The penultimate week of July is upon us and its gut-check time for several MLS NEXT Pro clubs in their fights for playoff places later this season.
Matchday 18’s slate begins Friday with TFC II hosting Inter Miami II in a crucial six-pointer for both Eastern Conference clubs. Saturday’s lone match also takes place in the East with New York Red Bulls II traveling to FC Cincinnati 2.
Sunday’s seven-match slate is headlined by a top-two showdown in the West between Colorado Rapids 2 and Austin FC II. ATL UTD 2 also hosts Huntsville City FC in a showdown of two of the league’s in-form attacking units.
Monday concludes Matchday 18’s action as Philadelphia Union II travel to defending MLS NEXT Pro champions, Columbus Crew 2.
Here is a closer look at the Matchday 18 schedule:
Friday - 7/21
TFC II vs. Inter Miami II (7 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV)
A crucial six-pointer opens Matchday 18 with TFC II hosting Inter Miami II at York Lions Stadium on Friday.
TFC II snapped a seven-match regulation winless streak on Sunday after earning a 2-1 road victory over Huntsville City FC. Jesus Batiz and Ifeoluwa Adenuga helped TFC II overcome a first-half deficit on the road to reach the 20-point mark in 2023. Batiz has been a key attacker for Gianni Cimini’s men, leading the team with seven goals so far.
Inter Miami II has lost four-straight matches in league play, being outscored 10-1 over that span. It’s been a rough road for Federico Higuain’s squad, who are currently last in the Eastern Conference. Lawson Sunderland scored once in his last head-to-head meeting with TFC II and overall has three goals this season.
Saturday - 7/22
FC Cincinnati 2 vs. New York Red Bulls II (6 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV)**
Two Eastern Conference clubs coming off opposite Matchday 17 results will clash at Northern Kentucky University on Saturday.
FC Cincinnati 2 hosts New York Red Bulls II in the second of two regular-season meetings in 2023. Tyrone Marshall’s squad recently defeated Inter Miami II by a 3-1 scoreline on Sunday, using goals from Malik Pinto, Ben Stitz, and Arquimides Ordonez The result was an important one for FCC2, who have only picked up regulation victories so far in 2023. FCC2 will try to exact revenge against Red Bulls II after losing 3-1 to them on June 25.
Red Bulls II have suffered back-to-back losses for the first time this season coming into Saturday’s trip to Kentucky. A 3-2 loss to rivals NYCFC II was followed up by a 2-1 road defeat at the hands of Philadelphia Union II. 19-year-old Ugandan international Ibrahim Kasule has been a key bright spot for Red Bulls II, leading the team with eight goals in league play. Kasule will hope to find the back of the net once again this weekend.
North Texas SC vs. Sporting KC II (8:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV)
North Texas SC will try and snap their six-match regulation winless streak on Saturday against visiting Sporting KC II.
Back-to-back losses against Tacoma Defiance and Houston Dynamo II have NTX sitting 11th in the West standings. Goals have been an issue for NTX, who have only four goals to their name over the past six matches. Javier Cano’s firing as head coach has led to NTX promoting John Call on an interim basis for the remainder of the 2023 season. Gall will have assistant coach Michael Garbini still on his staff going forward.
SKC II are one of several Western Conference clubs fighting for a playoff spot, with Benny Feilhaber’s squad sitting fourth currently in the standings. A 2-1 home victory over Earthquakes II on Sunday gave SKC II their third win out of their past five matches overall. Pau Vidal became the sixth MLS NEXT Pro player to reach double-digit goals this season after contributing his 10th goal this past weekend. Vidal has been key in the final third for SKC II accounting for 30% of the team’s goals in 2023.
Sunday - 7/23
Crown Legacy FC vs. NYCFC II (12 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV)
Sunday’s seven-match slate gets underway in North Carolina as Crown Legacy FC hosts NYCFC II.
