Starting XI: Sinking Salt Lake

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 opened their U.S. Open Cup title defense with a 2-0 victory last night over Real Salt Lake. Johnny Russell scored and assisted for Sporting KC in his first game back with the team after traveling to Mexico with the Scotland Men’s National team. Kharlton Belmar also scored and assisted in his first club start. Sporting KC Manager Peter Vermes played several players outside of his usual starting XI and used four homegrown players in the game, the most to appear in a match in club history.

2. Back With a Bang

Johnny Russell has returned to the U.S. after competing with the Scotland Men’s National Team, having played the full 90 minutes against Mexico on Saturday. In the U.S. Open Cup Fourth Round last night versus Real Salt Lake, Russell scored a spectacular header in the 47th minute to put Sporting KC ahead 1-0 — this was his team-leading sixth goal of the year — and assisted Kharlton Belmar’s goal in the 74th.

3. Teens Make History

The U.S. Open Cup match against Real Salt Lake last night marked the second time in history that three homegrown players started for Sporting KC in a competitive match. Jaylin Lindsey, only 18-years-old, started his first match for Sporting KC at right back in a 5-4-1 formation and constantly attacked the flanks. Gianluca Busio, only 16-years-old, started the match in midfield and earned his first appearance for the club. Wan Kuzain Wan Kamal, 19-years-old, earned his first start for Sporting KC as the teenagers grew with confidence as the match wore on.

4. Busio’s Debut

Gianluca Busio is the youngest player on Sporting KC’s roster, at 16 years of age. Last night, Busio made his Sporting KC debut in the fourth round of the U.S. Open Cup, becoming the youngest player to appear in a competitive match for the club. Busio, a product of the Sporting Academy, earned his spot in the starting lineup.

“One, he was very confident and two, he made good decisions with the ball,” Sporting KC Manager Peter Vermes said postgame. “He’s a very mature kid for his age. You have to be (that mature) to be out in that environment and do well.”

5. Besler Brothers

With MLS road trips ahead on Saturday for two of the top in the Western Conference, both Sporting KC and RSL rotated their rosters with a mix of first team regulars and young newcomers in the mid-week match, highlighted by brothers Nick Besler and Matt Besler squaring off on opposite sides. The Besler brothers faced each other for the first time in their professional careers.

6. Home Field Advantage

After a triumphant 2-0 win over Real Salt Lake last night, Sporting KC will look to continue their defense of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at 8 p.m. CT on Saturday, June 16 at Children’s Mercy Park. Reigning champion Sporting KC will face fellow MLS club FC Dallas in the fifth round of the knockout-style tournament. Sporting KC met FC Dallas in the 2017 U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals at Children’s Mercy Park last July, coming out with a 3-0 victory in extra time. Tickets for the Open Cup are included in Sporting KC Season Ticket Member packages as game A. Single game tickets will go on sale to the general public beginning at 10 a.m. CT on Friday via SeatGeek.com.

7. Will Matt Make History?

Matt Besler has been a staple of soccer in Kansas City for nearly ten years now. Drafted by the then-Kansas City Wizards in 2009, Besler has shown consistency and reliability since his introduction to the MLS when he was only 22 years old. Sporting KC’s captain is expected to break the record for all-time regular appearances for Sporting KC, surpassing legend Davy Arnaud with his 241st game. Besler might break that record on Saturday against the Portland Timbers.

8. Vote Sporting

Online voting for the 2018 MLS All-Star game begins tomorrow at 9 a.m. CT on MLSsoccer.com. Voting on the new MLS App can still occur until this Friday, June 8. Sporting KC has eight players eligible for voting:

• Goalkeeper: Tim Melia
• Defenders: Matt Besler, Ike Opara and Graham Zusi
• Midfielders: Roger Espinoza and Ilie Sanchez
• Forwards: Johnny Russell and Daniel Salloi

Voting will run until June 20. The MLS All-Stars are set to take on seven-time defending Italian Champions Juventus at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Aug. 1 in the 2018 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target.

9. Rangers Roll Onward

Highlighted by an event called the “Father’s Day Cup,” the next Rangers home game will serve as an early Father’s Day celebration next Wednesday, June 13, at Children’s Mercy Park. Fans can get their hands on a limited-edition soccer scarf for the game. The scarf package is a $25 deal that includes a soccer scarf and one general admission ticket as the Rangers face USL Western Conference leaders Real Monarchs. Tickets are now available at SeatGeek.com.

Before then, the Rangers will travel to face Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC at 7 p.m. CT Saturday, with the game streaming live on ESPN+.

10. Academy Playoffs Set

The Sporting KC Academy U-19s and U-17s have earned their spot in the 2018 U.S. Soccer Development Academy Playoffs In Oceanside, California. Group stage and quarterfinal matches will take place at the SoCal Sports Complex on June 18-26. The U-17’s and U-19’s finished with an identical record at 15-7-4, placing third in the Central Conference’s Frontier Division. The tournament will split 32 academy clubs at each age level into eight groups of four for three round-robin games. Each first-place finisher will advance to a quarterfinal match on June 25-26. Winners of the quarterfinal matches in Oceanside will then travel to Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, Missouri for the semifinals on July 8, and championship match on July 10. More information regarding group matchups can be located here.

11. World Cup Countdown

The 2018 FIFA World Cup begins in less than a week, running June 14 to July 15 in Russia. A total of 32 teams will take part in the competition. FIFA World Cup matches will be held in 11 cities around Russia. From the opening match on June 14 to the final on July 15, No Other Pub in the Kansas City Power and Light District downtown will be Sporting KC’s World Cup headquarters throughout the 2018 FIFA World Cup this summer.

Games to Watch (June 8-10, 2018)