Sporting Kansas City II midfielder Kamron Habibullah has been named MLS NEXT Pro Midseason Best Player after a terrific start to the 2024 regular season. The April Player of the Month and two-time Player of the Matchweek has had an outstanding first 14 matches, tallying seven goals and five assists, both amongst the top in the league. His 12-goal contributions are more than any other player in MLS NEXT Pro.
Habibullah, a product of the Vancouver Whitecaps Academy, joined Sporting KC II in March a few weeks before the season opener. He amassed 21 appearances for the Whitecaps and Whitecaps FC 2 from 2021-2023 and represented Canada at the U-17 and U-20 levels, competing in the 2022 Concacaf U-20 Championship.
This season he has started 11 of 13 appearances, totaling 1008 minutes played. The versatile, offensive weapon has become a stalwart for head coach Benny Feilhaber's starting XI, playing in the midfield or the front three.
The Canadian international debuted for SKC II on March 24, playing 12 minutes against Ventura County FC at Rock Chalk Park. His first start came a week later against St. Louis CITY2 but he made a real impact at Colorado Rapids 2 on April 7.
After netting the opener, Rapids 2 tallied three unanswered goals to take a 3-1 lead into the break. Habibullah bagged his brace in the 68th to half the deficit before Beto Avila scored the equalizer and the go-ahead goal. Habibullah then put the match on ice with an 87th-minute goal, giving him his first hat trick of the campaign, and Player of Matchweek 4 honors.
The next Sunday, Sporting KC II returned home to face Houston Dynamo 2 at Swope Soccer Village. After an early Maouloune Goumballe goal and a red card for Dynamo Dos, Habibullah doubled the lead in the 75th followed by finishes from Sebastian Cruz and Medgy Alexandre. A third straight result came for SKC II a week later at Ventura County where Habibullah played the full 90.
Closing out the month of April, Sporting KC II hosted MNUFC 2 in Lawrence, Kansas where Habibullah fired home three times for his second hat trick of the season and second Player of the Matchweek award. His seven goals and one assist earned him the Player of The Month crown for April and cemented his name amongst the most lethal of MLS NEXT Pro players. He has added four more assists since the MNUFC 2 hat trick and helped guide Sporting KC II to sixth place in the Western Conference, firmly entrenching them in the playoff battle midway through the season.
Sporting KC II and Habibullah will be back at Rock Chalk Park on Sunday, June 30, for the first time in over three weeks, when they face Austin FC II. Tickets for the 6 p.m. match are on sale at SeatGeek.com and fans can stream the match on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
