Recap: Sporting KC II falls at home to Houston Dynamo 2 on Sunday afternoon 

Sporting Kansas City II (2-15-4, 11 points) fell at home in a 3-1 defeat against Houston Dynamo 2 (7-10-5, 29 points) on Sunday afternoon at Children's Mercy Victory Field. Maouloune Goumballe notched his third goal of the campaign off Blaine Mabie's first professional assist; however, two unanswered Dynamo Dos goals granted the road side all three points.

Interim head coach Ike Opara trotted out a starting XI with Jacob Molinaro in goal and a back three of Ian James, Pierre Lurot and captain Nati Clarke. Mabie started at defensive mid with Shane Donovan, while Zane Wantland made his first pro start out wide with Anthony Samways. Carter Derksen played attacking mid while Goumballe and Medgy Alexandre started up top.

Two minutes into the match, Goumballe gained entry to the box with a nifty move before playing a ball across the box just out of reach of his target. Lurot went into the book with a yellow card in the 10th minute on a foul in SKC II's defensive third. The ensuing set piece was lofted into the six and tipped out for the first corner of the matinee.

The corner was defended by SKC II but kept in the area by Houston. A turnover just outside the box allowed Erik Duenas to find Mattheo Dimareli, who found his target and opened the scoring in the 12th minute. Five minutes later, SKC II launched a threatening attack, leading to a shot on target from Wantland that was snagged by Pedro Cruz.

A minute after that, Donovan put in a superb service into the box that was headed goalward, deflected out, scooped up by Derksen and ripped toward the net but not through all the traffic. This brought the game to the first of four hydration breaks due to the high temperatures.

The 24th minute saw the game brought level off a brilliant bit of play from several Kansas City players on all three lines. First, James threw his body in front of the ball and won it back cleanly near a threatening area. Then Mabie launched a perfect pass over the top to Goumballe. Finally, the forward settled the ball, dashed for the goal, rounded the keeper and buried his shot to even the score at one apiece.

Out of the second cooling break, Lurot and Josh Bolma collided, leading to both players needing treatment. Both were able to continue, avoiding any serious injuries. Just before eight minutes of first-half stoppage time, Mabie ripped a shot from distance into the arms of a well-positioned Cruz. Goumballe almost had a deja vu moment halfway through injury time, trying to round the keeper again. This time, Cruz somehow managed to pull the ball away without making contact with the forward.

Immediately off the break, Houston retook the lead with a tap-in finish from Lionel Gitau on the back post. Halftime came with no changes to the SKC II lineup. Seven minutes into the final 45, Juan Viveros got his second goal contribution of the game, heading in a corner kick.

Opara went to his bench in the 63rd, bringing on Gael Quintero for Derksen. Clarke made a solid defensive stand to slow a Houston counterattack, blocking the entry pass in the 63rd. Four minutes after Alexandre got to the endline and centered the ball with a lifted cross that Cruz tipped to himself and collected off the carpet.

Byan Arellano entered the match in the 72nd minute in place of Wantland. The game reached the fourth and final hydration break of the 76th minute as SKC II tried to claw back into the game but was denied at every turn. Cruz scooped up a cross from Goumballe in the 87th, and Johann Ortiz subbed on for Mabie in that same minute. SKC II's best chance came in the 90th when Ortiz sent a corner kick toward the penalty spot, where Lurot headed it inches past the post. The contest ended after five minutes of stoppage time, and Houston claimed the victory.

Sporting KC II will be back on the road next week when they travel east to take on MLS NEXT Pro point leaders St. Louis CITY2 at Energizer Park. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. CT and fans can watch the game on MLS Season Pass via the Apple TV app.

Sporting Kansas City II: Jacob Molinaro; Ian James, Pierre Lurot, Nati Clarke; Anthony Samways, Shane Donovan, Blaine Mabie (Johann Ortiz 87'), Zane Wantland (Bryan Arellano 75'), Carter Derksen (Gael Quintero 63'); Maouloune Goumballe, Medgy Alexandre

Subs Not Used: Kael Taylor, Luis Cruz-Ayala, Kashan Hines, Beckham Uderitz

Houston Dynamo 2: Pedro Cruz; Juan Viveros, Nicolas Ramos, Gavin Wolff (Daniel Barrett 46'), Isaac Mwakatuya (Jayden Puna 82'); Josh Bolma, Omar Bolanos (Matthew Arana 88'), Mattheo Dimareli, Lionel Gitau (Noah Betancourt 75'); Tomas Romero (Stephen Annor Gyamfi 75'), Erik Duenas

Subs Not Used: Roman Kerimov, David Garcia, Myles Gardner, Omar Flores, Roman Kerimov

Scoring Summary:

HOU -- Mattheo Dimareli 3 (Erik Duenas 1) 12'
SKC -- Maouloune Goumballe 3 (Blaine Mabie 1) 24'
HOU -- Lionel Gitau 1 (Juan Viveros 2) 45+5'
HOU -- Juan Viveros 1 (Unassisted) 52'

Misconduct Summary:

SKC -- Pierre Lurot (Yellow Card; Unsporting Conduct) 10'
SKC -- Anthony Samways (Yellow Card; Tactical Foul) 60'
SKC -- Johann Ortiz (Yellow Card; Unsporting Conduct) 90+5'

Referee: Nick Karnovsky
Assistant Referee: Matt Trotter
Assistant Referee: Benjamin Davis
Fourth Official: Jacob Larson