SKC II Match Preview: Sporting KC II takes on Timbers2 in Sunday night MLS NEXT Pro showdown 

First-team players on loan have found a solid base in recent games at SKC II. In the last two competitions there were seven and nine first-team players respectively in the starting XI. Cam Duke, Stephen Afrifa, Felipe Hernandez and Danny Flores all started and scored first-half goals against WFC2, while Duke and Hernandez and Ozzie Cisneros all got assists in the loss.

Cisneros and Flores have emerged as the second-team mainstays this season, with the former recording three goals and an assist and the latter recording two goals and an assist. Defender Chris Rindov is another of Sporting KC’s regulars at SKC II, having started five games in a row. The rookie has completed 388 passes this season, the third most on the team.

Forward and second-team contract player Pau Vidal leads the SKC II’s attack. The Spaniard has nine goals to his credit, making him the second most in the MLS NEXT Pro golden boot race. He was joined in attack by Alenis Vargas, who has the most assists on SKC II with four. The Honduran also scored his first goal as a club member against Vancouver in the 57th minute.

Sporting KC Academy player Nati Clarke’s recent form has established him as the team’s key left-back. The Topeka native has nine starts, 17 interceptions and a 5-1-3 record in those nine starts. Clarke has been named to the MLS NEXT All-Star Western Conference team and will compete in the second annual MLS NEXT All-Star Game on Wednesday, July 19.

Right-back Lucas Rosa is another strong defender in Feilhaber’s squad. He leads the team in starts (15), games played (13), minutes (1233) and interceptions (24). He earned his second assist of 2023 against WFC2, playing the ball to himself to blow it past a defender before placing a perfect cross on Andrew Draper’s head.

Portland goes into the game as the only team not to have participated in a shootout. They hold a record of 6-10-0 and suffered three losses in a row. Before this current difficult period, they managed to win four in a row. Timbers2 is managed by Shannon Murray, who is in his sophomore year running T2.

Sunday’s hosts have plenty of attacking options this season with nine different goalscorers. Nobody at T2 has more than Florian Monzon, who has six so far this season. Both Noel Caliskan and Tega Ikoba are in second place with three goals. Goalkeeper Ryan Bilichuk was their main starter between the posts in 2023. He has conceded 28 goals in his 12 starts and kept two clean sheets.