The MLS NEXT Pro season is still young, and that means your Twos are hitting the road again — and for the foreseeable future (check back here at the end of April). This week’s road trip takes MNUFC2 down to that glorious Gateway to the West, with a match against St. Louis CITY2 set for Sunday at Energizer Park. First Austin, now St. Louis. It may not be a home match, but at least we’re working our way back up north, right?
The Twos left Texas’ capital last week with a comfortable 4-2 win, riding a Marcus Caldeira debut hat trick and a goal from Homegrown Darius Randell. The attacking pair, along with key contributions from midfielder Momoh Kamara, showcased some extremely dynamic, effective attacking play in the season opener, giving Head Coach Fanendo Adi his first win at the helm of the Twos.
As in years past, the MNUFC2 lineup was supplemented by Academy players on Matchday 1, with the likes of Max Harwood, Anderson Farris, and Kai Zeruhn all starting and contributing to the winning effort. Jabari Kibisu and Issa Saidi came on as second-half subs, closing out the match with energy. The addition of first-teamers Caldeira, Randell, Kenyel Michel, and Kieran Chandler rounded out the first lineup of the season with a good mix of youth and experience, making for a promising start to 2026.
Now, with a week of competitive minutes under their belts, it’s time to turn the attention to a St. Louis CITY2 side that also hit the back of the net four times in week one, taking down Sporting KC II 4-0 at home. Four different goal scorers stepped up for CITY2, proving that their lineup full of new faces is capable of both connecting effectively and maintaining composure in the back for 90 minutes.
These sides met three times during 2025, with the Loons losing twice before earning a draw in the final showdown of the regular season. They met again a fourth time in the MLSNP playoffs, where the Loons earned a 2-0 win in the Conference Semifinals. Plenty has changed since then for both teams, but after a year that saw fierce competition between CITY2 and MNUFC2, this one will certainly be one of the most exciting matchups in MLSNP this weekend.
Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. CT this Sunday, March 8, with streaming available on both MLSNEXTPro.com and via the OneFootball app.
