Starting XI: Naga's the Boss

Starting XI, presented by Ford, 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.

Paulo Nagamura has been named the new head coach of the Swope Park Rangers, the club announced this afternoon. Nagamura, a former midfielder for Sporting Kansas City, becomes the third head coach in Rangers history after serving as an assistant for the club in 2017. This season he helped guide SPR to their second straight Western Conference championship and an appearance in the 2017 USL Cup Final.

Upon his retirement as a heralded player for Sporting KC, Nagamura began his coaching career at the start of 2017 under Swope Park Rangers head coach Nikola Popovic. The Rangers ended the regular season with a 17-8-7 record and became the first team in USL history to make two consecutive appearances in the USL Cup Final, narrowly falling 1-0 at Louisville City FC in the championship game on Nov. 13.

2. Cameron Onboard

Sporting KC announced on Friday that Meghan Cameron has joined the club’s technical staff as Assistant Director of Player Personnel. Cameron will work directly with Sporting KC Director of Player Personnel Brian Bliss, specializing in roster and budget management while also holding a player development and scouting role for Sporting KC, the Swope Park Rangers and the Sporting KC Academy.

As the Kansas City Star's Sam McDowell writes, Cameron's appointment makes her one of the highest-ranking females on a Major League Soccer technical staff.

3. Captain's Chronicles

Sporting KC captain Matt Besler will be at No Other Pub this Wednesday to sign copies of his new book, No Other Home. The book signing will take place from 6-7:30 p.m. CT and copies will be available for purchase inside No Other Pub.

No Other Home is a collection of short stories, poignant moments, anecdotes and quotes that have resonated strongly throughout Besler's childhood and professional career as a defender for Sporting KC and the U.S. Men's National Team. The Overland Park, Kansas native reflects on his experiences on and off the pitch, offers advice and sheds light on his role as a family member, a friend and the captain of Sporting KC.

4. Best Men

Sporting KC goalkeeper Tim Melia and defender Ike Opara were named to the 2017 MLS Best XI for their outstanding performances during the regular season, Major League Soccer announced Thursday night.

Melia and Opara earn Best XI honors for the first time in their careers after being voted the best players at their respective positions earlier this month. Opara was tabbed the MLS Defender of the Year on Nov. 9, while Melia landed Allstate Goalkeeper of the Year accolades on Nov. 16. The duo played a leading role throughout the 2017 campaign as Sporting KC won the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and advanced to the MLS Cup Playoffs for a seventh straight year.

5. Rising Stars

Sporting KC homegrown forward Gianluca Busio captained the United States U-17 Men's National Team to a 1-1 draw with Brazil in the Nike International Friendlies finale on Sunday in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. The 15-year-old played the full 80 minutes as the Americans earned their first result in the competition after falling to England and the Netherlands on Wednesday and Friday, respectively. 

The Nike Friendlies in Lakewood Ranch were held in conjunction with the 2017 U.S. Soccer Development Academy Winter Showcase, where the Sporting KC U-19s and U-17s have spent the last five days locking horns with some of the nation's best youth teams. The U-19s came away with a 1-1-1 record, while the U-17s took a draw and two defeats.

6. Sel-goal Advances

Swope Park Rangers forward Nansel Selbol has reached the quarterfinal stage in USL Fan's Choice Goal of the Year voting. Selbol's superb strike against Seattle Sounders FC 2 on July 20 is up against Louisville City FC's Mark-Anthony Kaye, with fan voting open through Tuesday on USLsoccer.com.

7. Jennies Jubilant

The Central Missouri women and Charleston (W. Va.) men were crowned NCAA Division II national champions for the first time on Saturday at Swope Soccer Village. Children’s Mercy Victory Field hosted the men’s and women’s NCAA Division II soccer championships for the second consecutive year, providing the stage on which the Central Missouri Jennies completed a perfect 26-0-0 season and the Charleston Eagles finally reached the pinnacle after finishing runners-up in 2014 and 2016.

8. Final Four

The 2017 NCAA Division II Football Championship will take place at world-class Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday, Dec. 16, marking the fourth straight year the stadium will host the event. The four national semifinalists looking to punch their ticket to Kansas City include top-ranked Indiana (Pa.), West Florida, Texas A&M-Commerce and Harding (Ark.). Both semifinal matchups are slated for Saturday, pitting Indiana vs. West Florida and Texas A&M-Commerce vs. Harding. The winners will meet seven days later Children's Mercy Park, and tickets for the championship game are now on sale via SeatGeek.com.

9. The Stage is Set

The official draw for the 2018 FIFA World Cup took place Friday in Moscow, Russia, separating the 32 competing nations into eight groups of four and finalizing the schedule for the most celebrated sporting event in the world. While there is no clear-cut group of death, several compelling matchups emerged from the draw, pairing the likes of Spain and Portugal, Germany and Mexico, and Belgium and England in the group stage. The 2018 World Cup will take place from June 14 to July 15 at 12 venues across Russia.

10. Valliant Valeri

Portland Timbers talisman Diego Valeri was named the 2017 Landon Donovan MLS MVP today for his outstanding contributions during a stellar regular-season campaign. The Argentine became just the second player in league history to record at least 20 goals and 10 assists in a season, racking up 21 and 11, respectively, as Portland finished atop the Western Conference standings.

11. Déjà Vu

The 2017 MLS Cup will serve as an identical rematch of the championship game that preceded it just 12 months earlier. For the second straight year, Seattle Sounders FC will visit Toronto FC at BMO Field with the league title up for grabs. Saturday's match is slated for 3 p.m. CT on ESPN and UniMas as Seattle aims to repeat, having defeated the Reds on penalties last December, while Toronto FC looks to complete the first treble in MLS history.

Games to Watch (Dec. 5-7)