The Twos keep on dancing! After their thrilling, come-from-behind win over the Real Monarchs in the Conference Quarterfinal, MNUFC2 is set to take on top-seeded St. Louis CITY2 in the next round. Just three wins separate your Twos from a first-ever MLS NEXT Pro title, but while the excitement of the occasion is palpable, the mentality of the squad remains focused on the task at hand.
“All the teams that are still in it are all great teams, and they give you different looks,” Head Coach Jeremy Hall said of the remaining MLSNP playoff field. “For us, our mindset and how we approach the week and how we approach the game is not going to change. We want to be brave, we want to be resilient and suffer and impose our game. And so, for us, it's just about going out there and having fun. Anything could happen in the playoffs. These guys are doing a great job. We're excited, and we're just going to keep moving forward.”
Hall’s emphasis on bravery and resilience shone through in Sunday’s win, as his squad scored two second-half goals to fight their way back from a one-goal deficit. Promising play in the first half turned into tangible chances in the second, and Alexis Fariña stepped up to bury his penalty in the 66th minute, leveling the score and setting the stage for the comeback. After a 70th-minute red card brought the hosts down to 10 men, the Loons surged forward, with Momoh Kamara finishing off a Kieran Chandler cross for the 86th-minute game winner. Playoff soccer at its finest.
The Twos have clearly found their stride in the latter stages of the 2025 season, and it seems that they’re playing their best soccer at the perfect time. Now, they face their biggest test in the form of St. Louis CITY2, the regular season’s highest point-earners (62) and one of the league’s most dominant, dynamic forces this year.
CITY2 boasts a number of the league’s most talented players, with two MLSNP Best XI selections donning the City red. Midfielder Mykhi Joyner set the league alight this season, notching an impressive 15 goals in just 18 games, earning himself minutes with the first team. He was joined in this season’s Best XI by defender Gabriel Mikina, who played over 2,200 minutes this year and led his side to a conference-best +23 goal difference.
But Joyner and Mikina aren’t the only threats the Loons will have to watch out for this weekend. Forward Brendan McSorley put up eight goals and eight assists this season and is fresh off a brace in his side’s opening playoff win against Ventura County FC. The Twos are going to have plenty to handle with this group, but if this season’s history is anything to go by, they’ve already proven that they stand a chance.
In three regular-season meetings between these two sides, STL has come away with the lion’s share of the points — earning two outright wins and a shootout victory. While their 4-0 win over the Twos in July wasn’t the kind of game that inspires hope, the other two meetings saw the Loons go toe-to-toe with the league’s regular-season champions.
In their first meeting — way back in May — the Black and Blue fell in a narrow 2-3 loss that had a little bit of everything: own goals, red cards, PKs, and more. Most recently, a 1-1 draw just last month had little to separate the squads at the final whistle, forcing a shootout and showcasing the growth of this MNUFC2 side as the season has progressed.
This one is shaping up to be quite the match, and with both teams hitting solid form at the perfect time, it’s a can’t miss night of soccer for the real Loons fans — you know who you are. Tune into MLS Season Pass this Sunday, October 26, at 5:00 p.m. CT to catch the action!
