MLS NEXT Pro Matchday 15 continued with a busy Sunday schedule that included terrific individual performances and tighter races for playoffs spots in either conference.
Here's a look back at Sunday's action in Matchday 15.
Chicago Fire FC II (2) - Columbus Crew 2 (0)
Charlie Ostrem scored twice in the space of three minutes to allow Chicago Fire FC II to beat Columbus Crew 2. The win for Fire II snaps a Crew 2 win streak and tightens up the playoff race in the Eastern Conference.
Ostrem scored with a powerful shot from just inside the right side of the 18-yard box in the 53rd minute. Ostrem needed only three minutes to provide another moment of magic, scoring into the top right corner from about 22 yards away.
Fire II have now taken nine points from the previous four games, while Crew 2 saw its four-game unbeaten streak halted.
FC Cincinnati 2 (3) - Orlando City B (5)
Orlando City B triumphed in an action-packed match which featured a lengthy weather delay and eight goals. Jack Lynn put in another Man of the Match performance for OCB, scoring two goals.
Lynn scored in the 72nd and 75th minutes to put OCB ahead 5-3. OCB came from behind after FCC2 took a 3-1 lead with two goals from Ryder Mills.
OCB bounced back from a loss in midweek to take three points. FCC2 fell to a second loss in a row.
Huntsville City FC (0) - New England Revolution II (0) (Revs II wins shootout 5-4)
New England Revolution II goalkeeper Jacob Jackson made one shootout save as Revolution II picked up two points in a road trip to Joe Davis Stadium. Brandonn Bueno scored the final shot of the shootout after the teams played to a 0-0 draw in regulation.
Revs II bounced back from a loss to FC Cincinnati last weekend, while HCFC picked up one point to aid a mid-table struggle in the Eastern Conference.
Inter Miami II (0) - New York Red Bulls II (3)
New York Red Bulls II moved up the Eastern Conference table with a dominant 3-0 win over Inter Miami II. Frank Ssebufu, Ibrahim Kasule, and O'Vonte Mullings scored to propel Red Bulls II to the win.
Ssebufu scored in the 14th minute, stretching to finish off a cross from Dija. Mullings scored his first goal of the season just before halftime, scoring from the rebound of his own shot. Kasule added his fifth goal of the season by scoring a penalty kick in the 49th minute.
Red Bulls II havw now won back-to-back games as the Eastern Conference becomes more competitive. Inter Miami II remains bottom of the table.
MNUFC2 (4) - Timbers2 (0)
Kameron Lacey powered MNUFC2 to a dominant win over Timbers2. Lacey scored a hat trick, with goals in the 48th, 53rd and 74th minutes. Diogo Pacheco also added his seventh goal of the season.
MNUFC2 overpowered T2 with 24 total shots and 10 shots on goal.
MNUFC2 has taken four points from the past two games, while T2 fell to three losses in a row.
NYCFC II (1) - Philadelphia Union II (3)
Philadelphia Union II grabbed three important points in a mid-table Eastern Conference matchup. Jeremy Rafanello scored a brace for Union II, slamming home a rebound from a corner kick and converting a penalty kick.
Luciano Sanchez finished off a breakaway to seal the win in the 84th minute. Matthew Myers scored NYCFC II's only goal, adding his ninth goal of 2023.
Union II have earned two wins in a row with Sunday's performance, having beaten Orlando City B on the road earlier this week. NYCFC II have fallen to four straight losses.
Sporting Kansas City II (7) - Whitecaps FC 2 (1)
Sporting Kansas City II overwhelmed Whitecaps FC 2, scoring the highest number of goals in a game this season in MLS NEXT Pro.
A trio of goals from first-teamers Cameron Duke, Stephen Afrifa, and Felipe Hernandez, plus a stoppage-time penalty kick goal from Danny Flores made it 4-0 by halftime.
Alenis Vargas scored after an impressive one-on-one move to open scoring in the second half. Pau Vidal, SKC II's top scorer, added his ninth goal of the season in the 74th minute. Andrew Draper got in on the action, scoring ten minutes later as seven different players scored for SKC II.
Levonte Johnson scored his first goal for Whitecaps FC 2 since signing a first-team contract earlier this week.
St Louis CITY2 (0) - Colorado Rapids 2 (1)
Remi Cabral provided an 82nd-minute winner to find the difference between two strong Western Conference sides. Rapids 2 improved its hold on first-place in the conference.
Cabral scored just 10 minutes after entering the match as a substitute. He finished off a cross at the back post to score the late goal.
Rapids 2 continues not to miss a beat after suffering their first loss of the season two weeks ago. CITY2 continues to fight in the middle of the table, taking four points from the past three games.
North Texas SC (2) - Los Angeles Football Club 2 (2) (NTSC wins shootout 8-7)
North Texas SC came away with the extra point after three late goals and an extra-round shootout decided this Western Conference matchup. North Texas goalkeeper Antonio Carrera made a crucial shootout save in the eighth round of kicks.
Diego Garcia opened scoring for North Texas in the 57th minute, finishing off a beautiful chipped assist from Hope Avayevu. Dustin Aguirre equalized in the 82nd minute. North Texas's Pablo Torre thought he found the winner in the 85th minute, but Christopher Jaime's goal from the rebound of a corner kick sent the match to a shootout.
North Texas SC found shootout success after losing a shootout last week against Sporting KC II. LAFC2 will take confidence from the road point, having taken four points from the last two games.
Tacoma Defiance (1) - Houston Dynamo 2 (0)
Dylan Teves' first-half strike proved to make the difference as Tacoma Defiance solidified its standing in third place in the Western Conference. Defiance continue to perform excellent at home, with only one loss in 2023.
Teves scored from just outside the box in the 18th minute with a well-placed shot rolling into the lower left corner. Defiance took their chances, with only three shots on goal and Dynamo Dos keeping 54.6% of possession.
Defiance stretched an unbeaten run to five games with the win. Dynamo Dos fell to a third straight loss.
