The Twos are staying in Minnesota—but they’re not playing at home. We’re heading on down to RCTC Stadium in Rochester for this Friday’s match, making this the first MNUFC2 MLS NEXT Pro home match played outside the Twin Cities metro area. The change in venue makes the trip from Kansas City slightly shorter for Sporting KC II, who will be playing the Loons for the second time this season.
In their last match, Coach Jeremy Hall and the squad came back from two goals down to force a shootout against Houston, which they won 4-3. That result pushed MNUFC2 above Dynamo 2 in the league standings, putting them just one spot below the playoff line and well within touching distance of the teams all the way up to sixth place. Serious flashes of attacking threat from Muba Nour and a brace from striker Luke Hille led the way in the resilient performance, while goalkeeper Kai Zeruhn more than did his part by saving two penalties in the shootout. It was the kind of game that team’s hope to use as a launchpad for even greater success.
Friday’s opponents haven’t had the best season thus far, sitting dead last in the Western Conference on just 11 points from 19 games. Six of those points have come in their last four games, though, as the team formerly known as the Swope Park Rangers appears to have dusted off their shooting boots in recent weeks. Two consecutive wins against LAFC 2 and Whitecaps FC 2 saw SKC II score three goals in both matches, part of a five-game streak where they’ve found the back of the net at least once. It hasn’t been a great 2025 for this weekend’s visitors, but it was a pretty nice final week of July.
When these squads faced one another back in April, the visiting Loons took a 4-2 win home with them, courtesy of a brace from Logan Dorsey and a goal apiece from DJ Taylor and Darius Randell. It was part of MNUFC2’s blistering start to the season, which saw them win each of their first four matches — all of which were on the road. That form feels like quite a long time ago now, but after Saturday’s never-say-die performance, now is as good a time as ever to rediscover that spark.
Come on down to Rochester this Friday, August 8, to catch this 7:00 p.m. CT kickoff for this exciting home game away from home. If you aren’t able to make the trip, streaming will be available on MLSNextPro.com. Tickets to the match are available here, at just $10 for adults and $5 for children.
