Games are coming thick and fast as MLS NEXT Pro is officially entering the middle part of the season, making maximum-point matchweeks critical for the large pack of early playoff hopefuls.
Keeping that standard high, Austin FC II rattled off two big wins to take Team of Matchweek 11, topping defending Western Conference champs Colorado Rapids 2 in a 2-0 road win on Wednesday and followed that up with a hearty 4-1 home win vs. St Louis CITY2 on Sunday.
Atlanta United 2 striker Arif Kovac set a league record for single-game goal contributions with his 5g/1a performance against Huntsville City FC, putting himself in a class of his own for his first-ever Player of the Matchweek selection.
Austin FC II's perfect week was led in part by 16-year-old Academy player Erick Feliciano, whose 2g/1a week earned his first MLS NEXT Rising Star of the Matchweek honor.
Read more about Matchweek 11's winners below.
Two big wins have moved ATX FC II into third place in the Western Conference power struggle.
Starting with a 2-0 win at Rapids 2, Feliciano came off the bench in a scoreless deadlock and led the way to victory with a 1g/1a in his 38-minute shift.
Finishing the week against conference powerhouse CITY2, a lopsided scoreline of 4-1 was also built on some Academy contributions, with Feliciano kicking off the scoring in the sixth minute. La Masia product Jorge Alastuey tacked on another in the first half, and VerDos squashed a late comeback effort with second-half goals from Kenan Hot and Stefan Dobrijevic to close out the game.
First-year head coach Jason Shackell's group are on a four-game winning streak and look to make it a perfect May when they return to action against SKC II on Friday (8 PM ET | MLSNEXTPro.com, OneFootball app).
Where to begin?
Scoring one for each stripe he represents, Kovac absolutely willed Atlanta United 2's 6-2 comeback win at Huntsville City into existence, getting in on all six goals. Scoring five on his own, he had every right to be feeling himself after his first finish was a masterful chest trap to fire in his own volley at point-blank.
From there, Kovac made it look easy. Making the most of a man advantage as HCFC lost two players to red cards, the Atlanta Academy product found plenty of space to fire in four more in addition to playing helper as Liam Butts also added insult to injury in the dominant comeback.
Kovac, 19, signed with ATL UTD 2 ahead of the 2025 season as a free agent from the Atlanta United Academy.
Austin FC II's double-win week likely wouldn't have been possible without the help of Academy winger Feliciano.
After playing super-sub to help with both goals in the 2-0 win at Rapids 2, he earned his second start of the season as ATX FC II hosted a six-pointer vs. St Louis CITY2 and scored a sixth-minute goal that opened the door for a dominant performance.
The youngster now has 2g/1a in 229 MLS NEXT Pro minutes and announced himself as one to keep an eye on in the Austin pipeline.
