Sporting Kansas City II (6-4-3, 22 points) visits CITYPARK on Sunday when they take on St. Louis CITY2 (9-2-2, 30 points) in a rivalry-renewing match on MLS Season Pass. The match is set to kick off at 6 p.m. CT as Sporting KC II looks to get back on the right track following their most recent outing against Real Monarchs.
Head coach Benny Feilhaber's side will also look to knock St. Louis off the top spot in the Western Conference as they occupy first place, midway through the season. The two teams faced once this year already, dueling at Rock Chalk Park on March 31. The road team claimed all three points after SKC II took the lead in the second half despite playing with 10 men for most of the match.
Immediately after the game against CITY2, SKC II notched eight results in their next nine matches and became the league's highest-scoring offense.
Midfielder Kamron Habibullah has been leading the offensive charge for SKC II this season, burying seven goals and adding five assists. He ranks third in the league in goals scored and fourth in assists, however, his 12 goal contributions are the most in MLS NEXT Pro.
Forward Sebastian Cruz has tallied five assists as well. The Sporting KC Academy product has also found the back of the net on three occasions. Striker Beto Avila has six goals this year, second most on the team, but has missed the last two matches due to injury. Midfielder and team captain Ethan Bryant has two goals on the campaign, scoring in SKC II's most recent outing on Wednesday, June 12.
The Sporting KC Academy continues to send young, talented players up to earn valuable minutes. Defender Alex Cunningham and midfielder Johann Ortiz both started in SKC II's match in Salt Lake earlier this month before departing with the U-17s for the MLS NEXT Cup in Nashville. Cunningham and Ortiz helped guide the U-17s to the MLS NEXT Cup Quarterfinals, capping off a solid season for Sporting's U-17s.
Defender Leo Christiano and made his first pro start against the Monarchs while USYNT goalkeeper Jack Kortkamp made his professional debut. Academy product Nati Clarke is in his rookie season and has been a mainstay on the SKC II backline, playing in all but one match this season. Only Bryant and midfielder Jake Swallen have appeared in all 13 matches in 2024.
St. Louis is led by head coach Bobby Murphy in his second season with CITY2. Last year, after falling to SKC II on MLS NEXT Pro Decision Day, St. Louis fell in the opening round of the MLS NEXT Pro playoffs. The year prior, they suffered a defeat in the MLS NEXT Pro Cup.
Almost halfway through the season, CITY find themselves atop the MLS NEXT Pro Supporters' Shield standings despite losing their opening match to Colorado Rapids 2. They are highlighted on the pitch by MyKhi Joyner (5 goals), John Klein (4 goals, 2 assists) and former Sporting KC Homegrown Wan Kuzain Wan Kamal (3 goals). They have the second-fewest goals conceded (11), however, they sit toward the bottom of the rankings in goals scored (18).
Match Information:
MLS NEXT Pro: Match 14
Date: Sunday, June 23, 2024
Kickoff: 6 p.m. CT
Location: CITYPARK (St. Louis, Missouri)
Watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
SOCIAL TAGS:
Match-specific hashtag: #STLvSKC
X: @SportingKCII
Instagram: @SportingKCII
