Starting XI: Back in Business

Starting XI, presented by StorageMart, 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 returned to winning ways on Saturday with a pivotal 1-0 road victory over rivals Houston Dynamo on Saturday at BBVA Compass Stadium. Diego Rubio came off the bench to score the 74th-minute winner on an assist from 16-year-old Gianluca Busio, who became the third-youngest player in MLS history to start a match and the second-youngest to record an assist.

Three Houston players received red cards and Dynamo head coach Wilmer Cabrera was dismissed at halftime of a hotly contested matchup that saw Sporting KC snap a six-game winless skid and secure their first-ever regular-season sweep of Houston.

2. Rising Star

Making his first MLS start on Saturday, Gianluca Busio certainly left his mark in a narrow defeat of Houston. The midfielder played the full 90 minutes and set up Diego Rubio’s game-winning goal with a deft clip in behind the Dynamo defense, becoming the second-youngest player in league history to record an assist. Busio’s stout performance drew the praise of Sporting KC Manager Peter Vermes after the match and didn’t’ go unnoticed by the MLSsoccer.com staff.

3. LA Looming

Riding a newfound wave of momentum, Sporting KC (10-6-6, 36 points) will play for their second straight road win this Saturday when they visit expansion side Los Angeles Football Club (10-6-6, 36 points) for the first time at Banc of California Stadium. Kickoff is set for 9:30 p.m. CT on FOX Sports Kansas City, FOX Sports Midwest Plus, Sports Radio 810 WHB and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM.

Saturday’s clash will pit two teams tied for third place in the Western Conference with identical records. LAFC is led by the likes of Mexican international Carlos Vela, prolific goal scorer Adama Diomande and former Sporting KC duo Benny Feilhaber and Latif Blessing.

4. Favorable Results

Sporting KC not only won on Saturday, but received help elsewhere across the league as some of their closest Western Conference counterparts suffered defeats. First-place FC Dallas took a shock 3-1 home loss to bottom-feeders San Jose Earthquakes, an LA Galaxy side without Zlatan Ibrahimovic fell 2-1 at the Colorado Rapids, and LAFC suffered a 2-1 setback against the New York Red Bulls on Sunday afternoon. The second-place Portland Timbers would also capitalize on others teams’ shortcomings, pushing their unbeaten run to 15 league matches with a 3-0 win over the Philadelphia Union.

5. Final Four

The 2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup semifinals will take place Wednesday night, with the Philadelphia Union hosting the Chicago Fire at 6 p.m. CT and the Houston Dynamo hosting Los Angeles Football Club at 7:30 p.m. CT. Both games will be streamed live on ussoccer.com.

6. Rangers Return

Led by head coach Paulo Nagamura, the Swope Park Rangers (9-8-6, 33 points) return to Children's Mercy Park on Saturday to host Portland Timbers 2 (10-10-3, 33 points) at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tied for seventh place in the USL's Western Conference, both clubs currently occupy the last two playoff spots in the division. Tickets for the match are available via SeatGeek.com or at the stadium's east box office on gameday, and the first 500 fans in attendance will receive a free Adrian Zendejas bobblehead.

7. Fresh Faces

The Swope Park Rangers have signed Venezuelan forward Jose Barragan and French midfielder Rassambek Akhmatov, the club announced Friday. Barragan, 18, joins the Rangers after spending the last six months with Mexican club CF Pachuca's Under-20 team. Akhmatov, 22, spent the last two summers with USL Premier Development League side Miami City FC.

8. Freeman Takes Flight

Sporting KC Academy forward Tyler Freeman has joined the U.S. U-17 Men's National Team for an international training camp featuring four games this week in San Jose, Costa Rica, where the Americans will play Concacaf rivals Mexico and Costa Rica twice each. The U.S. U-17s will face Mexico today and Sunday in addition to meeting Costa Rica on Tuesday and Friday. Freeman, 15, is the youngest player in the 23-man squad and one of four players to earn his first call-up at the U-17 level.

9. That’s the Weah

U.S. international forward Timothy Weah helped Paris-St. Germain to a 4-0 thumping of Monaco in the French Super Cup on Saturday, giving the Parisian giants their 19th domestic trophy dating back to 2013. The 18-year-old Weah, the son of former soccer star and current President of Liberia George Weah, played the full game and scored his first competitive goal for PSG in the 67th minute.

10. Window’s Closing

Major League Soccer's secondary transfer window, the second of two periods on the calendar in which teams can register new players via international transfers or intra-league trades, will officially close on Wednesday night. The secondary transfer window is the last chance for MLS teams to complete incoming transfers and player trades for the 2018 season.

11. The Premier League is Back

The 2018-19 English Premier League season kicks off Friday when Manchester United welcomes Leicester City for a 2 p.m. CT kickoff on NBCSN. Manchester City enter the new campaign as reigning champions and will look to fend off title challenges from the likes of Man United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham.

Games to Watch (Aug. 7-9, 2018)