SKC II Recap: Medgy Alexandre gives Sporting KC II three points with late heroics against Rapids 2

Sporting Kansas City II (9-11-5, 34 points) picked up a massive three points against Colorado Rapids 2 (6-15-4, 23 points) on the road at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on Sunday night in Commerce City, Colorado. Medgy Alexandre's second professional goal lifted Sporting past Colorado in second-half stoppage time after the two sides dueled it out over 90 minutes of play.

The win puts SKC II back above the playoff line as they leapfrog Houston Dynamo 2 and Austin FC II to take the eighth spot in the Western Conference with just three matches remaining. Sporting KC Academy goalkeeper Jacob Molinaro earned his first professional clean sheet, making a massive five saves in the contest to keep Rapids 2 off the board.

Head coach and Sporting Legend Benny Feilhaber had Molinaro in goal with a back three of Carson Klein, Chris Rindov and Leo Christiano defending the final third. A midfield five included Shane Donovan and Sebastian Cruz both playing the six, while Alexandre, Kamron Habibullah and Mason Visconti played in front of them. Beto Avila and Maouloune Goumballe earned starts at the top of the formation.

A goalless first 45 was not without its fair share of chances. Klein had the honors of the first shot, pinging a one-timer into the hands of Adam Beaudry, the Rapids 2 netminder for the evening, in the fourth minute. Visconti then got into the attack with a skipping cross that slid through the defense just beyond the reach of Habibullah.

The match slowed from there as both groups took the next 10 minutes feeling out the pace of the contest. Colorado's first attacking sequence came in the 17th when a headed corner kick flashed wide of Molinaro's post. The 24th produced the best chance of the first when Avila intercepted a back pass, broke for goal and poked an effort wide of the far post from just inside the box.

The final 15 minutes of the first saw both SKC II and Rapids 2's defenses step up. First, a cross from the right side of the endline was cleared away right before Molinaro had to make a move. Then, a key intervention from Rindov deflected a shot away from goal in the 33rd. The SKC II keeper got his hands on the ball a minute later, snatching it out of the sky with a leap inside his six.

Beaudry then pawed another cross away with a diving effort before his centerback cleared the danger. A nifty move from Habibullah sparked a superb bit of combination passing when he lifted the ball over to Visconti with a flick. The SKC Academy product hopped the ball through a pair of defenders before it was cleared out to Cruz. The midfielder's effort was sent out to Goumballe who sent a shot into Beaudry ending the chaotic sequence.

Nate Jones concluded the half with a key stop for Rapids 2 after a mistake that led to another Avila breakaway. His slide tackle at the box stymied the attacker preventing an SKC II goal.

Coming out of the break, Feilhaber made one change, bringing on Jonathan Robinson for Visconti. Colorado was given a free kick in the 46 which was sent wide of the mark. Noah Strellnauer then tried to break the deadlock but had his shot denied in traffic by some tenacious defending. A nervous moment came for Molinaro in the 53rd when a clearance redirected off Derren Yapi, however, if fortunately bounced harmlessly away.

Alexandre nearly got on the scorer's sheet in the 55th when he found the back of the net from inside the 18. Celebrations arose from the SKC II bench, however, they were short as the assistant ref deemed Avila, who was in an offside position had interfered with the play. An SKC II set piece in the 66th was sent goalward by Habibullah, curled past the wall and turned aside by both of Beaudry's mitts.

On the cusp of the 80th minute, Cruz sliced and diced his way up the field before threading a perfect ball to Goumballe inside the 18. The forward collided with a charging Beaudry who came up worse for wear but was able to remain in the match. The second and third subs came on for Sporting in the 82nd with Ethan Bryant and Demarre Montoute coming on for Avila and Habibullah. Molinaro made an easy save in the 86th and two incredible saves in the 89th when he blocked the initial attempt and scampered on the ground to deny the rebound.

The breakthrough moment came in the 90+2' off a counterattack. Bryant galloped over midfield and entered the attacking third before finding Alexandre's run in the box. The Montreal man collected himself and tucked the ball neatly in the back of the net, giving SKC II the first lead of the night.

The match ended shortly thereafter and SKC II climbed the standings in the tight Western Conference playoff race. Sunday marked the final SKC II road match of the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro regular season as they will finish the campaign with three consecutive road matches on three consecutive Sundays. First up, the boys will host MNUFC 2 at Swope Soccer Village on Sunday, Sept. 22 at 5 p.m. CT. The match will stream live on MLSNEXTPro.com and tickets for all of SKC II's matches are on sale at SeatGeek.com for just $10.

Sporting Kansas City II: Jacob Molinaro; Carson Klein, Chris Rindov, Leo Christiano; Shane Donovan, Sebastian Cruz, Medgy Alexandre, Kamron Habibullah (Demarre Montoute 82'), Mason Visconti (Jonathan Robinson 46'); Beto Avila (Ethan Bryant 82' (Nati Clarke 90+4')), Maouloune Goumballe

Subs Not Used: Jack Kortkamp, Ian James, Johann Ortiz, Cielo Tschantret

Colorado Rapids 2: Adam Beaudry; Daniel Chacon (Darren Yapi 31'), Michael Edwards (Joshua Belluz 46'), Nate Jones; Sebastian Anderson (Logan Batiste 62'), Wayne Frederick (Daouda Amadou 62'), Robinson Aguirre Ortega, Steve Flores; Noah Strellnauer, Colton Swan, Kimani Stewart-Baynes (Maxwell Simpson 46')

Subs Not Used: Ethan Bandre, Alec Diaz, Patrick Dormoh, Ricardo Pena Gutierrez

Scoring Summary:

SKC – Medgy Alexandre 2 (Ethan Bryant 5) 90+2'

Misconduct Summary:

SKC – Carson Klein (yellow card; tactical foul) 63'
COL – Logan Batiste (yellow card; unsporting conduct) 64'
COL – Steve Flores (yellow card; dissent) 79'

Referee: Servando Berna
Assistant Referee: James Ewer
Assistant Referee: Eric Wood
Fourth Official: Joshua Belzer