Sporting Kansas City II is about to embark on their inaugural MLS NEXT Pro campaign with Sunday's 2022 regular season opener against Colorado Rapids 2 at 5 p.m. CT at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium.
After six seasons and two Western Conference titles in USL Championship, a new journey awaits SKC II as they are one of 21 founding members of MLS NEXT Pro. All SKC II matches this season will be available to be live-streamed on mlsnextpro.com.
With a new league, there are some changes from years past. This season, SKC II will be competing in the Frontier Division of the Western Conference. The MLS NEXT Pro season presents a 24-match regular season with playoffs at the end. The winner of each division and the two next-best teams in each conference will make the playoffs at the end of the regular season. Another, exciting new element in MLS NEXT Pro is that every match that ends in a tie at the end of regulation will be settled by a penalty shootout from the spot.
Leading SKC II into the future are head coach Benny Feilhaber and assistant coach Ike Opara, both entering their first year. Both Feilhaber and Opara come into their roles following wildly successful MLS careers and are looking to inspire the next generation of Sporting Kansas City talent.
SKC II’s roster is chock-full of talented MLS NEXT Pro contracted players and standout Sporting KC Academy products. The roster will be bolstered by Sporting KC first-team loanees throughout the season.
Players to watch on SKC II’s roster heading into the opening match of the season include Spencer Glass. Glass was SKC II’s first MLS NEXT Pro signing, after a fantastic, five-year college career at Indiana University. The defender started preseason in Arizona with the first team before joining up with SKC II for the remainder of their preseason.
Another defender who spent time with the first team in preseason is Esai Easley who was Sporting’s first-round 2022 MLS SuperDraft selection. Easley comes to SKC II after four years at Grand Canyon University where he started 47 of 53 appearances leading the Antelopes to two Western Athletic Conference titles.
Up top, SKC II is boosted by Ghanaian striker Rauf Salifu who joins the club on loan from Accra Lions FC in the Ghanaian Premier League. Salifu scored 21 goals for the Lions in their 2020-21 season, helping the club earn prometon into the topflight. The striker had already scored three goals this season before connecting with SKC II.
On the other side of the pitch, Rapids 2 comes into MLS NEXT Pro after affiliating with USL Championship side Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. In their first year of existence, Rapids 2 has assembled a roster mainly consisting of players from the Rapids Academy.
Also, on Rapids 2’s roster is former Sporting Kansas City II player Dillon Serna. Serna is a product of the Rapids Academy and appeared for the first team in 2013. He signed with SKC II head of the 2020 season and made 15 appearances and added four assists for the team.
A new league with new challenges awaits Sporting Kansas City II. MLS NEXT Pro, MLS’s connector for the pro player pathway kicks off its inaugural season this weekend. Fans can tune in to mlsnextpro.com to watch the match, or they can follow along with @SportingKCII tweeting live updates throughout the match.
Match Information:
MLS NEXT Pro: Match 1
Date: Sunday, March 27
Kickoff: 5 p.m. CT
Location: University of Denver Soccer Stadium (Denver, Colorado)
Live Stream: mlsnextpro.com
Sporting Kansas City II: 0-0-0, 0 points
Rapids 2: 0-0-0, 0 points
SOCIAL TAGS:
Match-specific hashtag: #COLvSKC
Twitter: @SportingKCII
Instagram: @SportingKCII
Twitter: @Rapids_2
Instagram: @ColoradoRapids_2
