The MLS NEXT Pro season marches on, with Matchday 4 bringing your Twos down I-35 to take on Sporting KC II. It’s the first of three regular-season showdowns between these two twos on the 2026 schedule, and it comes in the midst of MNUFC2's now yearly tradition of spending the first month-and-a-half of the season on the road.
Head Coach Fanendo Adi and the Twos have put together a mixed start to the year, following up their big 4-2 opening day win in Austin with a pair of losses to St. Louis and Vancouver. Even so, with three points on the board and a goal difference of -2, the Twos are making the most of what can be a very difficult way to start the season. As they prepare for their fourth consecutive game away from home, they’ll be looking to keep getting on the scoresheet to grab some more points.
While squads turn over very quickly in MLSNP, this weekend’s opponents are nonetheless familiar foes for the second-teamers that were around last season. SKC II and MNUFC2 met three times across 2025, resulting in a total of nine points for the Loons as they outscored their Midwestern foes 10-5 over three games. The first of those matchups? A 4-2 road win for MNUFC2 just three games into the season, courtesy of goals from DJ Taylor, Logan Dorsey, and Darius Randell.
After finishing 2025 at the bottom of the Western Conference standings, SKC II have gotten off to a similarly slow start in 2026. They’ve managed two points from their first three games, both of which came from their 2-2 draw and subsequent shootout win against Colorado last week. Until that draw, they’d lost 4-0 to St. Louis and 5-0 to Real Monarchs, giving them a cumulative goal difference of -9 after just three weeks.
It’s hard to say what the gameday rosters will look like this weekend, as reinforcements from either the first team or academy are always a possibility, but there are several candidates on both teams for potential standouts ahead of this match. For the Loons, hat trick hero Marcus Caldeira has been quiet since game one and will be itching to get back on the scoresheet. Other likely candidates include Darius Randell (who also scored in the season opener), Troy Putt, and Kieran Chandler, all of whom boast first-team experience and have made an impact in MLSNP before. For the hosts, Johann Ortiz is fresh off a goal and an assist in last week’s draw against the Rapids and will be hoping to keep the momentum going for both himself and his team.
No matter who steps up in this most cordial of MLSNP rivalry showdowns, one thing is certain: both squads will be hungry to take three points, and a win here could spark a run that makes a difference when the fight for the playoffs heats up at the end of the season. Streaming is available on both MLSNEXTPro.com and OneFootball, with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. this Sunday, March 22.
