Sporting Kansas City II (3-7-5, 14 points) earned a solid 0-0 draw with OKC Energy FC (4-5-6, 18 points) at Taft Stadium in Oklahoma City on Saturday night. Each side enjoyed positive moments throughout the game though ultimately the defenses held firm as SKC II goalkeeper Kendall McIntosh recorded four saves to post his second consecutive shutout.
On a hot, muggy night in OKC, Sporting II head coach Paulo Nagamura handed a first start to new signing Jamil Roberts, while left back Isaiah LeFlore made his first start of the 2021 season at left back.
LeFlore was called into action early as Aidan Daniels burst through on goal in the 13th minute but the speedy fullback showed excellent recovery pace to nip the ball away from the OKC man. Ten minutes later, Sporting II almost took the lead as Roberts’ corner to the far post was sent back across goal by Petar Cuic where Danny Barbir fired on goal only to be denied by C.J. Cochran.
In the 28th minute, OKC striker Jaime Chavez snuck in behind the SKC II backline but was denied by McIntosh who was quick off his line to smother the chance. Sporting II responded with a chance of their own in the 35th minute as Matt Constant found Roberts with a searching ball over the top, but the Englishman’s volley was palmed away by Cochran.
Just before halftime, McIntosh produced his second excellent stop of the day as he dove to his left to parry away Daniels’ effort from distance. A carbon copy of that chance surfaced in the 51st minute as Daniels again fired from distance, and again McIntosh produced a diving save to keep the game scoreless.
Enoch Mushagalusa looked to build on his game-winner in SKC II’s last match at Atlanta with a pair of chances in the second half. In the 53rd minute, he pounced on a poor back pass and forced a save from Cochran from a tight angle, before again dribbling at the OKC backline in the 68th minute and seeing a close-range effort deflect wide.
Sporting II midfielder Jake Davis, playing in an unfamiliar position at right back, almost produced a bit of magic in the 75th minute when he weaved through several challenges before firing over the bar from the edge of the area. From there, Sporting II saw out the OKC pressure to secure a valuable point on the road.
It’s a quick turnaround for Sporting II as the team returns home to take on Louisville City FC at Children’s Mercy Park on Wednesday, July 28. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
2021 USL Championship | Match 15
Taft Stadium | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Attendance: 2,171
Weather: 93 degrees and sunny
Score |
1 |
2 |
F |
|---|---|---|---|
Sporting Kansas City II (3-7-5, 14 points) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
OKC Energy FC (4-5-6, 18 points) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Sporting Kansas City II: Kendall McIntosh; Jake Davis, Matt Constant, Danny Barbir, Isaiah LeFlore; Jahon Rad (Jayvin Van Deventer 85’), Petar Cuic (Aljaz Dzankic 81’), Christian Duke (C); Rojay Smith (Coby Jones 88’), Enoch Mushagalusa, Jamil Roberts
Subs Not Used: Remi Prieur, Michael Lenis, Ozzie Cisneros, Dominik Resetar
OKC Energy FC: C.J. Cochran; Sam Rogers, Conor Donovan, Mitch Osmond; Jonathan Brown, Charlie Ward (Brad Dunwell 78’), Hiroki Kurimoto, Tucker Stephenson (Deklan Wynne 46’); Aidan Daniels (Arun Basuljevic 77’), Jaime Chavez (Frank Lopez 78’), Villyan Bijev
Subs Not Used: Kyle Ihn, Muengnenshime Goshit, Kodai Iida
Scoring Summary:None
Misconduct Summary:
SKC – Christian Duke (Yellow Card; Unsporting Behavior) 27’
OKC – Sam Rogers (Yellow Card; Unsporting Behavior) 30’
Stat |
SKC |
OKC |
|---|---|---|
Shots |
9 |
10 |
Shots on Goal |
3 |
4 |
Saves |
4 |
3 |
Fouls |
6 |
12 |
Offsides |
0 |
1 |
Corner Kicks |
7 |
3 |
Referee: Matt Franz
Assistant Referee: Seth Barton
Assistant Referee: Matt Trotter
Fourth Official: Connor Stockton
