August has arrived and that means there are only about eight weeks left of the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro regular season!
Many clubs in both conferences are sitting pretty above the red line, but many others still have opportunities to get into the top four by season’s end.
Matchday 20 features matches across Friday-Sunday with crucial matches coming up for several clubs.
Friday’s headliner comes from Subaru Park where Philadelphia Union II host NYCFC II in an Eastern Conference affair. Saturday’s three-match slate is led by North Texas SC’s trip to MNUFC2 out west.
Sunday closes out the weekend with six matches on the schedule. New England Revolution II hosts New York Red Bulls II in the early matchup of the evening before LA Galaxy II and LAFC2 play hosts in respective 8 p.m. ET kickoffs.
Here is a closer look at the Matchday 20 schedule:
Friday - 8/4
Chicago Fire II vs. ATL UTD 2 (7 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV)
Chicago Fire II earned their second shootout win in recent weeks on Sunday night and will now aim to claim a full three points against ATL UTD 2.
Fire II tied New England Revolution II 1-1 on Sunday night before edging their Eastern Conference opponents 5-3 in a shootout. Noeh Hernandez tied the match just three minutes after the hosts fell down 1-0. Fire II remain six points out of the final playoff spot in the East, but are capable of turning things on after a positive summer schedule.
ATL UTD 2 suffered their fourth-consecutive loss on Friday night and desperately could see a positive result to get back on track.
A 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Columbus Crew 2 moved Steve Cooke’s squad nine points out of fourth place. Nicolas Firmino remains one of the top attacking talents in MLS NEXT Pro this season, but the club’s inconsistency on both ends of the field has certainly hurt in recent weeks. New signing and former U.S. youth national team defender Chris Gloster signed for ATL UTD 2 last week and could provide a spark at a needed time this season.
Columbus Crew 2 vs. TFC II (7 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV)
Columbus Crew 2 rebounded from their hammering at the hands of Philadelphia Union II by getting back to winning ways on Matchday 19.
Laurent Courtois’ men used second-half goals from Taha Habroune and Coleman Gannon to claim a 2-0 victory over ATL UTD 2 on Friday. It was Crew 2’s third-straight road win, which should give them a confidence boost ahead of this week’s home clash with TFC II. Crew 2 have won three of their four matchups with TFC II, including a 3-2 result at York Lions Stadium back in early-July.
TFC II have won back-to-back league matches and should be well rested after having a bye week this past weekend. A 2-1 road win over Huntsville City FC was followed up by a 6-1 romp over Inter Miami II on July 21. Hugo Mbongue scored twice in the lopsided victory while Jesus Batis and Themi Antonoglou also found the back of the net. Gianni Cimini’s squad pushed Crew 2 to the brink in their last head-to-head meeting, but will be looking to complete the job this time.
Philadelphia Union II vs. NYCFC II (7 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV)
Philadelphia Union II returns to MLS NEXT Pro action this weekend after their friendly involvement against English fourth-tier side Wrexham AFC on Friday.
Marlon LeBlanc’s squad earned a 1-1 draw against Wrexham at Subaru Park in front of over 17,000 fans. Jeremy Rafanello’s stellar 2023 continued as the forward netted his eighth goal of the year across all competitions. Several other Union II standouts appeared in the showdown including Nelson Pierre, Stefan Stojanovic, and Chris Donovan. Union II faces NYCFC II on Friday with two-consecutive head-to-head wins under their belt.
NYCFC II haven’t defeated Union II since June 2022 and ultimately will be seeking a bounce-back result after back-to-back losses. Matt Pilkington’s squad haven’t shown the same consistency that made them a threat last season, but still have dangerous scorers to call on. Matthew Myers is one of six MLS NEXT Pro players with double-digit goals this season (10), while Jonathan Jimenez and John Denis are also capable of stealing the show.
Timbers2 vs. Tacoma Defiance (10 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV)
Tacoma Defiance got back to winning ways on Sunday and will now try to start a new winning streak with three points at Providence Park.
Wade Webber’s side used a second-half goal from Raul Miglietti to snatch three points against Whitecaps FC 2 on Sunday. The result moved the Defiance to 6-2-1 at Starfire Sports Complex this season, which have earned them 22 points at their home stadium in 2023. Miglietti now has four goals this season, which has him tied with Hal Uderitz for the second-most in the squad.
