Weekly Schedule: Sporting KC resumes USOC, MLS action this week

All times CT, subject to change

Following a break in the schedule for Copa America Centenario, Sporting Kansas City will return to action this week for two games in different competitions. The club first begins its Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title defense Wednesday, traveling to face Minnesota United FC (NASL) at National Sports Center in Blaine, Minnesota. The round of 32 matchup will kick off at 7 p.m. CT. Sporting Kansas City enters the 2016 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup as reigning champions of the tournament. The knockout-style competition has been held annually since 1914 and is the third-longest running open soccer tournament in the world.

Should Sporting KC defeat Minnesota United FC, the club will enter Thursday's Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup draw in which the remaining 16 teams will be placed in a set bracket for the remainder of the competition.

Eighth-place Sporting Kansas City (5-8-3, 18 points) will then resume its MLS regular season campaign on Sunday, hosting second-place FC Dallas (8-4-4, 28 points) at Children’s Mercy Park. The Western Conference clash will kick off at 4 p.m. CT and a limited number of tickets, including standing-room only tickets, are available via Ticketmaster.com or by calling 888-4KC-GOAL. ESPN and ESPN Deportes will air the match nationally with local coverage available on Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340. The Final Whistle Postgame Show will air at the conclusion of the match on 810 WHB. The first 10,000 fans through the gates at Children's Mercy Park will receive free rally towels courtesy of match sponsor Dairy Farmers of America.

Sporting Kansas City’s Matt Besler and Graham Zusi are with the United States Men’s National Team for the ongoing Copa America Centenario, a major international tournament headlined by the U.S., Mexico, Argentina and Colombia. The U.S. MNT earned two victories last week — with Zusi scoring in Tuesday’s 4-0 win over Costa Rica — to finish atop Group A and advance to the tournament quarterfinals. Led by head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, the U.S. will now face Ecuador at 8:30 p.m. CT Thursday in a match televised live from CenturyLink Field in Seattle on FS1, UniMas and Univision Deportes.

Jimmy Medranda and Jordi Quintilla will be at No Other Pub in the Kansas City Power & Light District tonight from 6-7:30 p.m. CT as Mexico and Venezuela square off in the Copa America Centenario. No Other Pub will continue its Copa America watch party special for the duration of the tournament, offering a complimentary appetizer to those who sign up and order any beer pitcher. The Copa America group stage ends Tuesday and the quarterfinals are slated for Thursday through Saturday.

The Swope Park Rangers continued their inaugural season in the United Soccer League on Sunday, falling 3-2 at Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2. The Rangers (4-6-2, 14 points) return to Children's Mercy Victory Field at Swope Soccer Village on Saturday, hosting Oklahoma City Energy FC (4-2-4, 16 points) at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com, by calling 888-4KC-GOAL or at the stadium box office on game day. The match will also be streamed live on SportingKC.com.

Children's Mercy Park will host a friendly between storied Mexican clubs C.F. Pachuca and Santos Laguna on June 21 in conjunction with Univision Kansas City, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City and the Consulate of Mexico in Kansas City. Tickets for the match, presented by Kansas City Southern, are now on sale via Ticketmaster.com. Ahead of the event, two Sporting KC players will appear at a marketing event for the match at 5 p.m. CT Tuesday at 241 South 18th St. in Kansas City, Kansas.

A new episode of the Sporting KC Show will air at 7 p.m. CT Tuesday on Sports Radio 810 WHB. Hosts Nate Bukaty and Carter Augustine will preview both of Sporting Kansas City's matches this week and look ahead to Thursday's Copa America Centenario showdown between the United States and Ecuador.

On Wednesday, two Sporting Kansas City players and two Swope Park Rangers players will appear at KC All-Stars, a special youth event at the Sprint Center hosted by Turn the Page KC. The players will join Kansas City Mayor Sly James from 1-3 p.m. CT to lead a day of sports-related activities that highlight why reading is important and fun.

Sporting Kansas City is proud to sponsor Boulevardia from Friday through Sunday in the historic West Bottoms. General admission single-day tickets are available online at Boulevardia.com for $15 (children 12 and under are free to attend). The food, music and beer festival will feature three days of programming that includes live entertainment, arts, crafts, family carnival, Eco-Expo, breweries, food trucks and much more. Sporting Kansas City’s Seth Sinovic, Justin Mapp, Chance Myers and Connor Hallisey will appear at the event Friday from 7-8:30 p.m. CT for autographs and photo opportunities with fans.

Sporting Kansas City’s Jordi Quintilla and Diego Rubio will appear at Fiesta Kansas City from 2-3:30 p.m. CT Saturday at the Crown Center Plaza (2450 Grand Blvd.) for autographs and photo opportunities with fans. Fiesta Kansas City is a Latino celebration that runs from Friday through Sunday, featuring live entertainment, delicious food, a host of vendors and more.

Sporting Kansas City is teaming up with Westlake Ace Hardware in June for the All-Star Patio Sweepstakes. One entrant will win Sporting KC merchandise, tickets to an upcoming match and a variety of patio essentials. Fans can enter the sweepstakes and learn more at SportingKC.com/westlakepatio.

Fans can visit amfam.com/sportingkc.com to enter a sweepstakes for a free, all-inclusive trip to see Sporting KC play at the defending MLS Cup champion Portland Timbers on Aug. 7. The winner will receive airfare for four, Sporting KC gear, four game tickets to the game, a $1,000 bank card, and two hotel rooms for two nights in close proximity to Providence park.

For news, photographs and instant updates throughout the 2016 season, follow Sporting KC on its Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat (sportingkc) accounts and visit the club's social media page.