Kick Off: Philadelphia Union face must-win tonight on ESPN2, Sporting Kansas City visit White House

News  |  Videos  |  Schedule & Stats  |  Clubs  |  Fantasy  |  Shop Forward To A Friend Kick Off: Philadelphia Union face must-win tonight on ESPN2, Sporting Kansas City visit White House Here are the top 15 stories everyone's talking about this morning: 1. PLAYOFF HUNTING The Philadelphia Union face the Chicago Fire Thursday night (8 pm ET, ESPN2), and with the Union still chasing a playoff spot and recently returned striker Antoine Hoppenot wants to play a part. A loss tonight means the Fire's playoff hopes are all but over, and Fire head coach Frank Yallop has suggested the club isn't afraid to spend money this offseason to address the shortcomings. 2. WHITE HOUSE SELFIES Sporting Kansas City were at the White House on Wednesday, honored by President Barack Obama for their 2013 MLS Cup success and, while he couldn't get the President to be in it, yes, Dom Dwyer got his White House selfie. 3. JOHNSON TAKING IT SLOW Will Johnson is back in Portland following successful surgery on his broken leg, and the Portland Timbers captain has been talking about the road to recovery, acknowledging, "I'll take my time with it as well. You've got to be smart with injuries like this." 4. HOME-SCHOOLED Not only can the LA Galaxy claim to have one of the strongest starting lineups in MLS this season, but thanks to the club's academy and new USL PRO side LA Galaxy II, they also have a number of promising young Homegrown Players coming through the ranks as well, trying to follow the lead of MLS starter Gyasi Zardes and teenager Jack McBean, who spent the year with Galaxy II. 5. DALLAS VIA EL PASO On Wednesday, 16-year-old Alejandro Zendajas became the latest Homegrown player to join FC Dallas and, in doing so, the first to sign from one of the MLS side's affiliate clubs. 6. WHERE'S MAURO? Dallas have managed to thrive without injured playmaker Mauro Díaz for much of the season, but having him on the field has always been the preference. But after re-injuring his hamstring, Dallas manager Oscar Pareja said Díaz has returned to Argentina to work with rehab staff there. But the club expects him to return before the end of the season. 7. KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR Former English Premier League player Zat Knight is finally a Colorado Rapids player. The Englishman had agreed to terms with the club before the roster freeze date and, having eventually acquired the proper paperwork, the 34-year-old defender should be available to play immediately. 8. SOUNDERS GETTING DEEPER The Seattle Sounders already have plenty of depth in their squad, but the Supporters' Shield contenders just got a little more of it for the stretch run, as both Martinique international Kevin Parsemain and draft pick Damion Lowe have been removed from the disabled list. 9. PLANNING FOR PIATTI Montreal Impact attacker Ignacio Piatti has undoubtedly turned into one of the best signings of the MLS season. But will teams learn to adjust to Piatti in 2015, similar to what's occurred with Marco Di Vaio this year? 10. STILL HOPE IN VEGAS Las Vegas' attempts to pursue a Major League Soccer club remained alive on Wednesday after the City Council voted 6-1 in favor of a proposed soccer stadium. However, the developers now have some work to do on the bid by December. 11. PRESEASON PLANS FOR ORLANDO While many MLS teams head to Orlando for preseason games, 2015 expansion club Orlando City are apparently looking to spend some of their first MLS preseason in Brazil. It will be Adrian Heath's first chance to assess his new squad in action, but the coach is pleased with the development of the players he has so far. 12. SOONER THAN LATER Sacramento Republic president Warren Smith is bullish about his club's chances of becoming an MLS expansion side: "We're just hopeful it can happen sooner rather than later." With a first-year USL PRO title tucked under their belt, what can the club do next to help further that goal? 13. ROOKIE RANKINGS With young forwards Tesho Akindele (FC Dallas) and Harry Shipp (Chicago Fire) cooling down of late, it's left a door open for a handful of promising centerbacks to make a run at the Rookie of the Year award. Find out which defending is shooting up the projected rankings all the way to No. 1. 14. NEW ENGLAND GET SPORTING With Fredy Montero and Oriol Rossell in their ranks already, Sporting Clube de Portugal are no strangers to MLS-developed talent and now, with a new partnership between the Portuguese club and the New England Revolution, links between Lisbon and MLS are likely to get stronger. 15. PROUD TRADITION, MOVING MOMENT It's a proud tradition for the Portland Timbers players to raise a sawn-off slab of log after scoring a goal, a tradition that dates back all the way to the 1970s, but following a recent win, Timbers defender Pa Modou Kah drafted someone very special to help him with the ceremony. MLSsoccer.com Musts Armchair Analyst: More experiments? A roster for Klinsmann and the US Witness Omar Gonzalez's directorial debut! MLS Fantasy: The lucky 13 $100m challenge