TTFC forward Julian Donnery (left) has been the team’s most impactful player lately. The 19-year-old has broken out, notching three goals in the last three games.
MORAGA, Calif. — Goalkeeper David Sweeney made five saves and earned his first clean sheet as a member of The Town FC as the team took a 2-0 win over Sporting Kansas City II to remain undefeated at home through eight matches.
Forwards Riley Lynch and Julian Donnery each netted goals to give Sweeney some insurance and continue The Town FC’s (6-5-5, 25 points) offensive surge that has scored seven times in the last three matches.
From the start until the final whistle, Sweeney — a 22-year-old San Jose State product — made important saves, stopping all of Sporting KC II’s (6-7-4, 24 points) dangerous chances. The Town FC signed him to an MLS NEXT Pro contract on Friday after usual starter Emmanuel Ochoa received a U-20 CONCACAF call-up. Sweeney became the fourth different goalkeeper to start a match for The Town and answered the call on limited notice.
“I was hoping for this opportunity, and it came true,” said Sweeney postgame. “I’ve really worked really hard and am grateful for the boys accepting me in. We came together and got the shutout today.”
Lynch found the back of the net first in the 34th minute. Initially missing his first attempt, Lynch stayed with the ball and used his left foot to beat netminder Jacob Molinaro. With four goals on the year, Lynch is tied for the team lead.
Like Ochoa, midfielder Cruz Medina was also absent because of U-20 CONCACAF duty, causing The Town FC to be without an impactful, game-changing player on the offensive end. But that didn’t stop TTFC’s offense from continuing to flourish.
In the 52nd minute, defender Casey Walls lobbed a perfect pass to a wide-open Donnery from across the field. Remaining composed and breaking free, Donnery extended the Bay Area side’s lead to two by capitalizing on the beautiful feed and scoring with ease.
“[Donnery] has improved in a lot of different areas outside of just scoring,” head coach Daniel DeGeer said. “All of that just continues to build confidence. And overall, we’re really proud of him, his efforts and where he’s at right now.”
Donnery — now with three goals across the last three games — has been the main contributor to The Town’s recent offensive influx, following a scoreless string of 13 matches to begin the year. Named Adidas Man of the Match for the second consecutive game, he appears to have found new offensive energy in the attacking third. Walls’ assist was his first of the campaign.
“This is my first season with the team, so there was a lot of pressure to get the first goal,” Donnery said. “That was getting in my head a little bit, but once I got the first one, the pressure was off, so I can just play my usual game and create more chances.”
The Town FC would compress Sporting KC II’s offense the rest of the way to earn its second straight shutout. With only 18 goals allowed, TTFC ranks third lowest in MLS NEXT Pro in the category.
TTFC finished with 11 shots with six on target in the match. DeGeer’s club seemed to find an offensive rhythm as the first half progressed, following a slow start that only saw little offense.
The victory allowed The Town to jump Sporting KC II in the Western Conference table and move into seventh place with the gained three points.
Next, The Town FC will host Real Monarchs (4-10-2, 16 points) to finish off the homestand. The two sides faced off back on Apr. 14, with TTFC prevailing for the victory in Utah. Eager to continue climbing the West ranks, The Town will aim to take the season series and remain unbeaten at home, boasting a 4-0-4 record on familiar turf to this point.
Real Monarchs has seen mixed results recently, so The Town will hope to continue its strong momentum before hitting the road. TTFC will rely on its strong defense and offensive catalysts like Donnery to step up and lead the charge.
“It’s one game at a time. We know that we have a lot of home games where we need to get three points because road games are obviously more challenging,” DeGeer said.
The match will kick off on July 21 at 5 p.m. at Saint Mary’s Stadium. The battle will be broadcast globally on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
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MATCH INFORMATION
2024 MLS NEXT Pro Season
The Town FC 2 – 0 Sporting Kansas City II
Saint Mary’s Stadium
Sunday, July 14, 2024
Scoring Summary:
TTFC (1-0) – R. Lynch 34’
TTFC (2-0) – J. Donnery 52’
Misconduct Summary:
TTFC – B. Leroux (Caution) 41’
SKCII – D. Flores (Caution) 55’
TTFC – A. Edwards (Caution) 83’
TTFC – J. Garcia (Caution) 90’
TTFC – W. Eisner (Caution) 90 + 2’
The Town FC: D. Sweeney (GK), R. Ibarra, A. Cano (W. Eisner – 86’), C. Walls, J. Garcia, B. Leroux (J. Spivey – 74’), E. Mendoza (S. Bilter – 15’), E. Blancas (C), W. Richmond (A. Edwards – 74’), J. Donnery, R. Lynch
Substitutes not used: R. Tsunehara, R. Rajagopal, M. Guerra, O. Hernandez
SHOTS: 11; SHOTS ON GOAL: 6; FOULS: 15; CORNER KICKS: 1; SAVES: 5
Sporting Kansas City II: J. Molinaro (GK), C. Klein, C. Rindov, L. Christiano, M. Visconti (P. Vidal – 81’), S. Cruz (C), J. Swallen (K. Habibullah – 71’), D. Flores, M. Goumballe, B. Avila, S. Donovan (N. Hategan – 60’)
Substitutes not used: E. Bryant, M. Tschantret, H. Alisah, J. Ortiz, D. Mantoute, J. Kortkamp
SHOTS: 9; SHOTS ON GOAL: 6; FOULS: 12; CORNER KICKS: 8; SAVES: 4