Sporting Kansas City II (9-5-5, 35 points) will travel to Texas to take on Houston Dynamo 2 (8-8-3, 29 points) in a Frontier Division duel at SaberCats Stadium in Houston. The Sunday night showdown will kick off at 6 p.m. CT on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV and fans can follow @SportingKCII on Twitter for updates throughout the match.
The two sides met on April 30 at Rock Chalk Park where Dynamo Dos claimed a 4-1 win. After the hosts took the lead in the eighth minute, Houston scored the leveler 10 minutes later, sank two penalty kicks and added a late insurance goal against the run of play. Since then, SKC II has only suffered two defeats, posting a 7-2-4 record with two shootout wins since the end of April.
Head Coach Benny Feilhaber has his team in fourth place in the Western Conference, six points above the playoff line as the group looks to keep the momentum going in the final stretch of the season. They are in the midst of a three-match win streak, taking down Earthquakes II, North Texas SC and Colorado Rapids 2.
In the month of July, SKC II’s offense exploded, scoring 16 goals in five matches. Sebastian Cruz has found his form, bagging three goals in as many matches. Alenis Vargas has tallied two scores and leads the team in assists with five.
The team’s top scorer Pau Vidal has 10 goals this season. The Spaniard missed out on SKC II’s last match due to a lower-body injury but was back in training with the team this week.
Midfielder Ethan Bryant picked up his first two assists in the 4-0 win over Rapids 2 last Sunday and is tied for third on the team in goal contributions with six. Joining Bryant in the midfield has been first-team loanees, Ozzie Cisneros and Danny Flores. The two have been mainstays all season long, contributing valuable minutes to the second team. Cisneros is tied for second on the team in appearances and has three goals and an assist. Flores has added two goals and one assist.
On the backline, the quartet of Lucas Rosa, Chris Rindov, Nassim Mekideche and Nati Clarke have been the most consistent back four. Rosa has played more than any other player, gathering 1517 minutes, one goal and two assists. Mekideche netted his second goal against Rapids 2, the most among all defenders on the team. Clarke was named MLS NEXT Rising Star of Matchday 19 for his contributions to SKC II’s clean sheet against Colorado.
Dynamo Dos comes into the match with three consecutive results. In their most recent contest, they knocked off Real Monarchs 5-3 on the road. They sit one point above the playoff line at 29 points and have a record of 8-8-3.
They are led on the pitch by Papa Ndoye and his team-high eight goals. Midfielder Diego Gonzalez falls into place one spot behind Ndoye with seven goals and has three assists.
Sunday’s match kicks off a busy stretch for SKC II as they will travel to Tacoma to take on Tacoma Defiance on Wednesday before returning to Rock Chalk Park on Sunday, Aug. 13 to face Timbers2. Both of those matches can be found on MLSNEXTPro.com.
Match Information:
MLS NEXT Pro: Match 20
Date: Sunday, August 6, 2023
Kickoff: 6:00 p.m. CT
Location: SaberCats Stadium (Houston, TX)
Watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
SOCIAL TAGS:
Match-specific hashtag: #HOUvSKC
Twitter: @SportingKCII
Instagram: @SportingKCII
Twitter: @HoustonDynamo2
Instagram: @HoustonDynamo2
