Sporting Kansas City midfielder Wan Kuzain and eMLS player Alekzandur advanced to the finals of the inaugural eMLS Tournament Special on Sunday with dominant victories over Minnesota United FC and D.C. United.
Kuzain and Alekzandur scored 11 unanswered goals to win Week Two of the marquee EA Sports FIFA 20 competition, ousting Minnesota goalkeeper Tyler Miller and eMLS player Jay Adams in the first round before topping D.C. United midfielder Paul Arriola and eMLS player Mohamed Diop in the second round.
The Week Two triumph sends Kuzain and Alekzandur to the final four of the eMLS Tournament Special, which will see a champion crowned on Sunday, May 17.
Sporting’s semifinal matchup will come against LAFC striker Adama Diomande and eMLS player RemiMartinn. The championship episode of the five-part series will be televised nationally on FS1 at 6 p.m.
Sporting KC eMLS Tournament Special Week Two results
• Match 1, Leg 1: Won 4-0 (Kuzain vs. Minnesota goalkeeper Tyler Miller)
• Match 1, Leg 2: Won 2-0 (Alekzandur vs. Minnesota eMLS player Jay Adams)
• Match 2, Leg 1: Won 2-0 (Kuzain vs. DC United midfielder Paul Arriola)
• Match 2, Leg 2: Won 3-0 (Alekzandur vs. DC United eMLS player Moahmed Diop)
The eMLS Tournament Special teams up MLS players and eMLS players from the same MLS clubs in a single-elimination FIFA 20 competition.
With Kuzain and Alekzandur in the mix, Sporting is one of 16 MLS clubs to feature a team in the event.
Sporting and LAFC will be joined in the tournament finals on May 17 by the winners of the Week Three and Week Four episodes, which will air on May 3 and 10, at 6 p.m. on FS1.
Kuzain, a 21-year-old Sporting KC Academy product who scored his first MLS goal against Minnesota on June 3, 2018, at Children’s Mercy Park, put four goals past Miller on Sunday to put Sporting in firm control of the first-round contest. Alekzandur, a Kansas City native and one of the best FIFA players in the world, struck twice in the second leg to seal a 6-0 aggregate victory.
Sporting displayed further ruthlessness in the second round, with Kuzain dispatching Arriola 2-0 and Alekzandur beating Diop 3-0 to clinch another shutout win on aggregate and vault the duo into the tournament finals.
With hosts from FOX Sports, including Stu Holden, Rachel Bonnetta and Rodolfo Landeros with color commentary from Mike LaBelle, the eMLS Tournament Special takes place on an entirely remote basis with MLS and eMLS players competing from their homes.
Each episode features four different clubs competing to win. Matchups are contested over two legs, with the MLS players playing the first leg and the eMLS professional FIFA players competing against each other in the second leg. The best aggregate score determines the victor.
The newly launched series is part of MLS Unites, a league-wide platform designed to educate communities, entertain fans and elevate heroic efforts taking place during the COVID-19 pandemic.
After each of the five episodes, MLS WORKS, the league’s social responsibility platform, and FOX Sports make a donation on behalf of the winning club to Feeding America and Food Banks Canada. A total of $50,000 will be donated to support frontline workers and feed vulnerable populations in the U.S. and Canada.
Benefiting two national hunger relief organizations, the eMLS Tournament Special will unfold in conjunction with Sporting Serves, a newly launched philanthropic platform that will see Sporting Kansas City and The Victory Project partner with several community partners to provide relief to citizens across Greater Kansas City in a unified response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
eMLS Tournament Special schedule and results
(All episodes at 6 p.m. on FS1)
• April 19 (Week 1): Won by LAFC duo Adama Diomande and RemiMartinn
• April 26 (Week 2): Won by Sporting KC duo Wan Kuzain and Alekzandur
• May 3 (Week 3): New York Red Bulls vs. NYCFC; FC Dallas vs. Houston Dynamo
• May 10 (Week 4): Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Toronto FC; Atlanta United vs. Orlando City
• May 17 (Finals): Sporting KC, LAFC, Week 3 winner and Week 4 winner
- Story from Sporting KC