Following a restful weekend off, Sporting Kansas City II (4-18-8, 20 points) will return to the field Sunday for their penultimate match of the USL Championship season against Central Division leaders Birmingham Legion FC (17-7-6, 57 points). The contest will kick off at 4 p.m. CT and stream live on ESPN Plus, marking the fourth time the clubs have locked horns this year.
Led by fourth-year head coach and former Sporting Kansas City great Paul Nagamura, Sporting KC II will look to end the season on a high note despite missing the playoffs as the eighth-place team in the Central Division. Winger Enoch Mushagalusa has led the way in 2021 with eight goals and four assists as the only Sporting KC II player to feature in all 30 matches this season.Â
The 21-year-old Mushagalusa has received attacking support from Sporting KC Academy product Jake Davis’ team-leading six assists, an output that has helped the 19-year-old midfielder break into Sporting’s first team at the MLS level. Rookie Rojay Smith has added five goals while youthful Sporting KC loanees Ozzie Cisneros and Wilson Harris have notchd three and two, respectively.
Under the guidance of head coach Tom Soehn, Legion FC enter the weekend in blistering form with their playoff berth already secure. Birmingham have gone 5-0-3 in their last eight games, including a 3-1 home win on Oct. 13 that saw prolific forward Neco Brett bag his 17th goal of the year, tied for fourth-most in the USL Championship.
The clubs first met on Aug. 11 at BBVA Field when the hosts emerged with a 4-2 victory. Petar Cuic and Jamil Roberts scored early and late for SKC II, but they were outdone by four Birmingham goal scorers in Brett, JJ Williams, Junior Flemmings and Anderson Asiedu. Legion FC then secured a pair of 1-0 wins at Children’s Mercy Park, riding a Prosper Kasim goal on Sept. 1 and an Alex Crognale header on Oct. 1.
Match Information
USL Championship: Match 31
Date: Sunday, Oct. 24
Kickoff: 4 p.m. CT
Location: BBVA Field (Birmingham, Alabama)
Live Stream: ESPN Plus
Sporting Kansas City II: 4-18-8, 20 points (8th place in Central Division)
Birmingham Legion FC: 17-7-6, 57 points (1st place in Central Division)
ESPN+ Live Stream Link: Click here
USL Championship MatchCenter: Click here
Match Notes: Click here
SOCIAL TAGS
Match-specific hashtag: #BHMvSKC
Sporting KC II
Twitter: @SportingKCII
Instagram: @SportingKCII
Birmingham Legion FC
Twitter: @bhmlegion
Instagram: @bhmlegion
