Sporting Kansas City II (7-8-5, 28 points) will be back on the road on Saturday night when they take on North Texas SC (10-3-6, 40 points) at Choctaw Stadium in a Western Conference matchup on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. Kickoff is set for 7:15 p.m. CT as Sporting KC II takes on the top team in the West at their home venue.
The two sides met at Rock Chalk Park on May 5, 2024 where North Texas earned all three points. A season ago, SKC II earned two results against the FC Dallas affiliates, winning in penalties at home and taking a 2-1 regulation win in Arlington, Texas.
In the club's last outing, they took a point against Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 at Rock Chalk Park after falling 4-5 in kicks from the spot. Forward Maouloune Goumballe tallied his seventh goal of the campaign as Sporting earned their third fifth straight home result.
Goumballe ranks second on the team in goals scored, trailing forward Beto Avila and midfielder Kamron Habibullah's eight strikes. Goumblle, a rookie out of Indiana University has appeared in all but one SKC II match, accumulating the most minutes played (1559) of anyone on the team.
Avila, a striker from Austin, Texas, won the penalty that led to Goumablle's penalty conversion against Vancouver. The forward has added two assists to his eight goals and has 15 starts under his belt. Habibullah, MLS NEXT Pro's Midseason best player found the back of the net two weeks ago at Timbers 2 and has three assists to his name.
Joining Habibullah in the middle has been Sporting KC Academy product Cielo Tschantret. The 18-year-old has started 12 of his 16 appearances and scored his first goal in a massive win over St. Louis CITY2 on July 21.
On the backline, 17-year-old Leo Christiano has played an increased role with four straight starts at center back. The amateur player has eight appearances on the season after debuting in SKC II's 2023 season opener against Colorado Rapids 2. Kansas native Carson Klein has worked in the back four with Christiano in all four matches. The newcomer joined SKC II in the middle of July and started all four of his appearances.
Sporting KC II will be without assists leader Sebastian Cruz who was signed to the first team on a short-term deal for their Leagues Cup Round of 32 match against Columbus Crew on Friday night.
North Texas currently sits atop the Western Conference at 40 points, three points back of Supporters' Shield leaders FC Cincinnati 2. They have earned that spot with a sturdy defense that has conceded just 20 goals all season, the fewest in the league.
Head coach Michel Garbini has turned to goalkeeper Michael Collodi more than anybody else, giving the tender 16 starts. He has made 45 saves in those 16 appearances. On the offensive side of things, two players lead the charge. Forwards Enes Sali and Tarik Scott have each contributed seven goals and two assists. Sali has done so in 16 appearances while Scott reached his total in 13.
With just eight matches to go in MLS NEXT Pro regular season play, SKC II will look to get points wherever they can. They enter the weekend three points back of Portland in the eighth and final playoff spot, however, they have a match in hand and can make up that ground this weekend. Fans can catch all of the exciting action on MLS Season Pass or follow @SportingKCII on X for score updates throughout the contest.
Match Information:
MLS NEXT Pro: Match 21
Date: Saturday, August 10, 2024
Kickoff: 7:15 p.m. CT
Location: Choctaw Stadium (Arlington, Texas)
Watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
SOCIAL TAGS:
Match-specific hashtag: #NTXvSKC
X: @SportingKCII
Instagram: @SportingKCII
X: @NorthTexasSC
Instagram: @northtexassc
