Sporting Kansas City II midfielder Kamron Habibullah claims his second honor of the season, taking home the title of MLS NEXT Pro Player of Matcweek 7 after contributing to every single goal in Sporting KC II's 4-1 win against MNUFC 2 on Sunday afternoon. Habibullah tallied another hat trick, giving him two on the season and making him the first-ever multi-hat-trick player in Sporting KC II history.
Scoring the opener just two minutes into the match, Habibullah gave Kansas City the lead, added an insurance goal in the 20th and put the icing on the cake in the 76th. He also picked up his first assist for the club, teeing up Danny Flores' first score of the campaign. Capping off a brilliant April with another multi-goal performance, the Canadian International finished the month with seven goals scored, placing him second in the league rankings, one off the top spot.
Habibullah signed with Sporting KC II in early March, after coming up through the ranks of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Academy. A former Canadian U-17 and U-20 Youth National Team member, the midfielder made 21 appearances for the Whitecaps and Whitecaps FC 2 from 2021-2023. This season he has started in five of six appearances for SKC II, and leads the team with eight goal contributions (7 goals, 1 assist) seven matches into the regular season.
Habibullah wasted no time getting onto the scorer's sheet, burying a free kick from the top of the 18 in the first two minutes of the contest. After Maloune Goumballe won the free kick with a clever move outside the 18, Habibullah smashed the ball over the wall, off the keeper's arm and into the goal.
In the 20th minute, the 20-year-old netted his second of three goals, capping off a brilliant run from Felipe Hernandez. After a clever ball from Goumballe launched Hernandez into the attack, the homegrown midfielder settled himself on the right side of the attacking third. He found the run of Habibullah in the middle of the pitch, and, after taking a touch, the midfielder sent a shot across the goalkeeper's body, past his outstretched arms, and into the net.
The hat trick would come in the 76th, however, he nearly got his third goal in the first half when a shot from the left side of the pitch ricocheted off the right post and bounced away from the goal. Following an MNUFC2 goal three minutes into the half, SKC II went on the attack and regained their two-goal advantage thanks to an assist from Habibullah. A centering pass from the left endline skipped Hernandez with a brilliant dummy from the midfielder and made its way to Flores in the 18. The first-teamer fired a shot into the far netting to give Sporting a little more breathing room.
With 14 minutes to play, the hat trick was earned on a wicked right-footed curling effort from close range. Habibuallah dipped his shot up over the goalie and under the bar after receiving a through-ball from Sporting KC Academy player Jacob Bartlett. The goal gave Bartlett his first professional assist as well.
Sporting KC II and Habibullah claimed their third win in their last four matches last Sunday and will look to keep the streak going when they welcome unbeaten North Texas SC to Rock Chalk Park this Sunday. The match will kick at 6 p.m. CT and tickets are on sale at SeatGeek.com. Fans can also watch the Frontier Division duel on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
