Sporting Kansas City II (9-6-5, 35 points) continues their busy week of MLS NEXT Pro action with a road battle against Tacome Defiance (9-4-7, 38 points) at Starfire Stadium on Wednesday at 9 p.m. CT. The second of three matches in an eight-day span for Sporting KC II pits them against the team directly in front of them in the standings as the regular season enters its twilight.
MLS NEXT Pro's Team of the Month for July is coming off a road defeat at Houston Dynamo 2 while Tacoma's last outing produced a 1-1 draw with Timbers2. SKC II and Tacoma met in a fierce matchup at Rock Chalk Park on June 15, playing to a 2-2 draw in which SKC II took home the second point in a shootout win. Kansas City had two, one-goal leads erased by the visitors before the hosts prevailed in the shootout 5-4.
Sporting KC II was one of the hottest teams in the league in June and July, only suffering one defeat in that two-month span. Their potent attack has yielded 40 goals this season, the second most in the Western Conference, trailing only Colorado Rapids 2 who SKC II beat 4-0 on Sunday, July 30. Forward Pau Vidal has been the headliner of the SKC II attack, scoring 10 goals on the season. He has struck in 10 individual matches and will look to get back on the scorer's sheet against Tacoma, who he tallied against back in June.
A well-balanced attack, 14 different players have found the back of the net for SKC II with goals coming from all three lines. Ethan Bryant and Josh Coan pace the midfield in goals, both accumulating four goals and two assists on the season. On the backline, Nassim Mekideche leads the way with two goals, both coming on set-piece headers.
Ozzie Cisneros has played in both the midfield and the front three, filling in on both lines well. His three goals are the most amongst the 10 first-team field players to have played with SKC II this season. Danny Flores is a Sporting KC midfielder who has contributed valuable minutes as well, playing in 15 matches and gathering two goals and an assist.
Up top, Alenis Vargas has emerged as one of the more threatening wingers in MLS NEXT Pro. The Honduran has five assists and two goals in just eight starts. He has also won two penalties including one against Houston which Coan converted. Sebastian Cruz is a forward that has found his stride lately, burying three goals in his last three appearances. He now has four goals and two assists in his first season back with the club after he developed in the Sporting KC Academy before playing college soccer at Cal State Fullerton.
Goalkeeper Ethan Bandre is another player enjoying a successful 2023 season. The Salina native has 12 starts, most amongst SKC II goalkeepers and an impressive goals-against average of just 1.17. He has a record of 6-3-3 with a shootout win and has all three of the team's clean sheets in 2023.
Tacoma, led by head coach Wade Webber, sits exactly three points above Sporting KC II in the standings with just eight matches to go. Webber's side has picked up eight results in their last nine matches and is the only team other than SKC II to knock off Rapids 2, the league's top team. They are highlighted by forward Braudílio Rodrigues and his nine goal contributions (seven goals, two assists). Fellow forward Paul Rothrock falls in behind Rodrigues at eight goal contributions (three goals, five assists).
A pivotal Western Conference match is set for Wednesday night in the Pacific Northwest. Two teams in MLS NEXT Pro's Top 10 Power Rankings separated by three points who need to keep up their impressive forms will take the pitch on opposite sides of one another. Fans can stream the match on MLSNEXTPro.com, the MLS YouTube page or follow @SportingKCII on Twitter for updates throughout the contest.
Match Information:
MLS NEXT Pro: Match 21
Date: Wednesday, August 9, 2023
Kickoff: 9:00 p.m. CT
Location: Starfire Stadium (Tukwila, Washington)
Watch: MLSNEXTPro.com | MLS YouTube
SOCIAL TAGS:
Match-specific hashtag: #TACvSKC
Twitter: @SportingKCII
Instagram: @SportingKCII
Twitter: @TacDefiance
Instagram: @tacdefiance
