Five Things, presented by Keith + Associates Dentistry, is a weekly series on SportingKC.com that highlights the top storylines, players to watch and matchday programming ahead of each game throughout the season.
Sporting Kansas City's playoff pursuit continues Thursday when regional foes Minnesota United FC visits Children's Mercy Park for a Heineken Rivalry Week showdown at 8:30 p.m. CT. Tickets for the monumental Western Conference clash are available at SeatGeek.com as Sporting (8-11-7, 31 points) looks for a second straight victory at the expense of second-place Minnesota (12-8-6, 42 points).