As preseason winds down and the inaugural MLS NEXT Pro season approaches, Sporting Kansas City II will host the Kansas City Roos Men’s Soccer team in a preseason friendly at Swope Soccer Village this Saturday. The match is set for 2 p.m. CT, is open to the public and is free for everyone.
After six seasons and two Western Conference titles in the USL Championship, Sporting KC II is gearing up for a new challenge in MLS NEXT Pro. NEXT Pro completes MLS’s pro-player pathway sitting right in the middle of MLS NEXT and MLS.
SKC II will play a majority of its home games at Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence, Kansas, becoming the first professional sports franchise based in Lawrence. SKC II kicks off the regular season with back-to-back road games before the home opener against Houston Dynamo FC 2 on Sunday, April 10 at 6 p.m. CT.
The Sporting KC II preseason began in February with a trip to Indianapolis. While in Indiana, SKC II faced long-time USL foe Indy Eleven and new MLS NEXT Pro opponent Chicago Fire II. Following the trip to the Hoosier state, the team traveled to the Sooner state to face FC Tulsa. SKC II took home a preseason win off a 90th-minute, game-winning goal from Mataeo Bunbury.
Last Sunday, SKC II hosted USL League One title holders, Union Omaha at Swope Soccer Village. Forward Julian Vazquez scored off a corner kick before Omaha evened the score in the 83rd. Neither side would score for the remaining eight minutes, and the match ended level.
Now, in the preseason finale, Sporting KC II will host the Kansas City Roos Men’s soccer team. The match will be held at Swope Soccer Village, is open to the public, kicks off at 2 p.m. CT and is free admission.
First-year head coach Benny Feilhaber and assistant coach Ike Opara are readying the squad as the team’s MLS NEXT Pro opener is just a little over a week away. The two former Sporting KC players and 2013 MLS Cup Champions are compiling a roster of Sporting KC Academy products and players under MLS NEXT Pro contracts complemented by Sporting KC loanees.
The preseason match against Union Omaha on Sunday will be fans’ final opportunity to get a look at Sporting KC II before the first match of the regular season on Sunday, March 27 against Rapids 2.
Fans can purchase tickets to all of SKC II’s home matches at SeatGeek.com, including the home opener on April 10.
