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.
1. Shivers with Seattle
Sporting KC (4-1-2, 14 points) went four points clear at the top of the Western Conference following a 2-2 draw with Seattle Sounders FC (0-3-1, 1 point) on Sunday afternoon at frigid Children’s Mercy Park. Ilie’s 34th-minute penalty kick gave Sporting KC the lead before Will Bruin bagged Seattle’s first goal of the season on the stroke of halftime to level proceedings. The Sounders surged ahead on Cristian Roldan’s strike in the 73rd minute, but Graham Zusi restored parity five minutes later as Sporting KC extended its unbeaten run to six matches and kept Seattle winless in 2018.
Sunday’s affair was the coldest regular season home game in Kansas City history, with temperatures at 32 degrees when the teams kicked off before a nationally televised audience on ESPN.
2. Preki was Here
When Seattle Sounders FC returned to Children's Mercy Park on Sunday, so too did a Sporting Legend and one of Kansas City's greatest soccer players ever. Preki, who starred for the Wizards from 1996-2000 and 2002-2005, made the trip to Kansas City this weekend as a Sounders assistant coach. SportingKC.com caught up with Preki for a Q&A on Saturday, one day before his team earned its first point of the season.
3. Friday Night Lights
Sporting KC will play its second straight home game on Friday, hosting Vancouver Whitecaps FC (3-3-1, 10 points) at 8 p.m. CT. Tickets for the matchup are available via SeatGeek.com, and the first 10,000 fans through the stadium gates will receive a Tim Melia bobblehead courtesy of match sponsor Mark One Electric.
FOX Sports Kansas City Plus and FOX Sports Midwest Plus will air three hours of live coverage on Friday beginning at 7:30 p.m. CT. The game will also be joined in progress on FOX Sports Kansas City after the conclusion of Kansas City Royals baseball. Local radio broadcasts will air on Sports Radio 810 WHB (English) and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM (Spanish), while the Sporting KC Uphoria app will provide live updates and an exclusive offer for free Ben & Jerry's ice cream at Kansas City area Price Chopper locations. Friday additionally serves as Sporting KC College Night, featuring ticket and scarf packages for students at local colleges and universities.
4. Spanish Conquest
Sporting KC Homegrown Player Gianluca Busio has joined the United States U-17 Men’s National Team for the 2018 Sportchain Cup in Benicassim, Spain. Busio and the U.S. U-17s played their first of four games in the tournament earlier today, defeating India 1-0. The 15-year-old will remain with the U-17 MNT for the rest of the week, with the squad facing Norway on Tuesday and Saturday as well as India again on Thursday. All matches will take place at the FACSA Sports Centre in Benicassim.
5. Reid Recognized
On Wednesday, Sporting KC CEO and President Jake Reid will be recognized at the Sport Business Journal 2018 Forty Under 40 Awards during a ceremony at the JW Marriott Los Angeles. Reid earned the accolade in February for excellence and innovation in his role at Sporting KC, where he has helped the club experience substantial growth in season ticket sales, corporate sponsorships and merchandise and concession revenue since joining the organization in 2010.
6. Day of Giving
Scooter's Coffee is set to host its fifth #CoffeeKicksCancer donation day for The Victory Project, an initiative from Sporting KC that unites players, staff and fans to help children battling cancer. On Friday, Kansas City area Scooter’s Coffee locations will donate 20 percent of proceeds to the foundation to help further its mission. That same day, Scooter's Coffee will celebrate the grand opening of its new cafe in Gardner, Kansas (1850 E. Santa Fe Dr.) with a a Day of Giving, donating 100 percent of the location's proceeds to The Victory Project.
7. Swope Tripleheader
The Sporting KC Academy went unbeaten in its tripleheader against Houston Dynamo Youth on Saturday at Swope Soccer Village. The U-15s kicked off the day with a 2-2 tie before the U-17s prevailed 4-0 and the U-19s earned a wild 4-4 draw. All three teams will play twice this coming weekend in Colorado, facing the Colorado Rush on Saturday at Aurora Sports Park before meeting Real Colorado on Sunday at Real Colorado Soccer Complex. Follow the Sporting KC Academy on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat (skcacademy) for live updates this weekend and throughout the year.
8. Summarizing Week 7
The dust settled on Week 7 with Sporting KC holding a four-point lead at the top of the Western Conference. Among the matchups that shaped the conference race was Vancouver's 2-0 home loss to LAFC, LA Galaxy's 1-0 road victory over Chicago, FC Dallas' scrappy 1-0 road win at New England, Portland's 3-2 defeat of Minnesota and San Jose's 2-2 stalemate with Houston. MLSsoccer.com's Charles Boehm tells us what else we might have missed in Week 7, while Bobby Warshaw took a look at the weekend's biggest storylines.
9. Toronto’s Turn?
After defeating Mexican giants Tigres UANL and Club America in recent weeks, Toronto FC aims to become the first MLS club to win the Concacaf Champions League title when they meet Chivas de Guadalajara in the first leg of the final Tuesday at BMO Field. Kickoff is set for 7:15 p.m. CT on Univision Deportes and Go90.com.
10. Semifinals Set
The semifinal matchups of Europe's most prestigious cup competition are set. Liverpool will face Roma and Real Madrid will meet Bayern Munich in the semifinals of the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League. The first legs will be played next Tuesday and Wednesday, April 24-25, before the second legs decide the ties on May 1-2. Twelve-time winners Real Madrid are looking for their third straight UEFA Champions League title, while Liverpool and Bayern have both won the competition five times in their histories. Roma has yet to win a Champions League crown.
11. Good Samaritan
Sporting KC and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City are teaming up in 2018 to recognize Blue KC Sporting Samaritans, honoring students and teachers who make the Kansas City community a better place to live, work and play. Once a month, a Samaritan will be recognized on the pitch at Children's Mercy Park before a Sporting KC home game. The Samaritan and a limited number of guests will receive a behind the scenes VIP experience with a wide variety of all-inclusive perks. Supporters can nominate members of their community to be the next Blue KC Sporting Samaritan at SportingKC.com/bluekc.
Games to Watch (April 17-19, 2018)
| DAY / TIME (CT) | GAME | COMPETITION | CHANNEL |
| Tuesday, 1:45pm | Brighton vs. Tottenham | English Premier League | NBCSN |
| Tuesday, 1:45pm | Bayer Leverkusen vs. Bayern Munich | German DFB Pokal | ESPN3 |
| Tuesday, 2pm | Celta Vigo vs. Barcelona | Spanish La Liga | beIN SPORTS |
| Tuesday, 7pm | Toronto FC vs. Chivas de Guadalajara | Concacaf Champions League | Univision Deportes, Go90.com |
| Wednesday, 1:45pm | Bournemouth vs. Manchester United | English Premier League | NBCSN |
| Wednesday, 1:45pm | Schalke vs. Eintracht Frankfurt | German DFB Pokal | ESPN3 |
| Wednesday, 2:30pm | Real Madrid vs. Athletic Bilbao | Spanish La Liga | beIN SPORTS |
| Thursday, 1:45pm | Burnley vs. Chelsea | English Premier League | NBCSN |
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