Starting XI: Vexed in Vancouver

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 fell 2-0 to Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday at BC Place as Cristian Techera and Tim Parker scored on either side of halftime. Despite the defeat, Sporting Kansas City (6-3-4, 22 points) remains atop the Western Conference standings, six points ahead of sixth-place Vancouver (5-5-1, 16 points). Graham Zusi notably finished with a game-high five chances created and completed all 35 of his passes, thus becoming just the second MLS player since 2010 to create at least five chances and finish with 100 percent passing accuracy in the same game.

2. Rapids Rematch

First-place Sporting Kansas City will return to the field Saturday when they face the Colorado Rapids ((2-8-1, 7 points) at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado. The match will kick off at 7 p.m. CT with three hours of live television coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m. on FOX Sports Kansas City and FOX Sports Midwest Plus. Local radio broadcasts will air live on ESPN 99.3 FM (English) and La Grande 1340 AM (Spanish), and The Final Whistle postgame show will air immediately after the match on 99.3 FM.

Sporting Kansas City won the first meeting between the sides on April 9, as Seth Sinovic, Dom Dwyer and Gerso scored in a 3-1 triumph at Children’s Mercy Park.

3. Stirring Start

Sporting Kansas City defender Erik Palmer-Brown and the U.S. U-20 Men’s National Team kicked off their 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup campaign with a 3-3 draw against Ecuador on Monday at Incheon Football Stadium in Incheon, Korea Republic. Palmer-Brown captained the side and played 90 minutes in central defense as the U.S. twice came from behind, using 17-year-old Josh Sargent’s brace and a 94th-minute equalizer from Luca De La Torre to rescue a precious point in the Group F opener.

Palmer-Brown and the U.S. return to Incheon Football Stadium on Thursday to face Senegal in their second group stage contest. Kickoff is set for 6 a.m. CT on FS1, FOX Sports GO and Telemundo. Ahead of the U-20 World Cup, Sports Illustrated’s Brian Strauss profiled how Palmer-Brown’s year abroad in Portugal in 2016 helped him mature as a player.

4. Can You Outsmart the Players?

Sports fans will have the opportunity to test their trivia knowledge against Sporting Kansas City players on Wednesday, May 31, when No Other Pub hosts Sports Trivia Night benefiting The Victory Project. Teams of 2-4 players will go head-to-head with the likes of Matt Besler, Graham Zusi, Seth Sinovic and Benny Feilhaber, with a variety of prizes up for grabs — including Sporting KC tickets, SportingStyle merchandise, No Other Pub gift cards and more. Teams will be quizzed on a wide range of topics covering several sports, not just soccer. Entry is $50 per team with all proceeds going to The Victory Project, the philanthropic arm of Sporting KC that unites players, coaches, staff and fans to help children battling cancer. Sign-up is open now at SportingKC.com/trivia.

5. Terrific Twosome

Hat-trick hero Gerso and goalkeeper Tim Melia received MLSsoccer.com Team of the Week honors on Monday for their stellar contributions in helping Sporting Kansas City take first place in the Western Conference. Gerso erupted for a second-half hat-trick in Wednesday’s 3-0 dismantling of Seattle Sounders FC — recording the seventh MLS hat-trick in club history and the first since 2010 — while Melia made 10 total saves against Seattle and Vancouver Whitecaps FC, including a penalty kick stop in Saturday’s 2-0 loss at BC Place that is up for MLS Save of the Week.

6. Rangers Return

Fresh off a bye week, the Swope Park Rangers (4-3-0, 12 points) will host unbeaten USL Western Conference leaders San Antonio FC (8-0-2, 26 points) on Friday at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets for the match at Children's Mercy Victory Field inside Swope Soccer Village are available via SeatGeek.com or at the venue box office prior to kickoff. The Rangers are a perfect 4-0-0 at home in 2017 and boast a nine-game winning run dating back to last season, the second-longest in USL history.

7. Playoff-Bound

The Sporting Kansas City Academy U-16s secured a spot in the 2016-17 U.S. Soccer Development Academy Playoffs on Sunday with a 1-1 draw against the Colorado Rapids at Swope Soccer Village. The result was enough for the U-16s to clinch a top-three finish in the Frontier Division and wrap up the postseason berth that goes with it. Earlier on Sunday, the Sporting KC U-18s earned a 1-1 draw of their own to retain third place, though the team still has work to do in its final two matches to ensure a postseason appearance.

8. Favorable Results

Another unpredictable weekend in MLS saw the top four teams in the Western Conference lose, as Sporting KC kept hold of first place after the Houston Dynamo, FC Dallas and Portland Timbers all stumbled to defeats. Perhaps the most surprising result was San Jose’s 1-0 away win in Frisco, which handed FC Dallas its first loss of 2017. Gerso wasn’t the only hat-trick hero either, as Miguel Almiron bagged a treble in Atlanta’s runaway win over Houston. Charles Boehm provides a comprehensive recap at MLSsoccer.com, while Andrew Wiebe joins Susannah Collins for the latest episode of This Week in MLS. Elsewhere, FOX Soccer’s Caitlin Murray shared her seven takeaways from Week 12.

9. Stockholm Showdown

A spot in the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League is up for grabs Wednesday when Dutch giant Ajax faces Manchester United in the 2016-17 UEFA Europa League Final at Friends Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. Kickoff is set for 1:45 p.m. CT on FS1 as two storied European clubs aim to end their respective seasons with another continental honor to add to their expansive trophy cabinets. Sky Sports’ Adam Smith provides a tactical preview of the matchup as Manchester United looks to become the fifth English side to compete in next season’s Champions League.

10. Champions Crowned

Champions in Europe’s top five leagues were crowned over the weekend as Chelsea (England), Real Madrid (Spain), Bayern Munich (Germany) and Monaco (France) ended their triumphant domestic campaigns with victories, while Juventus (Italy) clinched a sixth straight Serie A title with one game to spare. The gripping race for Champions League spots in England was also decided, as Manchester City and Liverpool won Sunday to edge Arsenal for third and fourth place in the Premier League, joining Chelsea and Tottenham at the top of the table.

11. Perfect Your Patio

Sporting Kansas City is teaming up with Westlake Ace Hardware in May for the All-Star Patio Sweepstakes. One entrant will win Sporting KC merchandise, tickets to an upcoming match and a variety of patio essentials. Fans can enter the sweepstakes and learn more at SportingKC.com/westlakepatio.

Games to Watch (May 23-25)