Jose Tavares’ squad suffered a setback against New England Revolution II, but ultimately will be keen to bounce back on home soil. The expansion side hasn’t lost at home yet this season and have already defeated NYCFC II once in 2023. Four different players found the back of the net in a 4-1 road triumph back in April and Crown Legacy FC will be seeking a regular-season sweep on Sunday.
NYCFC II suffered a 5-3 shootout loss to Chicago Fire II on Sunday after conceding a 92nd minute equalizer to Omari Glasgow. Although Matt Pilkington’s squad did walk away with one point, NYCFC II haven’t shown the consistency in 2023 that they did throughout the inaugural 2022 campaign. 22-year-old Matt Myers leads the team with 10 goals this season while Jonathan Jimenez and John Denis are also potential scoring candidates.
Colorado Rapids 2 vs. Austin FC II (6 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV)
Matchday 18’s Match of the Week takes place in the Western Conference as Colorado Rapids 2 welcomes Austin FC II to town.
Erik Bushey’s squad sit seven points clear of ATX II in the standings and overall are unbeaten in their last four matches since suffering their first regulation loss of 2023. Rapids 2 are showing zero signs of slowing down, especially with their 42 goals scored ranked first in the league to date. Yosuke Hanya’s 10 goals continue to lead the team while Oliver Larraz has been a key offensive threat with five goals and six assists so far.
Austin FC II have won three of their last five matches in regulation, most recently defeating Houston Dynamo 2 by a 3-0 scoreline back on July 7. Brett Uttley’s squad will have revenge on their minds after suffering a 1-0 loss to Rapids 2 back on May 14. A road victory would be crucial for ATX II, who have struggled away from home this season (2-3-3 in road matches).
Damian Las has been one of the best goalkeepers in MLS NEXT Pro, registering nine clean sheets and a 0.56 goals-against-average (GAA) in 18 starts.
Houston Dynamo 2 vs. MNUFC2 (7 p.m. ET, MLSNEXTPro.com)
MNUFC2 have failed to defeat Houston Dynamo 2 in their last three head-to-head meetings, but Cameron Knowles’ squad will be doing all they can to turn the tide on Sunday.
A 2-0 home win over LAFC2 on Sunday gave MNUFC2 their third victory out of their past five matches overall. Coincidentally, MNUFC2 have registered clean sheets in each of those last three wins, which has been key for them defensively after a struggling run of form. Diogo Pacheco has eight goals and four assists in 2023, while Kameron Lacey has also contributed six goals of his own.
Emmanuel Iwe joined Pacheco on the scoresheet on Sunday.
Dynamo Dos snapped their four-match losing streak on Sunday after defeating rivals North Texas SC by a 2-1 scoreline at home. Diego Gonzalez and Isaiah LeFlore both contributed goals and despite a late red card to Joyner Castillo, Dynamo Dos held on for a crucial three points. The 20-year-old Gonzalez has contributed seven goals and two assists so far this season and will be keen on scoring in the second-straight head-to-head matchup.
Orlando City B vs. Chicago Fire II (7 p.m. ET, MLSNEXTPro.com)
Fourth meets eighth in Eastern Conference play on Sunday as Orlando City B faces off with Chicago Fire II.
Martin Perelman’s squad have claimed wins in two of their last three matches, including a 3-2 triumph over ATL UTD 2 on Sunday. Despite playing the majority of the second half with 10-men, OCB used goals from Eduardo Acuna and Wilfredo Rivera in a one-minute span to seal the comeback victory. OCB fell in Chicago back in mid-June, but hasn’t lost at home to Fire II yet in their head-to-head history.
Chicago Fire II have claimed points in each of their last three matches, most recently fighting back to defeat NYCFC II 5-3 in a shootout on Sunday. Omari Glasgow’s 92nd-minute equalizer helped Fire II force a shootout before Ludovic Talliander’s men went perfect from the spot. Glasgow and Charlie Ostrem have nine goals between them to lead Fire II in scoring so far.
