Sporting Kansas City Academy and Sporting KC II midfielder Cielo Tschantret has been named MLS NEXT Rising Star of Matchday 24 for his performance in Sporting KC II's comeback win over Austin FC II on Friday night at Parmer Field at St. David's Performance Center.
Tschantret, a Sporting KC U-19 player made just his second pro start on the road at Austin on Friday. The holding midfielder played 89 minutes, scoring the match-winning goal in the 62nd on a Felipe Hernandez corner kick service. Tschantret's tally gives him two goals on the season, both coming off corner kicks. His 23 accurate passes ranked second-most on SKC II in the match and his 92 percent passing accuracy paced the club.
The Baltimore native joined the Sporting KC Academy ahead of the 2020-21 season after moving to Kansas City from Maryland. The defensive midfielder has represented Sporting at the U-15, U-17 and U-19 levels and earlier this spring made four preseason appearances for Sporting KC II. His father, Lee Tschantret, joined the Sporting KC Academy as the U-19 head coach over the summer and is a candidate for the 2024 National Soccer Hall of Fame ballot.
Sporting KC II and Tschantret will conclude a two-match road stand on Sunday when they take on LA Galaxy II at 9 p.m. CT at Dignity Health Sports Park with a live stream available on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. A spot in the playoffs is on the line as SKC II looks to punch their ticket to the postseason with a win and some help from other teams around the league.