Timbers2 suffered their second 4-0 defeat out of the past four weeks after losing to North Texas SC on Saturday. Shannon Murray’s squad recently earned back-to-back wins, but now will have a point to prove after being shutout in Texas. Timbers2 defeated the Defiance 2-0 in their last road showdown and will be seeking to start their two-match homestand off on a positive note.
Saturday - 8/5
Inter Miami II vs. Orlando City B (6 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV)
Orlando City B dropped their second-straight road match on Monday and now face a a quick turnaround against in-state rivals Inter Miami II.
Martin Perelman’s squad lost 2-1 against New York Red Bulls II, which snapped a two-match winning run in league play. Despite Moises Tablante’s second-half equalizer, OCB conceded 13 minutes from the final whistle in the defeat. A victory over Inter Miami II this weekend would give OCB a regular-season sweep. Jack Lynn has scored in both of the prior matchups in 2023 and overall has five goals scored against Inter Miami II dating back to last season.
Inter Miami II have lost five-straight league matches and could desperately use a victory on home soil Saturday.
Federico Higuain’s squad have been outscored 16-2 over that span, which most recently featured a 6-1 road loss at TFC II. Goals have been hard to come by for Inter Miami II, but plenty of young players will be aiming to change that. Lawson Sunderland and Lorenzo D Agostini have six goals between them and have been two of the promising talents in the squad in 2023.
Colorado Rapids 2 vs. Whitecaps FC 2 (8 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV)
Two Western Conference clubs coming off Matchday 19 defeats will be seeking three points on Saturday night.
Colorado Rapids 2 suffered a shocking 4-0 road loss to Sporting KC II, which was the largest margin of defeat for Erik Bushey’s side this season. Rapids 2 will now return home for back-to-back home matches against Whitecaps FC 2 and Houston Dynamo 2, both of which will be winnable matches for the West leaders. Yosuke Hanya, Remi Cabral, and Oliver Larraz have 24 combined goals and lead Rapids 2’s attacking front.
Whitecaps FC 2’s unbeaten run was stretched to six matches on Sunday after a fifth regulation loss over that span. A 2-1 road loss at the hands of Tacoma Defiance continued a worrying run of form for the Canadian club, which sees them slipping out of the top-four picture in the West. With only four goals scored in their last 540 minutes of league play, someone has to start leading the way in attack. Kamron Habibullah and Gloire Amanda are capable options following Levonte Johnson’s growing first team role.
MNUFC2 vs. North Texas SC (8 p.m. ET, MLSNEXTPro.com)
North Texas SC snapped their seven-match winless run on Saturday and will now aim to move three points out of the top four on Saturday.
A 4-0 home victory over Timbers2 was led by Jose Mulato’s brace and additional goals from Herbert Endeley and Tomas Pondeca. It marked a crucial result for John Gill’s squad after the recent coaching change just two weeks ago. Now a two-match roadtrip begins on Saturday with NTX aiming to claim a fifth-straight head-to-head victory over MNUFC2. Endeley and Theo both scored in a 2-1 win over the Young Loons in April.
MNUFC2 will be seeking a bounce-back performance after suffering a 1-0 loss to Earthquakes II on Sunday. Cameron Knowles’ squad have been shutout in two of their last four matches, which has allowed other Western Conference clubs to surpass them in the standings. Diogo Pacheco, Kameron Lacey, and Emmanuel Iwe have 20 combined goals this season and should be tough for the NTX backline to limit for 90+ minutes.
Sunday - 8/6
New England Revolution II vs. New York Red Bulls II (6 p.m. ET, MLSNEXTPro.com)
New York Red Bulls II made it back-to-back victories on Monday and now transitions into a trip to New England Revolution II on Sunday. A 2-1 home win over Orlando City B featured goals from Wikelman Carmona and Ibrahim Kasule at MSU Soccer Park. Kasule scored for the seventh-consecutive match, continuing what has been a breakout campaign for the 19-year-old Ugandan attacker. Red Bulls II have defeated Revs II twice already in 2023, winning 1-0 at Gillette Stadium in April before claiming a 4-1 victory on home soil in early-June.
New England Revolution II dropped their first shootout result of 2023 on Sunday, falling 5-3 on spotkicks to Chicago Fire II. Despite Jack Panayotou’s 59th minute opening goal, Clint Peay’s squad conceded an equalizer just three minutes later and ultimately dropped two points in the process. Revs II have lost both of their regular-season meetings with New York Red Bulls II, but have been dominant at Gillette Stadium this season, posting a 6-3-1 record on home soil.
