Sporting Kansas City II (7-10-5, 28 points) heads to British Columbia to take on Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 (9-7-6, 36 points) in a Saturday showdown at Swangard Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT with free live streams on MLSNEXTPro.com and MLS YouTube.
The two sides squared off earlier this month at Rock Chalk Park, playing to a 1-1 draw. Vancouver took the extra point in kicks from the spot, defeating SKC II 5-4 in their last match in Lawrence, KS in 2024.
In the teams’ last meeting at Swangard Stadium, Ethan Bryant converted a 72nd minute penalty kick to send the match into a shootout. Again, Vancouver won 5-4 to claim the second point. SKC II responded with a 7-1 thrashing of the Canadian side late on in the year.
In 2024, Bryant has amassed 21 appearances, tallying three goals and four assists. He has been joined in the midfield by Sporting KC Academy player Johann Ortiz on eight occasions. The 17-year-old has struck twice in his first pro season, scoring against Timbers 2 and Dynamo Dos.
Kamron Habibullah has played alongside the two of them in midfield and is one of the squad’s leading goal scorers with eight finishes. Forward Beto Avila sits atop the scoring chart with Habibullah at eight. Sebastian Cruz leads the team with five assists.
Head coach and the newest Sporting Legends Honoree Benny Feilhaber will look to get his group back into the win column. SKC II currently sits four points back of the playoff line with just six matches remaining. Saturday marks the beginning of a three-match road trip followed by a three-match homestand to close out the season.
WFC 2 Head coach Ricardo Clarke has his boys in sixth place in the West in his second season. They are winless in their last six posting a record of 0-3-3 with five points in those six matches.
Leading the attack for the Whitecaps second team is Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau and his eight goals. Coming in right behind the 22-year-old forward are midfielders Eliot Goldthorp and Jay Herdman. The duo have six goals each while Golthorp has added six assists.
After the meeting in Vancouver, SKC II will be back on the road to take on LAFC 2 and Colorado Rapids 2 on back-to-back Sundays. They will then host their final three opponents at Children’s Mercy Victory Field to end the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro regular season. Tickets for all of SKC II’s remaining home contests are on sale at SeatGeek.com for just $10.
Match Information:
MLS NEXT Pro: Match 23
Date: Saturday, August 31, 2024
Kickoff: 6 p.m. CT
Location: Swangard Stadium (Burnaby, BC)
Watch: MLSNEXTPro.com
SOCIAL TAGS:
Match-specific hashtag: #VANvSKC
X: @SportingKCII
Instagram: @SportingKCII
X: @WFC2
Instagram: @WhitecapsFC.2
