Starting XI: Rapid Reckoning

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.

Another match, another clean sheet. Sporting Kansas City traveled north of the border and silenced defending Eastern Conference champion Toronto FC in Friday’s cold, blustery 0-0 draw at BMO Field. At 1-0-3, Manager Peter Vermes’ men are amidst the third-longest unbeaten streak to start a season in team history — thanks in large part to a league-best 0.25 goals against average through four games. Afterward, Vermes and Co. drew plenty of positives from another clean sheet and expressed confidence that more goals will come on the offensive end.

2. Rapid Reckoning

Sporting Kansas City is back home Sunday at 6 p.m. CT for a nationally televised showdown with the Colorado Rapids (1-1-1, 4 points) on FS1. Tickets for the Western Conference battle are on sale at SeatGeek.com, featuring a pair of MLS charter members set to renew their 21-year rivalry. Sporting KC brings an 11-game home unbeaten streak into the contest — an impressive run that includes eight wins and three draws dating back to 2016 — but the Rapids have won five straight in the series, including all three meetings last year. Sunday’s match will also air live on Sports Radio 810 WHB, ESPN 99.3 FM and La Grande 1340 AM.

3. Family 4 Pack

Sunday offers the perfect opportunity for families to enjoy a match at Children’s Mercy Park. Not only is the weather forecast gorgeous, but the Sporting KC Family 4 Pack is available for all groups looking to attend. For $125, families will receive four tickets, four Coca-Cola products, four hot dogs and four bags of chips for Sunday’s game against the Colorado Rapids. Click here for more information about the SKC Family 4 Pack, and call 888-4KC-GOAL for ticketing inquiries.

4. Fool Me Once

In case you (somehow) missed it, Sporting KC rookie Colton Storm fell victim to the motherlode of all April Fools’ Day pranks, when Dom Dwyer, Soony Saad and head coach Peter Vermes led him to believe he was set up for a date. The end result was absolutely golden, and received shout-outs courtesy of FOX Sports, MLS Soccer, NBC Sports and The Score. The catfish on Colton took the cake around MLS, though the Portland Timbers produced a solid April Fools’ Day effort themselves on teammate Jack Barmby.

5. Felipe Fancied

Swope Park Rangers midfielder and Sporting KC Academy product Felipe Hernandez has ventured to London for a training camp with the U.S. U-20 Men’s National Team. The week-long camp began today and marks Hernandez’s first stint with the U-20s, who continue preparations for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in May. Should the 18-year-old Hernandez make the World Cup squad, he will likely join U.S. U-20 captain and Sporting KC defender Erik Palmer-Brown for the tournament in South Korea from May 20 – June 11.

6. Sunday at Swope

The Swope Park Rangers are off this weekend, meaning their perfect 2-0-0 record will last until at least Saturday, April 15, when they host Sacramento Republic FC. Before then, SPR will scrimmage Rockhurst University on Sunday at Swope Soccer Village, with admission free and open to the public.

7. Gunning for the Cup

The Sporting KC Academy is on the cusp of the 2017 Generation adidas Cup, Major League Soccer's annual elite youth tournament for U-17 academy teams that showcases the best talent in the country. The prestigious competition begins Friday and runs through April 15 at Toyota Soccer Center in Frisco, Texas, where Sporting KC will begin pool play in Group B alongside LA Galaxy, German club Eintracht Frankfurt and Brazilian outfit Flamengo. Follow @SKCAcademy on Twitter for live updates throughout the tournament.

8. How Helpful

Today through Saturday, Sporting Kansas City fans can visit SportingKC.com/helpful to cast their vote for the Westlake Ace Hardware Helpful Moment of the Month. Individuals can choose among three nominees for the month of March, with each participant receiving a $7 coupon to Westlake Ace Hardware locations in the Kansas City area. The grand prize includes a $500 Westlake gift card, a Sporting KC replica jersey and two tickets to an upcoming match at Children's Mercy Park.

9. League Ledger

Sporting KC and Toronto kicked off another busy weekend of MLS soccer as 20 teams took the field in Week 5. Chicago midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger scored in his entertaining league debut, Minnesota United FC earned an emphatic first win at the expense of struggling RSL, Erick “Cubo” Torres and the Houston Dynamo bulldozed the Red Bulls, and Vancouver Whitecaps FC dealt LA Galaxy yet another loss. All that and more in from MLSsoccer.com’s Susannah Collins and Calen Carr, who break down all the action from Week 5, plus some April Fools’ Day shenanigans.

10. Crunch Time

FC Dallas and Vancouver Whitecaps FC continue their CONCACAF Champions League campaigns this week with all-important semifinal second legs against Mexican opposition. At 9 p.m. CT Tuesday, FC Dallas will take a 2-1 advantage to Pachuca with hopes of becoming just the third CCL finalist from MLS since CONCACAF adopted the current competition format in 2008. Vancouver will look to do the same at 9 p.m. CT Wednesday, but the Canadian side must overturn a 2-0 deficit to Tigres UANL on home turf.

11. Midweek Mayhem

As evidenced by the list below, countries across Europe feature a mouthwatering midweek slate of games over the next few days. In England, leaders Chelsea will look to erase Manchester City’s faint hopes of a title challenge while Tottenham, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United also jockey for Champions League positions. Elsewhere, the league race in Spain continues to unfold with usual suspects Barcelona and Real Madrid aiming for La Liga glory, Christian Pulisic and Borussia Dortmund continue their Bundesliga campaign, and the Coppa Italia wields a quartet of Italian heavyweights.

Games to Watch (April 4-6)