Led by head coach and former Sporting Kansas City midfielder Paulo Nagamura, Sporting Kansas City II (0-1-1, 1 point) will continue their 2021 USL Championship campaign on Friday when Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (0-1-0, 0 points) travels east for a rare cross-conference clash at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas.
Friday's contest is slated to kick off at 7 p.m. CT and will stream live on ESPN Plus. Sporting KC II home matches at Children's Mercy Park will be held without fans in attendance until further notice.
Sporting KC II secured their first result of the season last week, battling from behind to post a 1-1 home draw against regional rivals OKC Energy FC. After falling behind in the second half, the hosts drew level on a well-worked goal that saw Sporting KC Homegrown Player Tyler Freeman hammer high into the net off a clever cross from winger Enoch Mushagalusa. Nagamura’s starting XI featured nine Sporting Kansas City loanees and seven products from the Sporting KC Academy.
Under the guidance of head coach Brendan Burke, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC suffered a 3-0 road loss in their 2021 season opener last Saturday at the hands of San Antonio FC. The Switchbacks FC roster notably features two former Sporting KC II players in defender Dillon Serna and forward Hadji Barry, who bagged a team-best 19 goals for Kansas City in 2018.
Sporting KC II owns a 4-0-1 all-time record against Switchbacks FC in the USL Championship, however the sides have not met since the 2018 season. They played to a 1-1 draw in their inaugural meeting in 2016 before SKC II claimed two-game sweeps in 2017 and 2018, including a pair of one-goal home wins.
Match Information
USL Championship: Match 3
Date: Friday, May 14
Kickoff: 7 p.m. CT
Location: Children's Mercy Park (Kansas City, Kan.)
Live Stream: ESPN Plus
Tickets: Closed to the public
Sporting Kansas City II: 0-1-1, 1 point (6th place in Central Division)
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC: 0-1-0, 0 points (7th place in Mountain Division)
ESPN+ Live Stream Link: Click here
USL Championship MatchCenter: Click here
Match Notes: Click here
SOCIAL TAGS
Match-specific hashtag: #SKCvCOS
Sporting KC II
Twitter: @SportingKCII
Instagram: @SportingKCII
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
Twitter: @SwitchbacksFC
Instagram: @switchbacksfc
