Starting XI: Out of the Gates

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.

Sporting KC (0-1-0, 0 points) suffered their first home-opening defeat since 2009 on Sunday night, falling 2-0 to New York City FC (1-0-0, 3 points) before a capacity crowd at Children’s Mercy Park. Maxi Moralez struck in the 32nd minute and MLS debutant Jesus Medina doubled the visitors’ lead eight minutes into the second half as Sporting KC sustained just their third all-time loss in a home opener.

2. Chicago on Saturday

Manager Peter Vermes' men will look to bounce back from Sunday’s defeat this Saturday when they visit Chicago Fire for a 5 p.m. CT kickoff at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois. FOX Sports Kansas City and FOX Sports Midwest Plus will broadcast the matchup live, while ESPN 94.5 FM (English) and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM (Spanish) will carry the game on the radio. Additionally, The Final Whistle postgame show will air immediately after the match on 94.5 FM.

3. Rock the Party

All Sporting KC fans are welcome to attend the official watch party for Saturday's match, presented by Till Vodka, at No Other Pub in the Kansas City Power & Light District (1370 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO). Beginning at 4:30 p.m. CT, No Other Pub will offer $6 Till Vodka cocktails and an all-you-can-eat buffet with hamburgers, chicken wings, cheese curds, pretzels, queso and more. Buffet packages are $20 per person with bottomless soda and $30 per person with bottomless domestic draft beer.

4. SPR All Square

The Swope Park Rangers concluded a two-game preseason road trip with a 2-2 draw against Indiana University on Saturday as part of the Circle City Showcase at the Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield, Ind. English newcomer Tyler Blackwood scored both goals for SPR against the eight-time NCAA champions as the Rangers continue their preparations for start of the 2018 USL season on March 17.

5. True Gamer

Sporting KC has signed 19-year-old Alex Betancourt as the club’s first official eMLS competitor. Betancourt, a native of Kansas City, Kansas, will participate in the coveted eMLS Cup that runs from April 5-8 at the PAX East gaming festival inside the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. The tournament will consist of gamers from 19 MLS clubs, with berths in international FIFA competitions up for grabs.

6. The Power of Three

Three Sporting KC youth teams continue their 2017-18 U.S. Soccer Development Academy campaigns on Saturday against Texans SC Houston at Swope Soccer Village. The U-17s kick off the tripleheader at 10 a.m. CT, followed by the U-15s and U-19s taking the field at 12:30 p.m. CT. All three matches are free and open to the public, and live updates will be available via @SKCAcademy on Twitter. For additional news and updates from the Sporting KC Academy, visit its Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat (skcacademy) channels.

7. From Affiliate to Academy

The Sporting KC Academy U-17s have welcomed four new players to the team from Sporting Iowa, an Academy Affiliate based in Des Moines. Seventeen-year-olds Eli Crow, Elliott Idehen, Vyamungu Shemi and Recardo Wleh have officially made the jump from Affiliate to Academy, joining head coach Rumbani Munthali’s squad for the rest of the 2017-18 U.S. Soccer Development Academy Season. The quartet’s move from Iowa to Kansas City marks a significant step in the evolution of the Sporting KC Academy Affiliate program.

8. How to Watch

In addition to matches on national TV and local TV broadcasts, supporters can watch out-of-market MLS matches via cable, satellite and streaming. Fans in the U.S. can stream out-of-market matches using free access to MLS LIVE until the launch of ESPN+ this spring. MLS LIVE is available for fans at live.mlssoccer.com, the MLS app, Apple TV and Roku. Fans must register for an account at live.mlssoccer.com to obtain free access to MLS LIVE. Fans with a previous account can use their existing account credentials. All local markets will have a blackout policy in 2018. Click here for more details about how to watch out-of-market MLS matches this spring.

9. Week One is Done

Houston demolished Atlanta, Columbus sprung a surprise on Toronto, LAFC notched a famous debut win in Seattle, and the Galaxy edged Portland in Carson. An eye-opening and unpredictable first weekend of MLS action is in the books after producing 26 goals and even more talking points.

10. CCL Resumes

Three MLS clubs have reached the quarterfinal stage of the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League, with first-leg matchups set to kick off this week. On Tuesday, the New York Red Bulls travel across the continent to face Club Tijuana of Mexico in a 9 p.m. CT matchup. On Wednesday, Toronto FC’s home tilt with Tigres UANL at 7 p.m. CT is followed by a battle between the Sounders and Chivas de Guadalajara at 9 p.m. CT in Seattle. All three contests will stream live on www.univisiondeportes.com.

11. League of Nations

CONCACAF today revealed the first details of its new CONCACAF League of Nations tournament, which will begin with qualifying play this September. The U.S. Men’s National Team and its five opponents in the hexagonal round of qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup will not have to play any qualifying matches and be automatically seeded into the top six spots in the federation's new CONCACAF Ranking Index. The full format of the CONCACAF Nations League will be revealed at the launch event at 9 a.m. CT on Wednesday in Miami.

Games to Watch (March 6-8, 2018)