Sporting Kansas City II (8-11-5, 31 points) will put a bow on a three-match road trip on Sunday when they travel to the Mile High City to take on Colorado Rapids 2 (6-14-4, 23 points) at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado. The road test against Rapids 2 also marks the final road match for SKC II in the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro regular season.
The match will begin at 7 p.m. CT and will air live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
In the two clubs' previous two meetings this season, Sporting KC II has earned six points, posting comeback wins in both matches. The first contest took place back in April at the University of Denver soccer stadium and produced an electric 5-3 victory for SKC II. The rematch came in May where two second-half goals granted SKC II all three points in front of the home fans at Rock Chalk Park.
In both matches, forward Beto Avila and midfielder Kamron Habibullah emerged as key contributors. Habibullah notched his first of two SKC II hat tricks while Beto bagged a brace and picked up an assist. In the second match, Avila struck twice once again scoring two unanswered goals in the second half.
Habibullah paces SKC II in goals scored while Avila ranks second at eight. Rookie winger Maouloune Goumballe also has eight goals, finding the back of the net in SKC II's outing at LAFC 2 last Sunday. Sporting KC Academy product Sebastian Cruz leads the team in assists with five primary and five secondary assists in 2024. He has also added four goals in 22 appearances.
Current Academy amateur Leo Christiano has played a massive role in the SKC II defense recently. The 17-year-old has nine starts and 12 appearances and made his pro debut in the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro opener vs. Rapids 2 Dick's Sporting Goods Park, nearly scoring in his first-ever appearance. He has been joined on the backline by first-teamer Chris Rindov who has played more minutes (1845) than any other SKC II player.
Colorado is led by head coach Erik Bushey who guided his group to the Western Conference finals a year ago. They currently find themselves at the bottom of the Frontier Division table and are looking for their first win in five matches.
Marlon Vargas has continued his impressive form from a season ago, accumulating 10 goals and six assists. He has now earned double-digit goal contributions in all three seasons of MLS NEXT Pro. Former SKC II goalkeeper Ethan Bandre has the most appearances in goal for Rapids 2 this season, starting 13 matches between the sticks and making 51 saves.
With just four matches remaining in the regular season, SKC II sits just one point back of the playoff line behind Houston Dynamo 2 and Timbers 2. Following Sunday's match in Colorado, Sporting KC II will return to Children's Mercy Victory Field at Swope Soccer Village and finish out their playoff push against MNUFC 2, North Texas SC and LAFC 2. Tickets for the final three home matches of 2024 are on sale at SeatGeek.com for just $10.
Match Information:
MLS NEXT Pro: Match 25
Date: Sunday, September 15, 2024
Kickoff: 7 p.m. CT
Location: Dick's Sporting Goods Park (Commerce City, Colorado)
Watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
SOCIAL TAGS:
Match-specific hashtag: #COLvSKC
X: @SportingKCII
Instagram: @SportingKCII
X: @Rapids_2
Instagram: @ColoradoRapids_2
