After an exciting start to Matchday 2 on Friday, MLS NEXT Pro continued its high-octane action on Sunday with a 10-game slate filled with amazing goals, thrilling comebacks, and commanding results.
Let's blitz through the rest of the matchday and take a look at all the action that took place on Matchday 2.
St Louis CITY2 (1) - MNUFC2 (3)
MNUFC2 rolled to three points on MLS NEXT Pro opening weekend in Utah and followed that up with another convincing performance against St Louis CITY2 on Sunday afternoon.
Cameron Knowles’ squad scored three second-half downs to defeat CITY2 by a 3-1 scoreline at CITYPARK, moving to 2-0-0 this year. Juan Mosquera, Cameron Dunbar, and Diogo Pacheco all celebrated goals to help cancel out a fifth-minute opener from CITY2’s Akil Watts.
Watts propelled Bobby Murphy’s side in front on home soil, just one minute after Celio Pompeu was denied by Fred Emmings from the penalty spot. Off the ensuing corner kick, Watts’ header off Pompeu’s corner kick nestled into the back of the net for a 1-0 advantage.
Jack Maher’s ejection in the 64th minute reduced St Louis CITY2 to 10 men and MNUFC2 would take advantage of the extra player shortly after. Juan Mosquera tied the match in the 66th minute, stroking home a rebound after Joseph Rosales was denied.
Cameron Dunbar’s sensational free-kick in the 85th minute propelled MNUFC2 in front before Pacheco made an immediate impact off the bench by scoring his third league goal of the season before stoppage time.
Emmings finished with four saves to preserve MNUFC2’s second-straight road victory.
Philadelphia Union II (1) - Inter Miami II (2)
Inter Miami II used a 94th-minute winner from Farid Sar-Sar to defeat Philadelphia Union II by a 2-1 scoreline at Subaru Park. It was a bounce-back performance for Federico Higuain’s squad after falling at home to Chicago Fire II on Matchday 1.
Sar-Sar’s right-footed finish in the box would be the winning strike after Italo Addimandi’s headed pass connected with the 23-year-old.
Lucas Meek propelled Inter Miami II in front after only 12 minutes as the midfielder finished off a rebound in the box following Nykolas Sessock’s prior shot. Union II pushed for a tying goal and eventually received one in the final minutes of the second half.
Nelson Pierre’s equalizing goal tied things up for Marlon LeBlanc’s squad as Union II thought they had a chance at a late result at home. However, Sar-Sar’s heroics in stoppage time condemned Union II to their second-straight loss to Florida-based opposition.
Sporting KC II (1) - Austin FC II (1) (SKC II wins 4-2 in Shootout)
Sporting KC II earned its first two points of the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro season on Sunday after edging Austin FC II 4-2 in a penalty shootout at Rock Chalk Park.
Benny Feilhaber’s squad went perfect from the penalty spot while Austin FC II failed to score on two spot kicks in the match.
After a goalless first half, SKC II broke the deadlock in the 67th minute as Pau Vidal’s left-footed strike nestled into the bottom-right corner. SKC II capitalized on a stellar fast break opportunity, using Andrew Draper’s pass and Vidal’s cool finish to take a 1-0 advantage.
However, the lead would only last five minutes as Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez tied things up in the 72nd minute for Austin FC II. Valentin Noel’s distribution into the box allowed the former Tacoma Defiance man to head home his first goal for his new club.
Both teams scored in Round One of the penalty shootout, but Kendall McIntosh’s key save on CJ Fodrey gave SKC II a boost of momentum. Steeve Louis Jean missed his opportunity in the third round before Lucas Rosa and Danny Flores sealed the result for SKC with successful goals.
Houston Dynamo 2 (1) - Colorado Rapids 2 (2)
The comeback kids were at it on Matchday 2 as Colorado Rapids 2 used two late second-half goals to defeat Houston Dynamo 2 by a 2-1 scoreline.
Yosuke Hanya scored in his second-straight appearance for Rapids 2 while Caique’s 92nd-minute winner propelled Rapids 2 to six points out of a possible six to start the campaign.
Houston Dynamo 2 had the bulk of the first-half offensive chances and that trend carried over after halftime. Isaiah LeFlore and Talen Maples connected on the opening goal of the match as Maples’ beat Abraham Rodriguez to the bottom-right corner after 67 minutes.
Rapids 2 did not lay down though as last week’s hero Blake Malone set up Hanya for a close-range finish in the 87th minute. Hanya then proceeded to tee up Caique in stoppage time, watching as his teammate drilled a shot down the middle of Xavier Valdez’s net.
