Sporting Kansas City II head coach Benny Feilhaber was voted MLS NEXT Pro Coach of the Month for June, MLS NEXT Pro announced on Friday.
The MLSNEXTPro.com editorial team, several league personnel, announcers and clubs voted on the top performers across the league during the month of June to declare Feilhaber the Coach of the Month. The voting process entailed performances taken from MLS NEXT Pro league matches from June 2 - July 2.
Feilhaber helped lead Sporting KC II to an undefeated June, with a come-from-behind draw at Whitecaps FC 2, shootout win over Tacoma Defiance, a convincing road win at Los Angles Football Club 2 and another win in kicks from the spot over North Texas SC. The team capped off the voting period and opened the month of July with a record-setting 7-1 win over Whitecaps FC 2 at Rock Chalk Park on Sunday, June 2.
"The team has been on a nice upward trajectory since the beginning of the month with more cohesiveness in how we want to play and a better understanding of our style of play," said Feilahber. "I’m excited for the 2nd half of the season to see how the players continue to improve and make a push to climb up the table”
Balancing a roster of first-team loanees, second-team contracted players and Sporting KC Academy players, Feilhaber has the entire group playing well-connected soccer, earning results in five straight matches, and taking points in eight of their last nine dating back to May 5.
A large cast has taken the pitch in this five-match stretch with 25 different players seeing action. Ten players scored for SKC II including seven individual goal scorers in the seven-goal showing against Vancouver, the most individual goal scorers in a single MLS NEXT Pro match.
Led by Feilhaber and assistant coach Ike Opara, SKC II has cemented itself as a playoff contender, sitting third in the Frontier Division and fifth in the Western Conference. The team will travel to Portland to take on Timbers2 at Providence Park on Sunday night. Kickoff is set for 9 p.m. CT and fans can stream the match for free at MLSNEXTPro.com, the MLS YouTube channel or check @SportingKCII on Twitter for live updates throughout the contest.
