Houston Dynamo 2 earned the result of the weekend in MLS NEXT Pro action, ending Tacoma Defiance’s nine-match unbeaten run with a 1-0 victory. Chicago Fire FC II outlasted New England Revolution in a seven-goal thriller to earn a 4-3 win at SeatGeek Stadium while Orlando City B and Colorado Rapids 2 celebrated their first road wins of the 2022 season.
Here’s your MLS NEXT Pro week 14 recap by the numbers.
Tacoma Defiance’s nine-match unbeaten run came to an end on Sunday night as Houston Dynamo 2 claimed a 1-0 home win.
Marcelo Palomino’s 89th-minute winning goal proved to be the only thing that could separate the clubs in a Western Conference showdown. Wade Webber’s squad was held to a season-low one shot on goal in the road defeat, a result that moves Dynamo Dos only three points back of the Defiance for third place in the West.
NYCFC II capped off Week 14 by cruising to three points on Monday night in Chester, Pennsylvania.
Matt Pilkington’s side scored five goals in a 5-0 triumph over Philadelphia Union II, totaling the most goals scored by an away side since St Louis CITY2 scored five back on June 11. Five different players got on the scoresheet with tallies from Andres Jasson and John Denis headlining the overall goals from the squad.
A red card to Jose Riasco in the 57th minute didn’t help Union II’s chances in the second-half as NYCFC II continued to roll with three goals in the final 31 minutes of the match.
NYCFC II has scored three goals or more on five different occasions this season, totaling 31 overall on the season, which is the second only to Tacoma Defiance in MLS NEXT Pro.
Earthquakes II already had one two-match winning streak in the 2022 MLS NEXT Pro season and Daniel De Geer’s side outdid that with Friday’s 3-2 victory over Whitecaps FC 2.
For the first time this season, Quakes II extended their winning run to three matches, moving to sixth place in the Western Conference and now sitting just four points out of the top four. Rodolfo Castro led the way for Quakes II by scoring a brace, giving him five goals now on the season. William Richmond’s finish in the 71st minute proved to be the difference as Quakes II moved to 3-3-1 away from home this season.
RNY FC moved to 4-0 in shootouts this MLS NEXT Pro season, edging Columbus Crew 2 by a 4-2 shootout scoreline after a scoreless draw in regulation at Monroe Community College.
After the two teams could not find a winning goal in regulation, RNY FC scored four of its five spot kicks to claim two points. Noah Fuson was denied from the spot by RNY FC goalkeeper Caique while Abdirizak Mohamed missed his chance in round two.
Bruno Baltazar’s side has earned points in both regular-season meetings with Crew 2 this season, sitting in fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
There were six clean sheets recorded in Week 14’s MLS NEXT Pro action, with four of those six teams being at home. North Texas SC and St Louis CITY2 headlined the top defensive performances this weekend, with both teams claiming three points.
In addition, NYCFC II, RNY FC, Houston Dynamo 2, and Columbus Crew 2 also pitched shutouts this weekend, continuing to solidify why they are in the conversation for playoff berths this season. Both St Louis CITY2 and North Texas SC recorded two goals scored or more, which certainly helped to their achievement of three points this weekend.
There was no shortage of goals at SeatGeek Stadium on Sunday as Chicago Fire FC II edged New England Revolution II 4-3 in Eastern Conference action.
A four-goal first half was backed up by three additional goals after halftime as Ludovic Taillander’s side used a Victor Bezerra brace to walk away with three points. There were a total of 23 total shots in the match, with Alex Monis, Pierre Cayet, and Ryan Lima also getting on the scoresheet.
Chicago Fire II sits on 14 points now this season, riding a two-match unbeaten run heading into a two-match road trip to kick off the month of July.
There were a total of four teams that picked up victories away from home this weekend, but for Orlando City B and Colorado Rapids 2, they celebrated three points on the road for the first time in 2022.
Orlando City B scored twice in the opening half before adding a third prior to the final whistle in a 3-1 road victory over FC Cincinnati 2. Jack Lynn continued his impressive season for OCB while Mauro Bravo and Moises Tablante also celebrated goals of their own.
OCB came into Week 14 without a win in their past four matches, but rebounded in a big way on Saturday.
Colorado Rapids 2 scored four-unanswered goals, defeating Timbers2 by a 4-2 scoreline at Hillsboro Stadium. Max Alves and Sebastian Anderson helped Rapids 2 tie things up in the second-half before Darren Yapi and Dantouma Toure scored eight minutes apart to cap the comeback win.
Rapids2 moved to 12 points on the season and next close out a three-match road trip at St Louis CITY2 on July 2.
