The fourth week of MLS NEXT Pro action kicks off on Friday, with nine games taking place over the course of the weekend. Here is a closer look at where each team stands heading into their Week 4 matchups:
Crew 2 benefited from calling in some first-team quality last weekend in its valiant 1-0 performance to hand Philadelphia Union II its first season loss. Expect those players to be featured once more in the club’s home opener, where soccer will be played at Historic Crew Stadium for the first time in 2022.
Orlando City B is looking to bounce back from a 2-0 loss to Sunshine Derby rival Inter Miami II last weekend. OCB is just outside of the early Eastern Conference playoff picture but has proven dangerous by notching two-goal affairs already this season.
New York City Football Club II opened the season on a two-game unbeaten run and looks to bounce back from last weekend’s defeat to TFC II. So far, the NYCFC II attack has produced five goals in three weeks, with winger Johns Denis’ two pacing the team.
Inter Miami II and its two clean sheets in the early season show one of the stingier defenses the league has to offer, and that is complimented well by its attack, which is also one of the best on display in MLS NEXT Pro. Romeo Beckham leads the league with his four assists; Emerson Rodriguez and Shanyder Borgelin have three goals each and are tied for second, heading into the weekend.
SKCII looks to bounce back from last weekend’s 3-0 defeat to Houston Dynamo 2. Do not be fooled by that result though, as Week 2’s win over MNUFC2 saw SKCII open the game breathing fire and a second-minute goal from Collin Fernandez set Benny Feilhaber’s side up for its first-ever victory.
So far, so good for CITY2, which is unbeaten through its first two match weeks. Saturday will be its first road test, though. The club has been good for a whopping six goals already, coming from the feet of six different men. Who will rise up to take the team lead?
Dynamo Dos is ranked number one and the last perfect team standing in MLS NEXT Pro and puts that record on the line against a dangerous T2 side finding its form. In addition to not allowing a goal so far this season, the side from Houston has shown a flair for sensational strikes, and Beto Avila is the player to watch as he rolls back into town on the heels of his first-ever hat trick last weekend.
T2 registered its first-ever MLS NEXT Pro points last weekend when it edged Whitecaps FC II in a shootout on the road. Regulation time saw Timbers2 unlucky to have given up an equalizer at the death, but Shannon Murray’s men responded well by going four-for-four from the spot to claim the crucial extra point on the road.
Minnesota United 2 rose above Real Monarchs on the road last weekend with a 3-2 win and now looks to get its first win in front of the home crowd. In the opening phase of the season, MNUFC2 features a pair of league leaders. Aziel Jackson’s eight key passes and Nabilai Kibunguchy’s 11 interceptions have kept their side competitive. Both also opened their respective MLS NEXT Pro accounts last weekend, to boot.
Colorado Rapids 2 visits while looking for its first win of the season but boasts a couple of goal-scoring threats in Yaya Toure and Yosuke Hanya. The club’s newest acquisition Gustavo Vallecilla made his debut and touts plenty of first-team MLS experience with his 25 starts for FC Cincinnati in 2021. He’ll look to help sure up the backline and deliver Rapids 2 its first clean sheet in Week 4.
After two matches, Revs II remained unbeaten in the Eastern Conference and was last seen cruising to a 3-1 win over RNY FC on April 3. They return to Gillette Stadium, looking to keep the goal train flowing with midfielder Damian Rivera’s three-goal tally leading the charge.
FC Cincinnati 2, also last appearing on April 3, comes in on a positive run of form after defeating Toronto FC II for its first-ever MLS NEXT Pro win. Hometown native Arquimides Ordonez fittingly went down in history as FCC2’s first-ever goal scorer and looks to put together his first MLS NEXT Pro scoring streak.
Toronto FC II successfully bounced back from its opening week loss with a 3-1 win over NYCFC II last weekend. The goal opened up for striker Hugo Mbongue, who bagged a brace in the club’s first-ever MLS NEXT Pro win.
Chicago Fire FC II is still searching for that all-important first win and goal scorer. Despite not finding the goal in the early phase of the MLS NEXT Pro campaign, the side from Chicago has proven to be sturdy. Chicago Fire II is tied for second-best in the Eastern Conference ranks on that statistic, only allowing three goals in as many games.
This matchup has been selected for Game of the Week and an extended preview can be found here as soon as it's published.
The MLS NEXT Pro weekend slate comes to a close with a Western Conference showdown. Earthquakes II gets to play host for the first time this season after having a BYE last weekend. Head coach Alex Covelo comes in looking to get back in the win column. Quakes II opened the season with a convincing 2-0 win over Timbers2 but fell to Dynamo Dos on April 3.
On the other hand, North Texas SC has yet to suffer defeat yet this season, and last weekend's 3-1 win over Rapids 2 marked the club's second win this season. So far, forwards Tarik Scott and Bernard Kamungo have emerged as the leading goal threats, netting two apiece. The team from Texas will look to stay in form during a special month for their head coach Pa-Modou Kah.
