Sporting KC II (1-3-1, 4 points) returns to Rock Chalk Park after a quick one-match road trip and will welcome North Texas SC (3-1-1, 10 points) to Lawrence, Kan. for a 7 p.m. CT kickoff. Tickets for the Frontier Division fight are available at SeatGeek.com with the contest available to stream on MLSNEXTPro.com.
First-year head coach Benny Feilhaber and SKC II come into this one in the midst of a three-match losing skid following consecutive results to open the MLS NEXT Pro season. North Texas enters the match fresh off their first loss of the season, a 3-1 defeat to Houston Dynamo 2.
Leading the way for SKC II is a wide array of players from all over the field. With 30 different players featuring already for SKC II this season, multiple players have begun to take on leadership roles.
Captain and midfielder Collin Fernandez and Julian Vazquez are two MLS NEXT Pro contracted players who have started every match for SKC II. Fernandez has one goal and an assist on the young season with Vazquez providing two assists.
Sporting KC Academy products have also featured prominently for the second team. Guy Michaeli made his professional debut last Sunday in Vancouver after signing a contract earlier in the week. He nearly scored his first pro goal in the eighth minute of that match, pinging a shot bar down, but just in front of the goal line.
Other Sporting Academy players include Jahon Rad, the anchor of SKC II’s backline, Mataeo Bunbury, who recently returned from international duty with Canada’s U-20 side and Mikey Lenis who scored his first professional goal in the match against Vancouver.
Rounding out the roster for SKC II has been Sporting KC first-team loanees. Goalkeeper Kendall McIntosh had made three appearances, earning a clean sheet and the club’s first win. Jake Davis has started three consecutive matches, playing every minute, providing lots of energy and creating chances from all over the pitch. Kayden Pierre and Ozzie Cisneros featured prominently for SKC II before attending Youth National camps for the U.S. Men’s U-20s and U-19s respectively.
Led by head coach Pa-Madou Kah, North Texas find themselves in second place in the Frontier Division as well as the Western Conference. They are led by Tanzanian forward Bernard Kamungo who has three goals this season. He scored five goals for North Texas SC in the 2021 USL League One season.
Leading the Texas side in assists is Hope Avayevu. The forward has four assists on the young season, tied for the MLS NEXT Pro lead. Goalkeeper Antonio Carrera has started four matches for North Texas, posting a record of 3-0-1. He has only conceded three times and has saved 15 shots.
The Sporting Kansas City first-team will take on FC Dallas Saturday night at 7:30 with SKC II and North Texas SC capping off the Kansas City vs. Dallas weekend on Sunday. Tickets are on sale at SeatGeek.com with all seating at Rock Chalk Park now first-come-first-serve.
Match Information
MLS NEXT Pro: Match 6
Date: Sunday, May 1
Kickoff: 7 p.m. CT
Location: Rock Chalk Park (Lawrence, Kansas)
Live Stream: mlsnextpro.com
Sporting Kansas City II: 1-3-1, 4 points
North Texas SC: 3-1-1, 15 points
SOCIAL TAGS:
Match-specific hashtag: #SKCvNTX
Twitter: @SportingKCII
Instagram: @SportingKCII
Twitter: northtexasSC*
Instagram:* NorthTexasSC
