COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – Colorado Rapids 2 (1-5-1, 4 pts) will take on Sporting Kansas City II (4-3-1, 13 points) on Sunday, May 12, for the teams’ second and final meeting of the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro regular season. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. MT ( at Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence, Kansas.
Colorado enters the match following a 1-2 loss to Austin FC II. The two sides battled last Friday night for the first time since the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro Western Conference Final. Rapids 2 midfielder Marlon Vargas found his fifth goal of the season in the 51st minute to equalize with Austin but was sent off with a red card just two minutes later, rendering him ineligible to play the upcoming match with SKCII. His goal marked him as the fourth-highest goal scorer in the league for 2024 and etched his name in the Rapids 2 history books, scoring the third-most goals (10) for Rapids 2 in club history.
Defender Steve Flores made his first start of the 2024 season after coming back from injury. The 20-year-old Rapids Academy product appeared in 19 matches for Rapids 2 last year, 13 of them starts.
Rapids 2 previously fell to SKCII on April 7 at home, playing to a 3-5 result against the Western Conference opponent. Patrick Dormoh, Marlon Vargas and Alec Díaz all notched goals in the contest.
That match held significance for many players on Rapids 2, including Academy product Dormoh who scored his first professional goal, Noah Strellnauer, Daouda Amadou and Daniel Garcia all collecting their first assists of the season, and forward Facundo Núñez making his MLS NEXT Pro debut.
Since the two sides’ last meeting in April, Kansas City has gone on to secure two wins and one draw and collected their first loss of the season against North Texas SC just last week. Midfielder Kamron Habibullah was named MLS NEXT Pro Player of the Month for his efforts in April as he tallied seven goals and one assist to lead his team to an undefeated month (3-0-1), including a hat trick scored against Colorado. SKCII head coach Benny Feilhaber was named MLSNP Coach of the Month, as well.
