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.
1. Bitten in the Big Apple
Sporting Kansas City fell in New Jersey on Saturday night to the New York Red Bulls by a 3-2 scoreline. After falling behind in the fourth minute, Johnny Russell responded just four minutes later to tie the game at 1-1 going into halftime. Roger Espinoza scored his first goal of the season in the 51st minute, but the Red Bulls cracked the Sporting KC defense and added two more from substitute Marc Rzatkowski to win the match.