Starting XI: Great Scot

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.

Forward Johnny Russell scored a hat-trick and Sporting KC tied its largest margin of victory in club history with a rampant 6-0 win over nine-man Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Friday night at Children’s Mercy Park. Jimmy Medranda, Cristian Lobato and Yohan Croizet also got in on the scoring act for a dominant Sporting KC side (5-1-2, 17 points) that went seven points clear atop the Western Conference and pushed its unbeaten streak to seven matches.

Friday’s historic performance saw Sporting KC rewrite the team record books, tying single-game highs in goals, shot attempts (34) and shots on target (14). Russell’s hat-trick was the eighth in Kansas City regular season history — and just the second in 2010

2. Best of the Bunch

The MLSsoccer.com Team of the Week includes two players who starred in Sporting KC’s 6-0 demolition of Vancouver. Fellow newcomers Johnny Russell and Yohan Croizet were selected among the best performers in Week 8 on Monday, adding gloss to a historic result that set or equaled multiple club records. 

Russell is a bona fide MLS Player of the Week candidate, having bagged a hat-trick and earned a penalty as the scintillating star of Friday’s show. Croizet, meanwhile, tallied his first goal and assist in a Sporting KC uniform, setting up Cristian Lobato with a brilliant cross before slotting home in the 77th minute to give the rampant hosts their final goal of the night. The 26-year-old Croizet is the third Sporting KC player this season to deliver the Audi Player Index Performance of the Week, following in the footsteps of midfielder Felipe Gutierrez (Week 4) and goalkeeper Tim Melia (Week 6).

3. Medranda Magic

After a wild Week 8 in Major League Soccer that produced 46 goals from coast to coast, Jimmy Medranda's long-range thunderbolt is on the ballot for AT&T MLS Goal of the Week. The Sporting KC left back contributed to Friday's victory in emphatic style, unleashing a 30-yard rocket that screamed past Vancouver goalkeeper Stefan Marinovic in the 30th minute of a one-sided affair at Children's Mercy Park. Fans can click here to vote Medranda for MLS Goal of the Week through 2 p.m. CT Wednesday.

4. Always Ascending

While Sporting KC were making history as a team, captain Matt Besler was making individual history of his own. The Kansas City-born center back moved into first place all-time on the club’s regular season charts in matches started (228) and minutes played (20,551), passing current assistant coach Kerry Zavagnin as the leader in both categories.

5. Revs Next

Manager Peter Vermes' men will now begin preparations for Saturday's road match at the New England Revolution, slated for 6:30 p.m. CT at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. FOX Sports Kansas City Plus and FOX Sports Midwest Plus will televise three hours of live coverage on Saturday beginning at 6 p.m. CT. 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. The match will also stream live on FOX Sports GO for viewers within the FOX Sports KC/Midwest footprint and on ESPN+ across the rest of the United States. Immediately afterward, The Final Whistle postgame show will air on 810 WHB.

All supporters are invited to attend the official watch party for Saturday's match at No Other Pub in the Kansas City Power & Light District (1370 Grand Blvd.). Watch party programming includes Sporting KC ticket giveaways, $4 Bud Light drafts and an all-you-can-eat buffet with bottomless soda and domestic draft beers.

6. Fan Forum

Sporting Kansas City CEO & President Jake Reid, captain Matt Besler, winger Johnny Russell and homegrown forward Daniel Salloi will participate in a Fan Forum on Tuesday, May 1 at No Other Pub in the Kansas City Power & Light District, giving supporters of all ages the opportunity to interact first-hand with club representatives. The event will see Reid, Besler, Russell and Salloi answer questions and engage with fans in attendance, making for an interactive and open-ended conversation. The Fan Forum will begin at 6 p.m. CT inside No Other Pub, and attendance is free for a limited number of fans who RSVP at SportingKC.com/forum.

7. Belmar Brace

Kharlton Belmar continued his flying start to the 2018 USL campaign with two goals on Saturday as the Rangers earned a 2-2 draw at Phoenix Rising FC. Billy Forbes opened the scoring for the home side in the 66th minute before Belmar, the league’s leading goal scorer and reigning Player of the Month, responded for SPR with his third brace of the season. The Rangers were poised for victory until Solomon Asante came to the Rising’s rescue, netting his fourth goal of the year in the 90th minute.

8. Young Guns

The Sporting KC Academy played a pair of tripleheaders in Colorado this weekend as the stretch run of the 2017-18 U.S. Soccer Development Academy season continued. The Sporting KC U-15s, U-17s and U-19s each collected victories in a clean sweep of the Colorado Rush on Saturday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Sunday’s matches against Real Colorado provided sterner tests, as the U-17s and U-19s earned 1-1 draws while the U-15s took a narrow defeat.

9. Toyota Tour

From 2-4 p.m. CT on Saturday, Sporting KC fans of all ages are welcome to attend the second stop of the 2018 Toyota Tour at Legends Toyota in Kansas City, Kansas (10100 Parallel Pkwy.). Supporters will have photograph opportunities with the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup trophy and club mascot Blue. All in attendance will also have a chance to win a "Blue Carpet" VIP suite experience to Sporting KC's home match on June 23 against the Houston Dynamo.

10. Judgment Day

Toronto FC's impressive run in the 2018 Concacaf Champions League will come to a close Wednesday when the Canadian side looks to overturn a 2-1 deficit in the decisive second leg of the finals against Mexican club Chivas de Guadalajara. Kickoff at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara is slated for 8:30 p.m. CT on Univision Deportes and Go90.com. As defending MLS Cup champions, Toronto FC are looking to become the first MLS club to win the Concacaf Champions League.

11. Arsene Out

A managerial legend is finally set to leave his long-held post at one of England's most successful clubs. Arsene Wenger, who has presided over Arsenal FC since 1996, announced Friday that he will step down from the position at the end of the season. Wenger is Arsenal's longest-serving and most successful manager of all time, having won three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups during his 22-year tenure. The Frenchman's departure has spurred a wave of thanks and gratitude from players and fellow coaches who have competed for and against him over the last two decades.

Games to Watch (April 24-26, 2018)