SKC II Recap: Sporting KC II steals all three points at MNUFC 2 with stoppage-time winner from Sebastian Cruz

Sporting Kansas City II (6-3-2, 20 points) battled MNUFC 2 (4-5-0, 12 points), at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minnesota for 90 minutes to snag all three points from the home side on a rainy Sunday night. Beto Avila started the scoring in the 10th minute before being forced out of the match due to an injury in the 31st.

Sebastian Cruz entered the contest and would tally goals in both first and second-half stoppage time. Alex Cunningham earned his second straight start and scored his first professional goal on the night. Defender Demarre Montoute stamped his name on the game with an immaculate goal-line clearance along with several other strong defensive moments.

Assistant coach Ike Opara had control of the ship in this one as head coach Benny Feilahber was out due to yellow card accumulation. Opara trotted out Academy goalkeeper Jacob Molinaro with Cunningham, Montoute, Chris Rindov and Jonathan Robinson on the back four. Captain Ethan Bryant, Jake Swallen and Kamron Habibullah patrolled the middle third while Avila began the match with Maouloune Goumballe and Roberto Hategan up top.

Robinson had the privilege of taking the first shot of the match, ripping one into the outstretched arms of MNUFC 2 keeper Alec Smir in the second minute. Just A minute later a dangerous-looking chance from Hategan was blocked in traffic and cleared. The home side's first chance came not four minutes later on the first corner of the evening when a headed effort from Finn McRobb sailed high of Molinaro's goal.

Avila broke the deadlock in the 10th minute after turning over Dom Mawing right at midfield. The forward disposed the Minnesota Academy defender and broke for goal, forcing Smir off his line. The clever striker doinked the ball over the charging keeper and watched it nestle neatly in the net.

Kansas City kept the pressure on after scoring with a pair of chances in the 12th and 17th. First Goumballe, who was unlucky not to strike in the match after getting into several dangerous areas, saw a chance barely tipped out off the shin of Smir in the middle of his goal. Bryant then tracked down a ball from Habibullah right before whizzing a shot wide of the mark.

Montoute made the save of the night in the 23rd after a mixup inside the SKC II 18. A loose ball was gathered by Minnesota with Molinaro outside his goal. With the net wide open, Montoute stuck himself in the middle, dropped down to his right and turned the shot aside off the foot of Patrick Weah with his right left at full extension. Immediately off the deflection, SKC II countered and Goumballe forced another save from Smir.

Hategan was given a yellow in the 23rd minute for a hard challenge committed during a Minnesota break. Habibullah and Avila nearly combined for one with just a little under half an hour played. Avila dropped the ball off to the Canadian before making his run into the box and getting the ball back. The first goal scorer rolled a ball through the six and past the defenders, however, no SKC II runners were home to cap off the play. This was Avila's last action as he made way for Cruz and was tended to on the sideline.

Weah converted a penalty in the 35th for his first of two first-half goals after Rindov was whistled for a foul in the box. Four minutes later, he added his second, finding the back of the net after an attempt from Jordan Adebayo-Smith ricocheted off the crossbar. Following a turnover on the kickoff, Rindov went into the book with a yellow card.

With it seeming like Minnesota would go into the break, an SKC II was born out of thin air when Habibuallah brilliantly linked with Goumballe in the attacking third. The Hoosier found himself all alone, up close and personal with the net, and unselfishly cut the ball back toward the middle where Cruz ran onto it and ripped a shot into the goal. With the 45+4 minute goal, Sporting entered the half even.

As the teams came back out for the second, Opara made another change, bringing on Cielo Tschantret for Bryant. The first opportunity of the half went to the home team when a miscommunication at the back allowed Rory O'Driscoll a look at goal. The midfielder's effort drifted wide of the mark and SKC II escaped harm's way. SKC II remained under attack for the first 10 minutes of the second until Habibullah bucked the trend with a shot on goal.