Houston Dynamo 2 vs. Sporting KC II (7 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV))
Sporting KC II are clicking on all cylinders heading into Sunday’s Matchday 20 showdown with Houston Dynamo 2.
A 4-0 romp of Colorado Rapids 2 on Sunday gave Benny Feilhaber’s squad their third-straight victory, moving them into the top-four of the West standings. Four different players found the back of the net against Rapids 2, including Sebastian Cruz and Felipe Hernandez. Ethan Bryant also registered two assists in the result, continuing a positive overall campaign in midfield.
Houston Dynamo 2 won’t be backing down to SKC II though, especially after putting five goals past Real Monarchs last Friday. Papa Ndoye scored a hat trick for Dynamo Dos while Isaiah Reid also contributed a brace of his own. Dynamo Dos have earned seven points out of their last nine available, which has kept them in the hunt for a playoff spot.
Huntsville City FC vs. FC Cincinnati 2 (7 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV)
Huntsville City FC seeks a second three-match winning streak of the season when FC Cincinnati 2 comes to Joe Davis Stadium on Sunday.
Jack Collison’s squad have earned important road victories over ATL UTD 2 and NYCFC II in recent weeks. A 1-0 road triumph over NYCFC II on Sunday featured Azaad Liadi scoring the lone goal of the match for the Alabama-based visitors. Liadi now leads the expansion side with eight goals in 2023, continuing what has been a strong second-half surge for the forward.
FC Cincinnati 2 failed to pick up points in recent home matches against New York Red Bulls II and Crown Legacy FC. In addition, the Eastern Conference club also failed to find the back of the net, which needs to change if they want to earn points on Sunday. Ian Foster and Bret Halsey have been important members in the squad, ranking No. 1 and No. 2 so far in minutes played in 2023.
St. Louis CITY2 vs. Real Monarchs (7 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV)
A crucial six-pointer in the Western Conference comes on Sunday with Real Monarchs visiting St. Louis CITY2.
Bobby Murphy watched as his CITY2 squad snapped a four-match winless run by defeating LAFC2 by a 4-2 scoreline. John Klein scored his seventh goal of the season while 16-year-old striker Caden Glover scored a brace and Joakim Nilsson also found the back of the net. Glover’s recent contribution should make him a growing name to watch over the final stretch of the regular season.
Real Monarchs sit six points back of CITY2 and will be eager to rebound from back-to-back home losses. A 5-3 loss to Houston Dynamo 2 on Friday witnessed a late collapse by Jamison Olave’s squad, who conceded three goals in a 24-minute span after the hour mark. Jude Wellings and Amferny Sinclair were scorers in the defeat and will be among the options once again.
LA Galaxy II vs. Earthquakes II (8 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV)
Earthquakes II are still in the fight for a Western Conference playoff spot and could improve those odds with three points at rivals LA Galaxy II.
Daniel De Geer’s squad earned their first regulation win since June 25 after blanking MNUFC 2 by a 1-0 scoreline on Saturday. Roberto Hategan netted his third goal of the year, while Eric De La Cerda registered a four-save clean sheet. Quakes II have yet to lose to Galaxy II this year, outsourcing them 5-2 over the last 180 minutes of play.
LA Galaxy II’s four-match unbeaten run came to an end Sunday after suffering a 4-0 road loss at Austin FC II. It marked the first time that Galaxy II were shutout in a match since June 4. The focus will now be on a showdown with in-state rivals Earthquakes II, whom they have lost to twice this season. Aaron Bibout continues to lead the team with 10 goals in 2023.
LAFC2 vs. Austin FC II (8 p.m. ET, MLSNEXTPro.com)
Austin FC II cruised to three points on Sunday against LA Galaxy II and will now aim to defeat another California-based club.
Brett Uttley’s men extended their unbeaten regulation run to four matches after earning a 4-0 win on Sunday. Micah Burton opened the match with a first-half goal before Alonso Ramirez, Leo Torres, and Bryan Arellano added goals of their own after halftime. Austin FC II will surely want to keep their foot on the gas after the recent slip-up of Colorado Rapids 2 over the weekend.
LAFC2’s playoff hopes are slipping away, but an upset win over Austin FC II could help turn things around.
A 4-2 road loss at the hands of St. Louis CITY 2 handed LAFC2 their third loss out of their last four matches. Despite goals from Matthew Evans and Leonardo Flores, LAFC2 moved 15 points out of fourth place with nine matches to play. Sunday’s showdown will mark the first head-to-head meeting between the two Western Conference clubs.
