Matchday 14 in MLS NEXT Pro continued with a full Sunday slate, complete with surprising results and plenty of memorable goals.
Here's a look back on Sunday's Matchday 14 action.
Columbus Crew 2 (1) - Huntsville City FC (0)
Coleman Gannon's 56th-minute strike allowed Columbus Crew 2 to hold a surging Huntsville City FC to a shutout and lock up three points at home Sunday night. Gannon scored his second goal of the season with the assist from Cole Mrowka.
Crew 2 improved to four games unbeaten, including three wins. Crew has claimed two 1-0 wins over HCFC in 2023, and HCFC was shut out for the first time since May 15.
Crown Legacy FC (4) - Chicago Fire FC II (2)
Patrick Agyemang continues to score at an impressive clip, as he delivered two goals to allow Crown Legacy FC to come from behind and beat Chicago Fire FC II at SportsPlex at Matthews.
In the 25th minute, Agyemang knocked in a rebound in the center of the box to equalize a beautiful top-corner goal from Omari Glasgow for Fire II. Agyemang put Crown Legacy ahead in the 55th minute, taking off on an unstoppable run that ended in a simple finish.
Agyemang, a first-team contracted player for Charlotte FC, has scored five goals in seven MLS NEXT Pro appearances. Vinicius Mello emphatically scored to finish off a Iuri Tavares cross in the 79th minute. Glasgow added a second goal in stoppage time, but a goal from Crown Legacy's Marko Filipovic shortly afterward sealed the win.
Crown Legacy continues to top the Eastern Conference, and improved to a three-game unbeaten streak. Fire II saw a two-game winning streak halted.
Houston Dynamo 2 (1) - Earthquakes II (2)
Earthquakes II scored twice in the first half to earn three points in a road trip to Aveva Stadium. Eduardo Blances opened scoring in the 15th minute, and Rodolfo Castro's breakaway goal on the end of a perfectly weighted assist from Roberto Hategan proved to make the difference. Dynamo first-teamer Brad Smith scored to equalize in the 20th minute.
Earthquakes II remains undefeated in away matches in 2023, ending Dynamo Dos' five-game unbeaten run.
New York Red Bulls II (3) - FC Cincinnati 2 (1)
Ibrahim Kasule turned in a standout performance, with one goal and one assist, as New York Red Bulls II took all three points in a home match.
Frank Ssebufu started things off for Red Bulls II, scoring 28 seconds into the match. Benjamin Stitz equalized for FCC2 in the 21st minute, but Kasule put Red Bulls II in front again four minutes later. Kasule sent a high-arcing cross, which Davi Alexandre rose to head in in the 40th minute, offering Red Bulls II some breathing room.
Red Bulls II picked up its first win since the beginning of June, moving into fourth-place in the Eastern Conference. FCC2 has falled to three losses in the past four games.
Sporting Kansas City II (1) - North Texas SC (1) (SKCII wins shootout 5-4)
Sporting Kansas City II picked up the extra point in the shootout, with defender Chris Rindov scoring the decisive spot kick. Pau Vidal scored his eighth goal of the season for SKCII, equalizing a first-half strike from North Texas' Alejandro Urzua.
SKCII continues to pick up points, improving to a four-game unbeaten run. North Texas continue to struggle on the road, with the club's last away win coming in April.
Colorado Rapids 2 (5) - LA Galaxy II (1)
Calvin Harris and Marlon Vargas each had two goals, and Robinson Aguirre added two assists, as Colorado Rapids 2 continued to assert itself in the Western Conference with a 5-1 win over LA Galaxy II.
Harris scored in the 19th and 24th minutes, overcoming a Galaxy II goal from Juan Calderon in the 11th minute to open scoring. Oliver Larraz scored to make it 3-1 in the 71st minute, and Vargas added his brace to top things off for the Western Conference leaders.
Rapids 2's historic unbeaten streak came to an end last week, but Rapids 2 appears to have picked up where it left off.
Atlanta United 2 (4) - NYCFC II (2)
After scoring on his first-team debut Wednesday, Atlanta United 2 striker Nick Firmino continues his hot streak with two more goals in a comeback win for ATL UTD 2. Firmino is the new MLS NEXT Pro leader in goals with 10, after scoring his fourth brace of 2023.
NYCFC II jumped to a 2-0 lead with first-half goals from Matthew Myers and Ronald Arevalo. ATL UTD 2 got back in the match with a penalty kick converted by Jackson Conway and a goal from Aiden McFadden. Firmino scored the go-ahead goal in the 74th minute, scoring from the top of box. Firmino added another goal 10 minutes later.
ATL UTD 2 grabbed its first win since June 4, sinking NYCFC II to a second straight loss.
Timbers2 (2) - Real Monarchs (3)
A brace from Bertin Jacquesson and an 80th-minute winner from Terron Williams guided Real Monarchs to a two-goal comeback win over Timbers2 at Providence Park.
T2 took the lead early with an own goal and a penalty kick converted by Diego Gutierrez. Jacquesson pulled a goal back in the 23rd minute from the penalty spot. Jacquesson emerged again in the 75th minute with a first-time hit to score into the lower left corner. Williams scored through the goalkeeper's legs to finish an impressive run down the right wing to claim the winning goal.
Real Monarchs claimed their first win since May, breaking a difficult run of matches. T2 fell to its second loss in a row.
Tacoma Defiance (1) - Austin FC II (0)
Braudilio Rodrigues scored his second goal in the past three games, which proved enough to hand Tacoma Defiance all three points at Starfire Stadium.
Rodrigues' goal was the first goal allowed by Austin FC II in more than four matches. Goalkeeper Damian Las' streak of minutes without a goal allowed ended at 443.
Defiance made it two wins in a row, and continue moving up the table in the Western Conference after knocking off the two teams ahead of them in Austin FC II and Rapids 2 in back-to-back weeks. Austin FC II continues to struggle on the road, dropping three of the last four away trips.
