Sporting Kansas City II (0-2-1, 1 point) will look to bounce back from last week's home loss to Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC when they venture west to meet LA Galaxy II (2-1-1, 7 points) on Wednesday night at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. The inter-conference clash will kick off at 9:30 p.m. CT and stream live on ESPN Plus. Fans can also follow @SportingKCII on Twitter for in-game updates.
After picking up their first point of the season in a 1-1 draw with OKC Energy FC on May 7, Sporting suffered a 4-0 setback at the hands of Switchbacks FC on Friday at Children's Mercy Park. Former Sporting KC II forward Hadji Barry struck twice against his former club to lead the visitors, who also received goals from Austin Dewing and Michee Ngalina to snap a four-game losing streak to SKC II in the USL Championship.
Under the guidance of fourth-year head coach and former Sporting great Paulo Nagamura, SKC II has featured a mix of USL Championship players, rising academy talents and MLS players on loan from the first team in the early stages of the 2021 season. Eighteen-year-old forward Tyler Freeman, an MLS Homegrown Player and a native of Overland Park, Kansas, bagged the club's lone goal of the year in the hard-fought tie versus Energy FC off an assist from skillful winger Enoch Mushagalusa.
Freeman and fellow Sporting KC youngsters Grayson Barber, Ozzie Cisneros and Kayden Pierre have started all three games for SKC II thus far. Center back Matt Constant has three starts to his name as well, having signed for SKC II after linking up with Sporting via the 2021 MLS SuperDraft in January, but will serve a one-game red card suspension on Wednesday.
Led by head coach Junior Gonzalez, LA Galaxy II have enjoyed a strong start to the 2021 season with seven points from their first four matches. Jorge Hernandez, Kai Koreniuk and Preston Judd have bagged two goals apiece in league play, with the latter two players finding the back of the net in a 2-0 road triumph over Real Monarchs on Friday night. Judd notably signed for SKC II in January but was subsequently drafted by the LA Galaxy in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft and inked a contract with LA Galaxy II ahead of the USL Championship season.
Sporting KC II boasts a 5-0-1 all-time record against Galaxy II, including a momentous 3-0 win in the Western Conference quarterfinals of the 2016 USL Cup Playoffs at Swope Soccer Village. The sides haven't met since Oct. 14, 2018, when SKC II stormed to a 5-1 win in a rainy regular season finale at Children's Mercy Park.
Match Information
USL Championship: Match 4
Date: Wednesday, May 19
Kickoff: 9:30 p.m. CT
Location: Dignity Health Sports Park (Carson, California)
Live Stream: ESPN Plus
Sporting Kansas City II: 0-2-1, 1 point (7th place in Central Division)
LA Galaxy II: 2-1-1, 7 points (1st place in Pacific Division)
ESPN+ Live Stream Link: Click here
USL Championship MatchCenter: Click here
Match Notes: Click here
SOCIAL TAGS
Match-specific hashtag: #LAvSKC
Sporting KC II
Twitter: @SportingKCII
Instagram: @SportingKCII
LA Galaxy II
Twitter: @LAGalaxyII
Instagram: @lagalaxyii
