Starting XI: Zlatan Calling

Starting XI, presented by StorageMart, 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.

Ike Opara’s 52nd-minute header helped Sporting KC (15-8-7, 52 points) to a 1-1 draw with Real Salt Lake (13-11-7, 46 points) on Sunday at Children’s Mercy Park. Rookie forward Corey Baird had fired the visitors ahead in the ninth minute before Opara restored parity early in the second half, effectively splitting the points in a tense battle between Western Conference rivals.

The result keeps second-place Sporting KC two points behind Western Conference leaders FC Dallas with four regular season games still to play. Real Salt Lake, meanwhile, holds a two-point cushion over the LA Galaxy for the sixth and last playoff spot heading into the decisive month of October.

2. Kalen’s Wish

Sunday was a special day for 18-year-old Kalen Ricketson, a Stillwater, Oklahoma, native who has battled osteosarcoma for the last three years. In conjunction with Sunday's Childhood Cancer Awareness Match, The Victory Project granted Ricketson his wish of becoming a Sporting KC player for a day. Ricketson's busy day as a member of Sporting KC consisted of the following highlights:

• Participation in pre-game warm-ups with players
• Joining Sporting KC players in the locker room before the game
• Participation in the pre-game walkout for player introductions
• Leading the "I Believe" chant at midfield before kickoff
• Sitting on the Sporting KC bench throughout the game
• Participation in post-game interviews on the field

Ricketson has battled bone cancer since being diagnosed in December 2015, when he underwent his first of 13 surgeries over the last three years. Click here to learn more about Ricketson's remarkable story, and visit KCStar.com for Sam McDowell's feature story on the teenager's experience of a lifetime at Children's Mercy Park.

3. Playoff Math

Let's jump right into this, shall we? Sporting KC can clinch a playoff berth Saturday if...

1. Sporting KC beats or ties LA Galaxy (7:30pm), OR
2. Toronto FC beats or ties Vancouver (4pm), AND
   Real Salt Lake ties Portland (8:30pm)

Heading into Week 32, Sporting KC's best-case scenario is to clinch a top-four spot. This outcome would ensure that Children's Mercy Park hosts its first playoff match since the 2013 MLS Cup. In order for this to happen as early as Saturday, Vermes' side must win and have Portland and RSL tie in a game that kicks off at 8:30 p.m. CT.

Sporting KC can clinch a top-four finish Saturday if...

1. Sporting KC beats LA Galaxy (7:30pm), AND
2. Real Salt Lake ties Portland (8:30pm)

4. Zlatan Calling

Sporting KC will aim to secure a club-record eighth straight playoff berth with a win or draw next Saturday as Children’s Mercy Park welcomes international soccer icon Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the Galaxy (12-11-8, 44 points) at 7:30 p.m. CT. A limited number of tickets for the highly anticipated showdown are available via SeatGeek.com or by calling 888-4KC-GOAL. The game will also air live on FOX Sports Kansas City, FOX Sports Midwest, FOX Sports GO, Sports Radio 810 WHB and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM.

5. Rangers at Republic

The two-time defending USL Western Conference champion Swope Park Rangers (14-10-8, 50 points) can secure a third straight playoff berth Wednesday when the club visits Sacramento Republic FC (16-7-8, 56 points) at Papa Murphy's Park. The game will kick off at 9:30 p.m. CT with a live stream on ESPN+. SPR currently occupies seventh place in the West, four points above the playoff line, while Sacramento sits comfortably in third with a playoff spot already clinched.

Led by head coach Paulo Nagamura, the Rangers will then close out the regular season against LA Galaxy II on Sunday, Oct. 14, at Children's Mercy Park. Tickets for the home finale are on sale at SeatGeek.com.

6. Celebrity Bartending

The Victory Project and Sporting KC will host Celebrity Bartending on Thursday at No Other Pub in the Kansas City Power & Light District (1370 Grand Blvd.). Sporting KC players Graham Zusi, Ike Opara, Yohan Croizet, Kharlton Belmar, Brad Evans, Graham Smith and Eric Dick will be in attendance to serve drinks, play games and interact with supporters, and funds raised through the event will go to The Victory Project in its mission to help children and families in the fight against cancer and other serious illnesses. No Other Pub will offer happy hour specials from 4-7 p.m., including $1 tacos, $2 off appetizers, $4 domestic draft beers and $4 select call cocktails, before Sporting KC players bartend and play games from 7-9 p.m.

7. PV’s Pinnacle

Manager Peter Vermes recently gave MLSsoccer.com's Susannah Collins an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour of Sporting KC's new Pinnacle training facility. Follow along in the video below.

8. Wild West

Sporting KC's draw with RSL may have left a bitter taste, but FC Dallas and LAFC also failed to win this weekend. First-place Dallas settled for a scoreless draw in Portland, while LAFC slipped to a surprise 3-1 defeat at the lowly Chicago Fire.

Click here for the latest look at the Western Conference playoff picture. The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds will earn byes to the two-legged conference semifinals, playing away on Nov. 4 and hosting on Nov. 11. The No. 3 and No. 4 seeds will host the single-elimination Knockout Round against the No. 6 and No. 5 seeds, respectively, on either Oct. 31 or Nov. 1.

9. Making a Statement

The New York Red Bulls earned a convincing 2-0 home win over Atlanta United FC on Sunday at Red Bull Arena, pulling within a point of their opponents in the Supporters' Shield standings. Atlanta occupies first place on 63 points, while New York lurks close behind on 62 points as the script flips to October. Both teams have three games left on their regular season slates.

10. Academy in Action

The Sporting KC Academy U-15s and U-17s will venture to BMO Training Ground in Toronto this weekend for 2018-19 Generation adidas Cup regional qualifying. The U-17s will kick off Group B play on Friday, facing perennial powerhouse FC Dallas at 1:30 p.m. CT, before rounding out the group stage against Columbus Crew SC at 1:30 p.m. CT Saturday and the Montreal Impact at 1 p.m. CT next Monday. The U-15s have also been placed in Group B at their age level, battling Toronto FC at 8:30 a.m. CT Friday, the Houston Dynamo at 8:30 a.m. CT Saturday and Columbus Crew SC next Monday at 11 a.m. CT.

11. Midweek Matchups

Matchday Two of the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League will take center stage this week, highlighted by a compelling slate of games between Europe's best clubs. See below for the high-profile tilts that will be televised live in English on TNT.

Games to Watch (Oct. 2-3, 2018)