ATL UTD 2 (1) - New York Red Bulls II (1) - (Red Bulls II win 5-4 in a Shootout)
New York Red Bulls 2 rebounded from a Matchday 1 loss to the defending league champions by edging ATL UTD 2 in a thrilling 5-4 penalty shootout.
Erik Lopez’s fourth-minute goal boosted Steve Cooke’s squad in front at Fifth Third Bank Stadium, but Wikelman Carmona tied things up in the second half with his second goal of the 2023 season.
Lopez needed only four minutes to boost ATL UTD 2 in front, drilling a right-footed shot into the bottom-left corner for his first tally of 2023.
Wikelman Carmona equalized for New York Red Bulls 2 in the 57th minute, sneaking a left-footed shot into the back of the net for the second-straight week.
Clement Diop made six second-half saves to keep ATL UTD 2 from falling down and eventually helped lead the club to a shootout. However, Nick Firmino’s missed attempt gave Red Bulls II all the momentum before the visitors went a perfect 5-for-5 to claim two points on the road.
LA Galaxy II (0) - North Texas SC (1)
North Texas SC picked up their second-straight win in MLS NEXT Pro, shutting out LA Galaxy II 1-0 away from home.
Ascel Essengue’s own goal in the 44th minute boosted North Texas SC in front before halftime after the visitors owned most of the first-half possession and opportunities. Herbert Endeley’s cross following a 14-pass sequence deflected into the back of the net from Essengue.
North Texas SC continued to pile on the pressure in the second half with Yeicar Perlaza striking the post in the 75th minute.
Jonathan Perez’s long-range effort in the dying moments of the match was LA Galaxy II’s best chance to tie things up. However, the hosts could not find a tying goal, suffering their second loss since joining MLS NEXT Pro.
New England Revolution II (2) - NYCFC II (1)
New England Revolution II made it two victories in a row to start their 2023 schedule after defeating NYCFC II 2-1 at Gillette Stadium.
Esmir Bajraktarevic’s 89th-minute goal proved to be the difference after the two Eastern Conference clubs traded first-half goals.
Jordan Adebayo-Smith’s 24th-minute goal boosted Clint Peay’s squad in front before John Denis tied things up with his first goal of 2023. Denis’ stellar free-kick finish tied things up at 1-1 just before halftime.
With both teams seeking a winning goal, Revs II found one through Bajraktarevic’s first tally of the season. Malcolm Fry’s through ball played Bajraktarevic in on goal before the U.S. Youth National Team midfielder slid a left-footed shot into the bottom-right corner.
Nico Campuzano made five saves for Revs II to help preserve the home win.
Timbers2 (0) - Earthquakes II (2)
Earthquakes II made it back-to-back MLS NEXT Pro victories on Sunday after shutting out Timbers2 2-0 at Providence Park.
Eduardo Blancas and Keegan Tingey both celebrated first-half goals as Quakes II stayed perfect with five goals scored and zero goals conceded.
Roberto Hategan drew a spot kick in the ninth minute after a foul from Julian Bravo in the box, allowing Blancas to step up and score for a 1-0 Quakes II advantage.
Quakes II doubled their lead in the 30th minute as Tingey finished off a rebound after Will Richmond struck the crossbar. It was Tingey’s first MLS NEXT Pro goal for the club.
Selmir Miscic struck the post in the second half for Timbers2, but it did not spark a comeback for the hosts. Eric De La Cerda made one save to preserve his second clean sheet of the season.
Tacoma Defiance (5) - Real Monarchs (0)
Tacoma Defiance earned their first three points of the season at home when they defeated Real Monarchs 5-0 at Starfire Sports Stadium on Sunday night.
Abdoulaye Cissoko led the way scoring a brace, while Braudílio Rodrigues, Eythor Bjørgolffson and Hal Udertiz all contributed to Defiance’s offensive outburst.
Real Monarchs will have to regroup this week after giving up eight goals in their first two games of the campaign.
LAFC2 (1) - WFC2 (1) - (WFC2 wins 3-2 in a Shootout)
WFC2 earned two points on the road after defeating LAFC2 in a Shootout at Titan Stadium.
WFC2’s goalkeeper Isaac Boehmer led his team to a Shootout victory after denying two of LAFC2’s attempts from the spot. Kamron Habibullah had another outstanding game this week scoring in the 32nd minute to tie the match.
Not all is bleak for LAFC2 as they earned their first ever point and goal in MLS NEXT Pro and will now look to build off their display on the field today when they travel to face Sporting KC II next week.
Friday’s results:
Chicago Fire II (2) - TFC II (0)
Crown Legacy FC (2) - FC Cincinnati 2 (1)
Orlando City B (2) - Huntsville City FC (1)
