Sporting KC II (3-4-1, 10 points) defied the odds on Sunday night at Hillsboro Stadium, coming back from down a goal to beat Portland Timbers2 (0-5-2, 4 points) taking the lead down a man. Julian Vazquez netted his second goal in as many games before Mataeo Bunbury fired SKC II into the lead in the 88th minute following Cole McLagan receiving his second yellow card moments earlier.
It was a tale of two halves as neither side had a shot on goal in the first 45 minutes of the contest and three goals were scored in the second half.
Cade Thomson continued his excellent services off corners, nearly assisting Vazquez in the sixth minute, but the winger's header was turned into the outside of the net. A little under 10 minutes later, T2's most dangerous-looking attack of the first half saw a headed attempt from inside the six-yard box off the head of Johan Hinestroza sail over Kendall McIntosh's goal.
Forward Rauf Salifu was SKC II's most lethal attacker before they got on the scorers' sheet. He had a pair of fantastic turns that led to open runs at goal. The first of which, in the 17th minute was stopped short after Salifu lost his footing just inside the box.
In the 30th, another Thomson corner fell inside the box, was pinged off multiple bodies and eventually cleared down the field. Neither side could find the target as the first half came to a close with neither keeper being tested.
Just five minutes into the second half Timbers2 flipped the game on its head. A Portland corner was touched away from the box but gathered up by Hinestroza. His second ball connected with Carlos Vivas who redirected the pass with a thundering header into the goal from point-blank range.
The SKC II response was immediate as a minute later Sporting KC Academy product Jahon Rad fired the visitor's first shot on target. Hunter Sulte was positioned well and sprawled on the zipping shot in the middle of the net. Salifu's second solo sprint into the T2 box saw him round Sulte but have his pockets picked at the final moment by a late-arriving defender. In the 66th minute, McLagan was shown his first yellow card and Josh Coan came on for Esai Easley.
In the 73rd, SKC II drew level with Timbers2 off the foot of Vazquez. An unforced Timbers2 error gifted the ball to Salifu in a threatening area. He slipped a through-ball to Vazquez who deftly placed the ball past the keeper and into the bottom corner.
T2 tried to respond but McIntosh made a routine save, slapping the shot to the ground and collecting the scraps. Kurtez Kellman came on for Cade Thomson as both teams looked to find the potential game-winner.
Things started to heat up with 10 minutes to go in the match when Vazquez was hammered down in the box and no foul was given. In the 84th SKC II found themselves in a dire situation as McLagan was shown a second yellow card meaning SKC II would be playing down a man for the final moments of the match.
Spencer Glass, who made his Sporting Kansas City first-team debut in Tuesday's U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 win against FC Dallas came on as a defensive reinforcement. He would be defending the lead just a few ticks later after Bunbury's cheeky goal in the 88th.
The 16-year-old Academy kid cut inside from the sideline, gained entry into the box and blasted a shot into the back of the net. Bunbury now has a team-high four goals this season after scoring two in last Sunday's win against Real Monarchs.
SKC II did very well to close out the match. Tensions rose after a bad foul from Ian Shaul which earned him a red card and an early trip to the locker room, but T2 was unable to get anything going in the final third after Bunbury's goal. Coming off back-to-back comeback wins SKC II will be back on the west coast for a matchup with Earthqueks II on Friday, May 20 at 8 p.m. CT.
2022 MLS NEXT Pro | Match 8
Hillsboro Stadium | Hillsboro, Oregon
Weather: 65 degrees and cloudy
Score |
1 |
2 |
F |
|---|---|---|---|
Sporting Kansas City II |
0 |
2 |
2 |
Timbers2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
Sporting Kansas City II: Kendall McIntosh; Mikey Lenis, Cole McLagan, Jahon Rad, Esai Easley (Josh Coan 66'), Coby Jones; Collin Fernandez, Cade Thomson (Curtez Kellman 77'); Mataeo Bunbury, Rauf Salifu (Spencer Glass 84'), Julian Vazquez
Subs Not Used: Ethan Bandre, Paul Agyei, Bakary Bagayoko, Demboxwi Yomba
Timbers2: Hunter Sulte; Victor Griffith, Carlos Vivas, Julian Bravo, Dawson McCartney; Selmir Miscic, Ian Shaul, Dylan Akau, Victor Enriquez; Johan Hinestroza (Ismalla Jones 61'), Jamin Gogo Peters
Subs Not Used: Noah Lawrence
Scoring Summary:
POR -- Carlos Vivas (Johan Hinestroza) 50'
SKC -- Julian Vazquez (Rauf Salifu) 73'
SKC -- Mataeo Bunbury 88'
Misconduct Summary:
POR -- Victor Griffith (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 32'
SKC -- Cole McLagan (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 66'
POR -- Carlos Vivas (yellow card; delaying a restart) 67'
SKC -- Cole McLagan (red card; second yellow) 84'
SKC -- Julian Vazquez (yellow card; delaying a restart) 90+2'
POR -- Ian Shaul (red card; violent conduct) 90+5'
SKC -- Collin Fernandez (yellow card; dissent) 90+5'
Stat |
SKC |
POR |
|---|---|---|
Shots |
8 |
10 |
Shots on Goal |
3 |
2 |
Saves |
1 |
1 |
Fouls |
12 |
14 |
Offsides |
3 |
6 |
Corner Kicks |
6 |
3 |
Referee: Ekaterina Koroleva
Assistant Referee: Seth Martin
Assistant Referee: Jeremy Davis
Fourth Official: Dion Coxe
