SKC II Preseason Recap: Sporting KC II claims 2-1 win over FC Tulsa to kick off road trip
Sporting Kansas City II’s 2023 preseason presented by the Central Bank continued with a 2-1 win over Tulsa FC at the University of Tulsa. Bakary Bagayoko scored in the first half while Amadou Traore gave Sporting KC II the win in the final two minutes of the competition.
Head coach Benny Feilhaber presented a starting lineup with new signings Lucas Rosa and Sebastian Cruz. Ethan Bandre tended the net while Rosa, Jahon Rad, Nassim Mekediche and Diedie Traore held the defensive line. Enzo Mauriz played in center of midfield with Ethan Bryany and Josh Coan on either side of him. Cruz and Bagayoko were joined by Andrew Draper in the first three.
Tulsa jumped on the attack early and found the back of the net after a great save from Bandre. The goal was disallowed because the rebound’s finisher injured Rad and was called for a foul. Bryant brought SKC II into the attacking group for the first time in the game in the sixth minute. His advance resulted in him coming into the box and firing a shot on goal that was blocked by the goalkeeper.
Sporting stayed in attack and put constant pressure on the Tulsa back four. That pressure created a golden opportunity after Bryant cracked another goal attempt that got stuck in traffic. The loose ball fell to Bagayoko, who failed to get his shot on target after being swarmed by several defenders and the keeper.
He wouldn’t wait long to influence the game, however, as Coan rushed the keeper shortly after, flipping Tulsa in the box. Bagayoko got the ball, created an angle and burned the keeper at the near post to give SKC II the advantage in the first half. Nothing more came for either side and the break came with the 1-0 score intact.
The fresh 45 presented some fresh faces to the visitors, with Nati Clarke coming on for Traore and Stephen Afrifa replacing the prolific Bagayoko. A little over 15 minutes later came a move for SKC II with nine changes, including four Academy Trials in Jacob Bartlett, Matthew Fisher, Cielo Tschantret and Kai Auvray, as well as first-team loanees Ozzie Cisneros and Danny Flores.
Tulsa would level the match to one and the intensity started to increase. Tulsa FC launched attack after attack but were repelled with a double save from Bandre, blocks from the defense and well-timed headers from corners. Traore and Afrifa combined brilliantly on the left wing and steadily gained access to the offensive third. Afrifa had their legs swept in the box near the touchline but only one corner was awarded. Flores’ subsequent service connected Bartlett, but his redirected header thundered inches wide.
In the final moments of the game, after numerous narrow chances for SKC II, Traore got the ball on the wing. The Frenchman slipped inside, creating space and deflecting his shot over the keeper and under the bar to give SKC II the lead Tulsa’s last chance was in vain, and Sporting KC II celebrated their first win of the 2023 preseason.
The SKC II’s pre-season road trip is now in full swing. The team will travel to Dallas to practice and play in two preseason test games against Richland College and North Texas SC. After the trip, a pre-season game against UMKC remains at the Swope Soccer Village. The MLS NEXT Pro season is upon us as SKC II enters the second year of the revolutionary league. Follow for updates during preseason and regular season @SportingKCII on Twitter.
SK C: Ethan Bandre; Lucas Rosa (Mikey Lenis 60′), Jahon Rad (Jacob Bartlett 60′(Pau Vidal 75′)), Nassim Mekediche (Matthew Fisher 60′), Diedie Traore (Nati Clarke 46′); Enzo Mauriz (Cielo Tschantret, 60th), Josh Coan (Danny Flores, 60th), Ethan Bryant (Ozzie Cisneros, 60th); Sebastian Cruz (60′ by Amadou Traore), Bakary Bagayoko (60′ by Stephen Afrifa), Andrew Draper (60′ by Kai Auvray)