Preview: Sporting KC opens 2017 MLS regular season Saturday at D.C. United

The 2017 MLS regular season kicks off Saturday for a pair of MLS charter members when Sporting Kansas City visits the nation's capital to face D.C. United at historic RFK Stadium.

The interconference match is set for 6 p.m. CT with three hours of live coverage beginning at 5:30 p.m. on FOX Sports Kansas City and FOX Sports Midwest, the new television home of Sporting KC. Sports Radio 810 WHB (English) and La Grande 1340 AM (Spanish) will also air live broadcasts, while mobile users can watch a live stream on FOX Sports GO and follow along via the Sporting KC Uphoria app. Additional in-game updates will be available on SportingKC.com's Matchday Central.

The official watch party for Saturday's match will be held at No Other Pub in the Kansas City Power & Light District, featuring $4 Bud Light draughts and an all-inclusive food and beverage buffet. Supporters are encouraged to arrive early at No Other Pub to secure seating.

Sporting Kansas City enters the new campaign on a club-record six-year playoff streak under Manager Peter Vermes. The longest tenured head coach in MLS oversaw a busy offseason as the club welcomed 10 newcomers and parted ways with 13 players from last year’s squad. Vermes’ men ended 2016 in gut-wrenching fashion, narrowly falling to eventual MLS Cup champion Seattle Sounders FC for their third straight exit in the win-or-go-home Knockout Round.

• Roger Espinoza: "Expectations are very high"

D.C. United boast a rich history with four MLS Cups in their trophy cabinet, the last of which came in 2004 against Kansas City. Head coach Ben Olsen guided D.C. to a fourth-place finish in the Eastern Conference last season before falling at home to Montreal Impact in the Knockout Round. Arguably no team enjoyed a better end to the year than D.C., who slumbered into August below the red line but caught fire down the stretch. Sparked by mid-summer acquisition Patrick Mullins, D.C. lost just two of its final 13 matches while averaging 2.54 goals per game during the torrid stretch.

Despite significant turnover from a year ago, Sporting Kansas City retains a veteran core of accomplished MLS players. Forward Dom Dwyer has bagged 50 MLS goals since the start of 2014, while midfield talisman Benny Feilhaber has notched a league-best 34 assists in that time. Matt Besler and Graham Zusi remain in the national team picture, as does Honduran midfielder Roger Espinoza.

Further anticipation for 2017 stems from a slew of fresh faces in Kansas City. Gerso Fernandes and Latif Blessing have been tabbed to provide speed in attack, while Barcelona-born holding midfielder Ilie (pronounced ILL-ee-yeh) brings almost a decade of experience from Europe.

• Peter Vermes: "There are some exciting players within the group"

D.C.’s offseason was relatively quiet in comparison. Goalkeeper Bill Hamid will likely be protected by a patented back four of Taylor Kemp, Sean Franklin, Steve Birnbaum and Nick DeLeon — all of whom started at least 27 games in 2016. Mullins scored eight goals during the latter half of last season and Boca Juniors import Luciano Acosta pulled the midfield strings to the tune of a team-best 11 assists. Elsewhere, Lloyd Sam and Patrick Nyarko add pace and width going forward.

The sides last met on May 27, 2016 at Children's Mercy Park. Alhaji Kamara scored just 33 seconds into his MLS debut, beating goalkeeper Tim Melia in the 86th minute to give D.C. the 1-0 road win. Sporting KC has just one loss in its last six visits to RFK Stadium since 2011, having conceded just three goals during that stretch. The Black-and-Red hold a 21-20-12 advantage in the all-time regular season series.

Remarkably, Sporting KC and D.C. have squared off in seven previous season openers. Sporting KC has won each of the last five, making victorious starts at the expense of D.C. in 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2012. No team has more season-opening wins than Sporting KC’s 13. The club is 13-5-3 all-time in Week 1.

Neither team is hampered by injuries as Saturday’s clash approaches. Sporting KC will be without long-term absentee Diego Rubio, who continues to recover from offseason ACL surgery, while D.C. will miss MLS SuperDraft selection Chris Odoi-Atsem due to a calf injury.