Sporting Kansas City II took a 2-1 loss to the Charlotte Independence on Sunday in the club's 2020 USL Championship opener at Children's Mercy Park. An early own goal put Sporting II in the driver's seat, but Charlotte replied with goals in either half from Derek Gebhard and Dane Kelly to claim all three points in the back-and-forth Week 1 encounter.
Third-year Sporting II head coach Paulo Nagamura fielded a formidable starting XI that included six players on loan from Sporting Kansas City: goalkeeper Richard Sanchez, defensive trio Amadou Dia, Jaylin Lindsey and Graham Smith, and Homegrown midfielders Gianluca Busio and Felipe Hernandez.