Sporting KC II (2-4-1, 7 points) will be back on the road when they take on Portland Timbers2 (0-4-2, 4 points) at Hillsboro Stadium for an MLS NEXT Pro regular season showdown. The match will take place Sunday night with a start time of 9 p.m. CT and the match can be live-streamed at MLSNEXTPro.com.
First-year head coach Benny Feilhaber and SKC II snapped a four-match losing streak with a 4-2 victory against Real Monarchs last Sunday at Rock Chalk Park. Mataeo Bunbruy's first-half brace erased a two-goal deficit, defender Cole McLagan's first professional goal gave SKC II the lead and Julian Vazquez's first SKC II goal iced the match a minute later.
Other key figures in that contest include midfielders Cade Thomson, who assisted on two goals against Real Monarchs, and team captain Collin Fernandez who has a goal and two assists this season.
Looking ahead to Sunday, SKC II's defense is highlighted by Jahon Rad who has started all seven matches for SKC II this season. Joining him on the backline has been fellow Sporting KC Academy product Mikey Lenis. The rightback has started three consecutive matches and scored his first professional goal in his first professional start.
SKC II mainstay Spencer Glass earned his first-ever first-team start in Sporting Kansas City's U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 win against FC Dallas on Tuesday.
In the attacking third, Vazquez has taken the reins. He has one goal, a team-high three assists this season and is a force to be reckoned with on the ball. Academy product Guy Michaeli joined SKC II a few weeks into the season and has started in all three of his appearances.
Bunbury has been the focal point of the SKC II attack so far this season. His team-high three goals have come in big spots this season. His first goal iced SKC II's first win at MNUFC2 while his first-half brace sparked last week's comeback win.
Looking to Sunday's opponent Timbers2, the Shannon Murray led side are still in search of their first win in MLS NEXT Pro. Their five goals this season have come from two players, Portland Timbers loanee Blake Bodily (3) and Jamin Gogo Peters (2). Another Timbers first-team loanee Pablo Bonilla leads Timbers2 with two assists.
Sunday marks just the third home match this season for Timbers2. They suffered a 2-0 defeat to Earthquakes II and earned two points in a win on kicks from the spot against Real Monarchs. Other than that they picked up two more points at Whitecaps FC 2 and have yet to win a game in regulation time. Fans can stream all of the action on MLSNEXTPro.com as SKC II looks to ride the momentum from last week's electrifying win.
Match Information
MLS NEXT Pro: Match 8
Date: Sunday, May 14
Kickoff: 9 p.m. CT
Location: Hillsboro Stadium (Hillsboro, Oregon)
Live Stream: mlsnextpro.com
Sporting Kansas City II: 2-4-1, 7 points
Timbers2: 0-4-2, 4 points
SOCIAL TAGS:
Match-specific hashtag: #PORvSKC
Twitter: @SportingKCII
Instagram: @SportingKCII
Twitter: TimbersFC2
Instagram: TimbersFC2