SKC II’s Rauf Salifu caught all the headlines over the weekend, with the 20-year-old Ghanaian becoming the first player to score four goals in the league while knocking off first-place North Texas SC. Rapids 2 put on a gutsy performance to end CITY 2’s seven matches unbeaten run and NYCFC II’s John Denis scored the earliest brace in MLS NEXT Pro history.
Here’s your MLS NEXT Pro week 15 recap, by the numbers.
Four goals for Salifu + 51-minute hat trick
Sporting Kansas City II’s Rauf Salifu put on an attacking clinic in their 4-2 win over North Texas SC on Saturday. SKC II earned just their sixth win of the season, but it came at a meaningful time for them when they knocked off the top team across the league heading into the weekend.
Salifu found the back of the net in the 37th, 45+1, 51st, and 70th minutes to complete the fastest hat trick in MLS NEXT Pro history while becoming the first-ever player to score four in one match.
Salifu’s 70th-minute dagger secured all three points after they were in jeopardy with North Texas SC's comeback effort.
Seven unbeaten snapped
Colorado Rapids 2 snapped St Louis CITY 2’s seven-match unbeaten streak Saturday afternoon, with an upset 2-1 victory over the No. 3 overall side in MLS NEXT Pro.
Gustavo Vallecilla’s 3rd-minute penalty and Yosuke Hanya’s 66th-minute dagger were enough to secure all three points in the surprise victory.
Hanya’s strike gave them a 2-0 lead with CITY 2 earning a consolation goal late in stoppage time.
The big performance represented Rapids2's fourth win of the season.
Five-minute brace for Denis
NYCFC II’s John Denis found the back of the net in the 3rd and 5th minute to score the earliest brace in MLS NEXT Pro history in their 5-1 victory over FC Cincinnati 2 Saturday.
Denis is now up to nine goals scored this season, leading the team in scoring while certifying his name in the golden boot race.
Home dominance
Six out of eight matches played on Saturday resulted in wins for the hosts. The only match not to end in three points to one side was a 1-1 draw between Earthquakes II and Houston Dynamo 2, where the traveling Dynamo Dos took two points from the contest.
Real Monarchs, Rochester New York FC, Inter Miami II, NYCFC II, MNUFC 2, and Sporting Kansas City II all claimed three points at their home venues.
First win for Real Monarchs
It was a historic weekend for Real Monarchs, who earned their first-ever victory across MLS NEXT Pro in a dominant 4-0 victory over Timbers 2 at Zions Bank Stadium.
Beginning their campaign 0-11-2, Monarchs came into week 15 to make a statement, and did they ever. Goals from Axel Kei, Tyrone Mondi, and Christopher Garcia secured all three points.
Kei opened the scoring early, followed by a Mondi brace and a 63rd-minute dagger from Garcia.
Goals galore: 34 strikes find the back of the net in week 15
Attacking prowess was the focus in week 15, with 34 total goals being scored across nine matches with an average of 3.7 goals being scored per game. NYCFC II found themselves atop the weekend in scoring with five goals scored but at least five teams scored a minimum of three goals over all three matchdays.
