Sporting Kansas City II (4-6-1, 13 points) will look to bounce back from Friday’s heartbreaking 3-2 defeat to Saint Louis FC when they visit Lucas Oil Stadium on Wednesday for a showdown with Indy Eleven (6-4-1, 19 points) in Group E of the USL Championship. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT with a live stream on ESPN Plus and additional in-game updates via @SportingKCII on Twitter.
Head coach Paulo Nagamura’s side is six points shy of Indy for the second and final playoff spot in a distinctly competitive group that also features first-place Louisville City FC (6-3-2, 20 points) and third-place Saint Louis (5-3-3, 18 points). All four clubs will play five more times between now and the first weekend of October to round out the 16-game regular season slate, with the top two finishers advancing to the playoffs.
Sporting KC Academy product Wilson Harris enters the midweek clash on a tear, having scored five goals in his previous three games. The 20-year-old striker bagged a brace in Friday’s narrow loss to Saint Louis and leads Sporting KC II with seven goals on the season, having become the youngest USL Championship player to hit 20 career goals in a 2-1 win at FC Tulsa on Aug. 29. Sporting Kansas City loanee John Pulksamp, a 19-year-old California native, was another standout in Friday's contest with seven saves between the posts.
Under the guidance of head coach Martin Rennie, Indy Eleven enjoyed a rampant start to the 2020 campaign but have relinquished first place in Group E by taking consecutive losses to Louisville. Former Sporting KC II forward Tyler Pasher has been superb over the course of the season, ranking second in the league with nine goals. No one else on the team has notched more than one.
Wednesday serves as the third of four matches Sporting KC II will play at Lucas Oil Stadium this season. They suffered a 2-1 loss on July 18, notably receiving a goal from Harris, before defender Danny Barbir scored a brilliant goal in a momentous 1-0 victory on Aug. 1 to snap Indy's 28-game home unbeaten run and 11-game winning streak inside the cavernous venue.
Match Information
USL Championship: Match 12 of 16
Date: Wednesday, Sept. 9
Kickoff: 6 p.m. CT
Location: Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis, Indiana)
Live Stream: ESPN Plus
Sporting Kansas City II: 4-6-1, 13 points (4th place in Group E)
Indy Eleven: 6-4-1, 19 points (2nd place in Group E)
ESPN+ Live Stream Link: Click here
USL Championship MatchCenter: Click here
Match Notes: Click here
SOCIAL TAGS
Match-specific hashtag: #INDvSKC
Sporting KC II
Twitter: @SportingKCII
Instagram: @SportingKCII
Indy Eleven
Twitter: @IndyEleven
Instagram: @indyeleven
