Preview: Sporting KC continues home swing Thursday against Philadelphia Union

Unbeaten in seven straight matches across all competitions, Sporting Kansas City (8-4-7, 31 points) will look to reclaim sole possession of first place in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference when they host the Philadelphia Union (6-7-4, 22 points) at 7:30 p.m. CT Thursday inside Children’s Mercy Park.

FOX Sports Kansas City and FOX Sports Midwest Plus will televise three hours of live coverage beginning at 7 p.m. CT, while local radio broadcasts will air on Sports Radio 810 WHB (English) and La Grande 1340 AM (Spanish). The interconference clash will also stream on FOX Sports GO with additional live updates available via the Sporting KC Uphoria app, where users can redeem a free box of Chips Ahoy cookies Thursday through Saturday at any Kansas City-area Price Chopper location.

Thursday's match is presented by the First Team Partners of Sporting KC, and the first 10,000 fans through the gates will receive a free Local Night poster. Additional Local Night features include food trucks from a variety of Kansas City establishments on the Sporting Plaza before kickoff, live music from KC musicians, a limited-edition Plaza-themed scarf at SportingStyle, and an "I Believe" pregame chant led by surprise guests. Tickets for the game are on sale at SeatGeek.com.

A hard-fought 1-1 draw against the Portland Timbers on Saturday pushed Sporting Kansas City’s club-record home undefeated run to 18 consecutive regular season matches. Homegrown forward Daniel Salloi came off the bench to net a 60th-minute equalizer — his first career MLS goal and his second strike this season in all competitions — before goalkeeper Tim Melia saved his league-leading third penalty kick of 2017, denying Portland’s Diego Valeri in the 74th minute to preserve a valuable point.

Tied with FC Dallas at the summit of the Western Conference, Sporting Kansas City has used a stifling defense and a deluge of dominant home performances to ascend the standings. The club has allowed just 13 goals through 19 games — three fewer than any other team — with Melia leading MLS in shutouts (nine) and save percentage (79.7). Center back Ike Opara has anchored the backline as an unquestioned colossus, scoring a team-best four goals during the month of June — including a pair in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Midfielder Benny Feilhaber remains one of the most prolific chance creators in MLS, while defensive midfielder Ilie has added supreme technical and tactical nous to Manager Peter Vermes’ side.

Thursday’s test won’t come without a few added obstacles for Sporting Kansas City. U.S. Men’s National Team trio Matt Besler, Dom Dwyer and Graham Zusi are on CONCACAF Gold Cup duty, while dynamic winger Gerso is listed as questionable after dislocating his shoulder in the first half of Saturday’s tie against Portland. Gerso tops the Sporting KC goal charts with six in MLS and eight overall, having scored in each of the club’s first two Open Cup victories. Elsewhere, midfielder Roger Espinoza will serve a one-game suspension due to yellow card accumulation.

Winners in six of their previous nine MLS matches, the Philadelphia Union will visit Kansas City with no shortage of confidence. A 3-0 dismantling of the New England Revolution on Sunday included goals from Ilsinho, Roland Alberg and former Sporting KC forward C.J. Sapong, who has already tied his regular season career-high with nine goals in 2017. Sapong is complemented by a pair of playmaking midfielders, as first-year Bosnian Haris Medunjanin is tied for fifth in MLS with seven assists and veteran Chris Pontius has contributed six assists of his own. In defense, 35-year-old former U.S. international Oguchi Onyewu serves as the lynchpin, having joined the club in January after more than a decade in Europe.

Led by fourth-year head coach Jim Curtin, the Union stuttered out of the gates en route to a 0-4-4 record by the end of April. Philadelphia has steered the ship in a more positive direction since then, going 6-3-0 with a plus-10 goal differential since the calendar turned to May. Curtin’s side has been tough to face on the road, as their seven away goals conceded are the fewest in MLS.

Sporting Kansas City leads the all-time series with a 6-5-5 record in all competitions, but has just one win in the last six matchups since 2014. The clubs notably met in the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final at Talen Energy Stadium, a gripping affair that Sporting KC won 7-6 on penalties after a 1-1 draw through regulation. The most recent meeting saw Philadelphia post a 2-0 home victory last August, receiving second-half goals from Alberg and Tranquillo Barnetta.

A mix of injuries and international obligations will prevent the Union from fielding a full-strength lineup on Thursday. Standout goalkeeper Andre Blake (Jamaica) and influential midfielder Alejandro Bedoya (USA) are representing their respective countries at the Gold Cup, while Warren Creavalle (hamstring), Jack Elliott (tibia) and Fabian Herbers (abdomen) are all questionable.