Starting XI: Sunday Salute

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.

Sporting Kansas City (9-4-9, 36 points) and Atlanta United FC (10-7-4, 34 points) will lock horns in their inaugural MLS meeting on Sunday at Children's Mercy Park. The high-profile interconference showdown will kick off at 7 p.m. CT on FS1 and FOX Deportes with local radio broadcasts on Sports Radio 810 WHB (English) and La Grande 1340 AM (Spanish).

Statistically speaking, Sunday’s match will pit the best offensive team against the best defensive team in MLS. Atlanta leads MLS with 41 goals scored, while Sporting KC has conceded a league-low 17 goals through 22 games. Sporting KC has reclaimed first place in the Western Conference and is riding a club-record 20-game home unbeaten streak in the MLS regular season, the sixth-longest in league history. Tasked with breaking that streak is Atlanta United FC, an expansion team guided by MLS All-Star Miguel Almiron (eight goals, nine assists), elite playmaker Hector Villalba (10 goals, four assists) and famous Argentine coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino.

2. Sunday Salute

Service personnel across all branches of the United States military will be honored Sunday when Sporting KC hosts Sporting Salutes, an immersive military appreciation night at Children’s Mercy Park. Sporting Salutes will run in conjunction with Sporting KC’s match against Atlanta United FC, set for 7 p.m. CT on FS1 and FOX Deportes. Additionally, Sunday’s game will be broadcast globally on the Armed Forces Network, giving American servicemen and servicewomen the opportunity to watch from across the world.

With nearly 140,000 military veterans living in the Kansas City metropolitan area, Sporting Salutes will give the club and its supporters the opportunity to express gratitude to those who have served our country. Click here to learn more about Sporting Salutes commemorative programming, which will include camouflage-colored merchandise, on-field ceremonies and much more.

3. Striker Sidelined

Sporting KC forward Cameron Porter suffered a broken fibula and ligament damage in his right ankle during training on Tuesday and will miss the remainder of the 2017 season, the club announced Wednesday. Porter is scheduled to undergo reconstructive surgery next Tuesday under the care of Dr. Kirk McCullough at the Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Clinic of Kansas City.

Porter, 24, has made two appearances this season for Sporting Kansas City, including a start in a 2-0 road win over the Houston Dynamo in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 on June 28. The Princeton University product has played eight matches in all competitions since joining Sporting Kansas City in July 2016, having previously spent his first two professional seasons with the Montreal Impact.

4. Shoot for the Stars

Sporting KC defender Graham Zusi started and played 45 minutes on Tuesday in the 2017 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target, contributing to a first-half shutout for the MLS All-Stars in a penalty shootout defeat to Real Madrid at sold-out Soldier Field in Chicago. Making his fifth All-Star Game appearance since 2012, The right back put in a solid shift throughout the first period, helping limit the Spanish giants to just two shots on goal before exiting at halftime.

The match would end 1-1 through regulation, setting the stage for a penalty-kick shootout in which Real Madrid prevailed 4-2. The All-Star Game proved to be a timely showcase for Chicago as Real Madrid's legendary manager Zinedine Zidane came away with great impressions of Major League Soccer's growth and improvement.

5. Homegrown Heroics

Sporting KC center back Erik Palmer-Brown played 45 second-half minutes on Tuesday in the 2017 MLS Homegrown Game at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois. The MLS Homegrowns scored really early and really late — taking the lead in the first minute through Djordje Mihailovic before Kortne Ford salvaged a 93rd-minute equalizer — to bookend a pair of goals from the Chivas de Guadalajara U-20s in a matchup that showcased the best Homegrown talent in Major League Soccer. The 20-year-old Palmer-Brown entered the action as a halftime substitute, making his second Homegrown Game appearance after starting in the 2015 edition.

6. Impossible is Nothing

On Wednesday, adidas and Major League Soccer announced the extension of their long-term partnership through 2024. The six-year deal reflects adidas' largest soccer investment in North America, making it the official supplier partner for the league, its clubs, MLS youth academies and all youth-affiliated clubs. The partnership extension will see adidas continue to outfit all MLS teams and their affiliates with uniforms, footwear, training gear and sideline apparel. Click here for all the details on Wednesday's major announcement.

7. Rivalry Renewed

The Swope Park Rangers (12-5-2, 38 points) will renew an in-state rivalry when they travel to face Saint Louis FC (6-8-4, 22 points) on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT at World Wide Technology Soccer Park in Fenton, Missouri, streaming live on SportingKC.com. The Rangers, who have won seven if their last eight games and currently occupy third place in the United Soccer League's Western Conference, played Saint Louis FC four times in 2016. Yet Saturday will mark the only regular season meeting of 2017, as Saint Louis FC moved to the Eastern Conference ahead of the 2017 campaign.

8. Flip Cup Fiends

Sporting KC welcomes all supporters to join the club on Friday for a First Fridays Block Party in the Crossroads near downtown Kansas City. The event will run from 6-10 p.m. CT, including free drinks, music, yard games and Sporting KC player appearances as part of a VIP experience. Additionally, Sporting KC fans in attendance will attempt to set a new world record for the largest Flip Cup competition. The Flip Cup competition will begin at 7:30 p.m. CT, and individuals aged 21 and older wishing to participate can sign up by visiting SportingKC.com/flipcup.

9. Help Us Help You

Sporting Kansas City fans can visit SportingKC.com/helpful this week to cast their vote for the Westlake Ace Hardware Helpful Moment of the Month. Individuals can choose among three nominees for the month of July, 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.

10. VAR Overview

Saturday marks the beginning of a new era in Major League Soccer, as Video Assistant Referees (VAR) will be used for all MLS matches starting this weekend. Howard Webb, a former referee who notably called the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final, recently discussed how VAR will be implemented in coordination with Major League Soccer and the Professional Referee Organization (PRO). Webb joined PRO as Manager of Video Assistant Referee Operations in February. Going forward, a communications system will allow the VAR to alert and advise the head referee of clear errors in four types of “game-changing” situations: Goals, penalty calls, direct red-card incidents and cases of mistaken identity.

11. Cincy Cinderella

FC Cincinnati's Cinderella story in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup continued Wednesday when the USL side defeated NASL outfit Miami FC by a 1-0 scoreline. FC Cincinnati becomes the first lower-division team to reach the U.S. Open Cup semifinals since 2011 and will now be rewarded with a home date against the New York Red Bulls, slated for Aug. 15 at Nippert Stadium. The winner of that match will face either Sporting Kansas City or the San Jose Earthquakes, who go head-to-head in next Wednesday's semifinal at Children's Mercy Park.

Games to Watch (Aug. 4-7)