ATL UTD 2 vs. Huntsville City FC (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV)
Only two points separates ATL UTD 2 and Huntsville City FC in the East standings coming into a Matchday 18 clash from Fifth Third Bank Stadium.
ATL UTD 2 coughed up a 2-1 lead on the road at Orlando City B on Sunday and ultimately will need a full 90-minute performance to claim three points at home. Back-to-back losses have dropped ATL UTD 2 in the East table, but Nicolas Firmino’s attacking abilities will always give them a chance at victory. Firmino has 11 goals and four assists in 17 league appearances this season, as he continues to be a top threat in MLS NEXT Pro.
Huntsville City FC could leapfrog ATL UTD 2 with a road win on Sunday. Jack Collison’s squad have shown strong moments in recent weeks, but a 2-1 loss to TFC II on Sunday certainly was a painful result on home soil. Kemy Amiche and Azaad Liadi have combined for 12 league goals this season, giving the expansion side a strong 1-2 attacking punch so far.
Earthquakes II vs. St. Louis CITY2 (8 p.m. ET, MLSNEXTPro.com)
St. Louis CITY2 can leapfrog Earthquakes II in the West standings if they claim three points on the road on Sunday.
Bobby Murphy’s squad have struggled of late though, losing two-straight in league play and three of their last five overall. In addition, CITY2 have failed to find the back of the net in each of their last three matches, which is a key reason why they are outside of the current playoff picture. John Klein continues to lead CITY2 with six goals in 2023, but others have to step up in order to help right the ship over the coming weeks.
Earthquakes II have also suffered back-to-back defeats in league play, setting up a crucial home showdown at PayPal Park. Quakes II have only won one home match in regulation this season, which came all the way back on the opening weekend of the 2023 season. Similar to CITY2, goals have been a problem for Daniel De Geer’s men, which have relied on Eduardo Blancas of late to run the show (four goals in 2023).
LAFC2 vs. Tacoma Defiance (8 p.m. ET, MLSNEXTPro.com)
Tacoma Defiance’s California road trip concludes on Sunday with a showdown against LAFC2.
Wade Webber’s squad suffered a 4-3 shootout loss to LA Galaxy II on Sunday, despite the club extending their unbeaten regulation run to seven matches overall. Dylan Teves added his second goal of the season, as the Defiance have 10 players to contribute at least one goal in 2023. Tacoma needed a shootout to defeat LAFC2 by a 3-1 scoreline back in late-May, but will hope to claim a full three points on the road Sunday.
LAFC2 have lost back-to-back matches on three different occasions this season, a theme that will need to change to have any chance at the playoffs. A 4-3 road loss to LA Galaxy II was followed up by a 2-0 defeat at the hands of MNUFC2 on Sunday. Goals have continued to be hard to come by for LAFC2 this season, with their 16 tallies ranking last in the league so far. Yekeson Subah and Christian Diaz lead the way with five combined goals between them.
Monday - 7/24
Columbus Crew 2 vs. Philadelphia Union II (7 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV)
Matchday 18’s schedule concludes Monday with Philadelphia Union II making the trip to Columbus Crew 2.
Marlon LeBlanc’s squad will have one eye on their July 29 showdown with Wrexham AFC at Subaru Park, but first have a tough test against the defending MLS NEXT Pro Champions. Union II are unbeaten in four-straight matches after defeating New York Red Bulls II by a 2-1 scoreline on Sunday. Jeremy Rafanello and Luciano Sanchez have been on fire of late for Union II, accounting for five of the team’s last six goals in league play.
Columbus Crew 2 have won three of their last four matches in regulation and are continuing to chase both Crown Legacy FC and New England Revolution II at the top of the East standings. Crew 2 should be well rested coming in after having a bye week during the Matchday 17 schedule. Coleman Gannon and Noah Fuson have been among the goalscorers in recent weeks and overall have six goals and six assists between them this season.
