Sporting Kansas City midfielder Danny Flores is up for MLS NEXT Pro Goal of Matchday 8 after his glorious volley in the 72nd minute leveled the match between Sporting Kansas City II and LA Galaxy II on Sunday, May 14 at Rock Chalk Park. Flores' first goal as a member of the club provided the spark for Sporting KC II to go on to win in stoppage time, taking all three points at home.
The first-team loanee's finish is up against Colorado Rapids 2's Marlon Vargas, Timbers 2 player Michael Vang and TFC II's Jesus Natiz for the Goal of Matchday 8 title. Fans can vote in the MLS NEXT Pro poll below on Twitter and voting closes tomorrow.
Flores joined Sporting Kansas City in the 2023 preseason presented by Children's Mercy, signing with SKC in mid-January. A former U.S. youth international, the midfielder joined Sporting after playing college soccer at Virginia Tech for 2 years, leading the Hokies in goals scored in the fall of 2022. The California native also has three seasons of experience in the USL Championship, representing Philadelphia Union II from 2019-2020 and Oakland Roots SC in 2021.
This season, Flores has one MLS appearance, debuting as a second-half substitute against the Seattle Sounders on March 25. In his SKC II debut against Austin FC II, Flores scored the clinching penalty in kicks from the spot to give SKC II the extra point in the match. He has started three of six appearances tallying one goal, which is up for Goal of Matchday 8.
Coming off back-to-back wins, SKC II will travel to St. Louis CITY 2 for a rekindling of the rivalry on Sunday, May 21. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. CT on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. The match comes one day after the first-ever meeting between Sporting Kansas City and St. Louis CITY which kicks off at 8:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, May 20. The match will be live on FS1 as well as on Apple TV as the arch-rivals mark their inaugural meeting.