The Sporting KC II leading scorer fired one from range after a crafty run and forced Smir to fall to his left to catch the offering. Swallen then played Goumballe in on goal with a lustrous through-ball which the forward latched onto and whistled inches wide. A third sub was made in the 65th with Pau Vidal coming on for Hategan.

A minute later, Cunningham threw Sporting back out in front with his first goal for the club. A poor clearance fell to Cruz just beyond the box and the forward sent it back toward Tschantret. The midfielder dropped lifted the ball into the area into the path of Cunningham who dashed underneath the ball and touched it past Smir with one-poke.

Minnesota lobbied a few chances at Molinaro following the go-ahead goal. The Academy keeper secured a headed effort against his chest and caught a few attempted entry passes to keep the Loons down a goal. Nati Clarke came on in the 81st as SKC II's final sub. MNUFC 2 was then gifted a penalty in the 85th after minimal contact at the top of the box was deemed enough for a kick from the spot.

Kage Romanshyn Jr. sank his kick and the score was evened up for a third time since Avila's 10th minute score. A second straight Sporting shootout seemed the likeliest of outcomes until a moment of brilliance from Vidal in second half stoppage time. The Spaniard surveyed the field and shipped a pass to a charging Cruz into the final third.

The Academy product cooly rounded Smir and composed himself in time to smash a shot past the retreating defenders and into the back of the net. The goal fired Sporting back on top and the lead was maintained after another massive save from Molinaro.

The win marks Opara's first professional win in a head coaching role and gives the team seven results in their last eight matches. The boys will be back at Rock Chalk Park for the first time since May 12 this Friday when they host Houston Dynamo 2. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT with a live stream available for free on MLSNEXTPro.com and tickets on sale at SeatGeek.com.

Sporting KC II has already faced Dynamo Dos twice this season, beating them 2-1 on the road in the season opener, and handing them a 4-0 defeat at Swope Soccer Village in April.

Sporting Kansas City II: Jacob Molinaro; Alex Cunningham, Demarre Montoute, Chris Rindov, Jonathan Robinson (Nati Clarke 81'); Ethan Bryant (Cielo Tschantret 46'), Jake Swallen, Kamron Habibullah; Roberto Hategan (Pau Vidal 65), Beto Avila (Sebastian Cruz 31'), Maouloune Goumballe

Subs Not Used: Carlito Saylon, Medgy Alexandre, Johann Ortiz, Mason Visconti, Ryan Wagner

MNUFC 2: Alec Smir; Victor Eriksson (Darius Randell 76'), Dom Mawing, Morris Duggan; Britton Fischer, Moses Nyeman, Kage Romanshyn Jr., Rory O'Driscoll (Loic Mesanvi 59'), Finn McRobb (Julian Banks 83'); Jordan Adebayo-Smith (Molik Jesse Khan 59'), Patrik Weah (Andrew Heckenlaible 83')

Subs Not Used: Fred Emmings, Justin Arias, Tamer Ibsais, Will Schmidt

Scoring Summary:

SKC – Beto Avila 6 (unassisted) 10'
MIN – Patrick Weah 6 (penalty kick) 36'
MIN – Patrick Weah 7 (unassisted) 39'
SKC – Sebastian Cruz 2 (Maouloune Goumballe 2) 45+4'
SKC – Alex Cunningham 1 (Cielo Tschantret 1) 66'
MIN – Kage Romanshyn Jr. 1 (penalty kick) 86'
SKC – Sebastian Cruz 3 (Pau Vidal 3) 90+1'

Misconduct Summary:

SKC – Roberto Hategan (yellow card; unsporting conduct) 23'
SKC – Chris Rindov (yellow card; unsporting conduct) 40'
MIN – Darius Randell (yellow card; unsporting conduct) 90+3'

Referee: Kyle Johnston
Assistant Referee: Matt Trotter
Assistant Referee: Tyler Spiczka
Fourth Official: Esad Omanovic