Preview: Sporting KC II vs Indy Eleven

USL Championship Regular Season- Matchday 10

Sporting Kansas City II vs Indy Eleven

Sunday, June 20, 4:00 p.m. CST

Where: Children’s Mercy Park, Kansas City, Kansas

How to Watch: ESPN+

Sporting KC II will return home for the final time this month as the struggling Indy Eleven pay their second-ever visit to CMP on Sunday.

Entering the weekend in seventh place in the Central Division with seven points and a 1-4-4 record, SKC II will be looking to get the full three points against the new-look Indy Eleven on Sunday.

Head coach Paulo Nagamura is looking to get his side back on track after suffering a 4-3 defeat against FC Tulsa as their comeback fell short. Tyler Freeman scored a pair of goals late to make the final moments interesting.

Freeman’s brace puts him at the top of Sporting II’s scoring charts with three goals, followed by Rojay Smith and Enoch Mushagalusa who each have two.

Ropapa Mensah leads SKC II with two assists, but he is out for Sunday with a groin strain. Defender Travian Sousa will also miss out once again with a hamstring strain. Defender Isaiah LeFlore could see his first minutes this season after being upgraded to questionable.

In their only previous visit to KC, Indy won 3-1 in 2019. Indy has also won four of the six matches in Indy against SKC II, including a 2-0 win last month.

Indy Eleven

The Indy Eleven will be under new management for Sunday’s match following the departure of Martin Rennie, who mutually agreed to part ways following Indy’s 1-0 defeat against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds on Tuesday.

Rennie’s departure comes after slipping from first in the Central Division to fifth in a matter of weeks. In that timespan, Indy drew once before losing three straight. Leading the team into Sunday’s contest is interim manager Max Rogers. Rogers will look to guide Indy to their first win this month.

Still sitting on 10 points with a 3-4-1 record, Indy sits in a decent position for the playoffs. Forwards Jordan Hamilton and Manuel Arteaga have been Indy’s top scorers this season, combining for five goals. Gordon Wild leads Indy with three assists.

Indy relies more on their defensive strengths with the back three of Neveal Hackshaw, AJ Cochran and Karl Oimmette. They have allowed nine goals in eight games this year while Indy has scored just seven times.

Predicted Starting XI

I went with Gavin Krenecki coming back into the lineup for Brooks Thompson with Christian Duke at left back and Kyden Pierre at right back. Jayin Van Deventer comes back into the midfield with Tyler Freeman, Dominik Resetar and Grayson Barber leading the forward line.

Final Prediction

This is a very winnable game for SKC II against an Indy Eleven team with a lot of questions to answer.

I think SKC II wins it 1-0.