-1 win over Malaysia on June 13 and coming off the bench in a 2-2 draw at North Korea on Sept. 5.
Lebanon is five points clear atop Group B of AFC Asian Cup qualifying with three matches still to play between now and March 2018. The top two finishers in the group will advance to the AFC Asian Cup, Asia’s quadrennial national team tournament in which Lebanon made its lone appearance in 2000. The 2019 edition will be played from Jan. 5 to Feb. 1 in the United Arab Emirates.
8. Refuse to Lose
The Swope Park Rangers stretched their unbeaten run to four matches with a 2-2 draw at Rio Grande Valley FC on Saturday, reversing a two-goal deficit to move into a tie for second place in the USL's Western Conference. SPR fell behind 2-0 after 64 minutes but roared back in the late stages, cutting the deficit in half through an own goal in the 75th minute before Kharlton Belmar tallied a 91st-minute equalizer, his team-leading 14th goal of the campaign and his fifth in as many matches.
Led by head coach Nikola Popovic, the Rangers will visit OKC Energy FC (12-11-7, 43 points) in the penultimate match of their regular season campaign, slated for 5 p.m. CT Sunday at Taft Stadium in Oklahoma City. The contest will stream live on SportingKC.com.
9. The World Stage
Sporting KC’s 17-year-old homegrown defender Jaylin Lindsey has joined the U.S. U-17 Men's National Team for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, which will run from Oct. 6-28 in India. Lindsey and the U.S. U-17s begin group stage action against hosts India on Friday (9:30 a.m. CT), followed by matches against Ghana next Monday (6:30 a.m. CT) and Colombia on Oct. 12 (9:30 a.m. ET). Each of the Americans' group stage games will air live on FS2 and Universo.
A total of 24 countries participate in the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup, with the top two teams from each of the six groups, as well as the four best third-place teams, advancing to the Round of 16 from Oct. 16-18. The championship and third-place matches take place Saturday, Oct. 28, at the 66,600-capacity Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium in Kolkata.
10. Stars of the Future
The Sporting KC Academy is set to host the 2017-18 Generation adidas Cup West Region qualifying event this weekend, running from Friday through next Monday at Swope Soccer Village. The event will showcase elite youth talent from MLS academies at the U-15 and U-17 levels. Five other MLS academies will join the Sporting KC U-15s and U-17s in the West regional, with all teams slated to play three games this weekend.
All Generation adidas Cup matches are free and open to the public. Follow @SKCAcademy on Twitter and SportingKC.com for updates throughout the weekend.
11. Westlake Ace Up Your Sleeve
Sporting Kansas City fans can visit SportingKC.com/helpful to cast their vote for the Westlake Ace Hardware Helpful Moment of the Month. Individuals can choose among three nominees for the month of September, with each participant receiving a $7 coupon to Westlake Ace Hardware locations in the Kansas City area. The grand prize includes a $300 Westlake gift card, a Sporting KC replica jersey and two tickets to an upcoming match at Children's Mercy Park.
