"Five Things" is a season-long series presented by the Children's Mercy Sports Medicine Center that highlights the top storylines and players to watch ahead of each match. To visit the series archive, click here.
The quarterfinal stage of the historic MLS is Back Tournament will kick off at 7 p.m. CT Thursday when Sporting Kansas City and the Philadelphia Union go to battle at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Walt Disney World. ESPN will televise the contest nationally with Jon Champion and Taylor Twellman on the call, while fans can also stream the action on the ESPN app or catch the Spanish broadcast on ESPN Deportes.