Sporting Kansas City II will face Whitecaps FC 2 at Victory Field on April 19, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. CT, according to an April 17 announcement. Tickets for the Major League Soccer NEXT Pro regular season game are available through SeatGeek.com.
Both teams enter the contest following positive results in their previous matches. Vancouver secured its second win of the season by defeating Tacoma Defiance, while Sporting KC II earned a draw against North Texas after scoring in stoppage time.
Newcomers Missael Rodriguez and Tega Ikoba each scored their first goals for SKC II during last Friday’s match in Arlington. Rodriguez equalized before halftime, and Ikoba netted a late goal to send the game into penalties. Both players now have eighteen career goal contributions in MLS NEXT Pro.
SKC Academy defenders Zane Wantland and Jack Francka provided their first professional assists during that match. Goalkeeper Jacob Molinaro has started all seven games this season and saved a penalty against North Texas; he and defender Pierre Lurot are the only players to have played every minute so far this year. Daniel Russo made his debut as a substitute under head coach Lee Tschantret and converted his shootout attempt, though SKC II ultimately lost on penalties.
Whitecaps FC 2 is led by Rich Fagan in his first season as head coach and currently holds eighth place in the Western Conference with seven points from wins over MNUFC 2 and Tacoma Defiance. Their top scorer is midfielder Liam MacKenzie, who has four goals this season after scoring two across his previous three campaigns.
Following Sunday’s fixture, Sporting KC II will remain at home to play Dynamo Dos on April 26.
