Sporting KC II – 2, Colorado Rapids 2 – 3
MLS NEXT Pro Match Week 26 | Sunday, August 31, 2025
Children’s Mercy Victory Field, Kansas City, MO
The Big Picture
Colorado Rapids 2 (13-6-5, 45 pts.) extended their unbeaten stretch to eight games with a 3-2 victory on the road over Sporting Kansas City II (2-17-4, 11 pts.). An Alex Harris brace, with both goals being assisted by Malik Pinto and Sam Bassett, and a late James Cameron goal lifted Rapids 2 to a crucial three points on the road with four matches remaining in the MLS NEXT Pro regular season.
Riding a seven-match unbeaten run, Rapids 2 took the trip to Kansas City for their third and final matchup of the season against SKC II.
Rapids 2 would find a strong offensive stretch around 25 minutes in, with the club putting multiple shots on net, but they were unable to open the match’s scoring at that point. That offensive pressure would eventually pay off, as Colorado found their first goal right before halftime.
Starting the play off was Malik Pinto, whose strong challenge won the ball back from a Kansas City attack around midfield. The midfielder then laid off a quick pass to Sam Bassett, who began to march down the middle of the pitch. After carrying the ball into the final third, Bassett threaded a perfect pass to Alex Harris, who chipped a shot with one touch past the goalkeeper to put Rapids 2 up 1-0 in the 43rd minute.
The half would end shortly thereafter, with Rapids 2 heading into the break with a one goal lead.
Kansas City came out of halftime with some added energy, eventually leading to their equalizing goal off the foot of Maouloune Goumballe in the 54th minute.
The hosts managed to add another three minutes later, with Cielo Tschantret finding the back of the net to go up 2-1.
Despite conceding twice in short order, Rapids 2 still had the drive to come back to try and salvage points in the match. From there, the club created multiple chances in the final third, eventually leading to an equalizer in the 66th minute.
Similar to Colorado’s first goal, Pinto found himself with the ball from around 35 yards out and played a pass to Bassett. The Homegrown midfielder then opened his hips and played a perfect through ball to Harris, who only needed one touch to send a shot to the far post and level the match at two goals apiece.
The goals were Harris’ third and fourth of the season, bringing him to seven goal contributions in his 12 appearances for Rapids 2 (4g, 3a). Bassett’s assists were his fourth and fifth of the season in his ninth appearance for the club in 2025. Pinto’s assists marked his fourth and fifth of the season. The midfielder has also now recorded four assists in his last four appearances and an assist in consecutive matches.
Rapids 2 continued their impressive attacking play, leading to their third goal to reclaim the lead.
In the 79th minute, Stevie Flores possessed the ball down the right wing. The defender then whipped in a cross with the outside of his foot, giving the goalkeeper trouble and forcing him to punch the ball out. A misplay led to substitute James Cameron deflecting a clearance attempt into the open net to give Rapids 2 their second lead of the match.
The goal marked Cameron’s third of the season, all of which coming in his last four appearances.
Closing out the match was strong defensive play from the Colorado back line and goalkeeper Zackory Campagnolo, who made multiple key saves to maintain the lead and secure the victory.
Rapids 2 are now unbeaten in their last eight MLS NEXT Pro matches as the club currently sits at second place in the Western Conference.
Scoring Summary:
COL – Alex Harris (Bassett, Pinto) 43’
SKC - Maouloune Goumballe (Samways, Quintero) 54’
SKC - Cielo Tschantret (Ortiz) 57’
COL – Alex Harris (Bassett, Pinto) 66’
COL – James Cameron (unassisted) 79’
Notables:
- F Alex Harris recorded his third and fourth goals of the season.
- The forward has now recorded seven goal contributions in his 12 appearances for Rapids 2 in 2025 (4g, 3a).
- The brace marked the first multi-goal game of Harris’ MLS NEXT Pro career.
- F James Cameron recorded his third goal of the season.
- Cameron has now logged a goal in three of his last four appearances.
- M Malik Pinto recorded his fourth and fifth assists of the season, bringing his career MLS NEXT Pro total to six.
- The midfielder has now recorded four assists in his last four appearances.
- Pinto has now recorded an assist in consecutive matches.
- M Sam Bassett recorded his fourth and fifth assists of the season on both of Harris’ goals.
- Bassett has now recorded two multi-assist games with Rapids 2 in 2025.
Colorado will have a well-deserved week off prior to their next match against Houston Dynamo 2 on September 14. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. with coverage available on MLSNEXTPro.com
