How are Sporting KC II doing in 2026?

Sporting Kansas City are bottom of the 2026 MLS standings after nine matches, with a mere four points, seven goals scored, and 25 goals allowed. With the first team doing so poorly in MLS, supporters may want to check in with Sporting KC II to see if the results are any better.

Unfortunately, SKC II are not faring much better in 2026.

Head coach Lee Tschantret is in his first season with the MLS NEXT Pro club and is hoping to lead the team to the postseason for just the second time in its five-year NEXT Pro existence. Sporting KC II have not reached the playoffs since 2023 under Benny Feilhaber, and this season has already turned into another uphill climb.

SKC II are near the bottom of MLS NEXT Pro

After nine matches, Sporting KC II have recorded just six points. MLS NEXT Pro uses a unique points system in which teams earn three points for a win, two points for a penalty shootout win, and one point for a penalty shootout loss, but even with that added avenue to collect points, SKC II remain stuck near the bottom of the Western Conference.

The larger concern is not simply the standings. It is the numbers behind them.

SKC II have scored only nine goals in nine matches while conceding a staggering 24. That defensive return is among the worst in MLS NEXT Pro, with the club allowing nearly three goals per game.

The second team’s fortunes on the pitch mirror the first team almost exactly. Sporting Kansas City have four points from nine MLS games, seven goals scored, and 25 conceded. Across both levels of the organization, there is the same recurring problem: too few goals, too many defensive collapses, and very little sign of development.

That is not what Sporting KC supporters want to hear from a developmental pipeline that is supposed to be producing future first-team players.

Young prospects are seeing minutes, but results are still poor

Fifteen-year-old midfielder Zamir Loyo Reynaga is considered one of the brightest prospects in the SKC II setup. The U.S. youth international has already made four appearances and scored once, giving supporters at least one player to monitor closely as the season develops.

Johann Ortiz currently leads the team in scoring with two goals in seven appearances. Missael Rodriguez has also added two goals. Beyond that, however, the attacking production has been thin, which explains why SKC II have struggled to keep pace in matches once they fall behind.

Supporters on Reddit have pointed to the youth of the roster as one reason for patience, noting that several teenagers are getting valuable developmental minutes even while the results remain ugly. Of course, NEXT Pro, as a league, has an average player age of 20.6 years old. Therefore, many teams are focused on teenagers and players in their early 20s.

Will any SKC II players reach the first team?

Sporting Kansas City have promoted several players from SKC II in recent seasons, including Jake Davis, Jacob Bartlett, and Ian James. This year, injuries have already forced the first team to hand short-term contracts to players such as Shane Donovan and Reynaga, with the latter making his MLS debut earlier in the season against San Diego FC.

Not every SKC II player will make that jump. Some, like Medgy Alexandre, will likely carve out careers elsewhere in the professional game.

Still, that is what SKC II are for: identifying which players can survive the leap. Right now, the problem is simple. There are developmental minutes being handed out, but there are not enough winning habits being built.

Add us as a preferred source on Google