The scene? Tacoma, Washington, right between the state capital and the Emerald City herself. The show? Why, it’s another MNUFC2 matchday! That’s right, MNUFC2 is heading west to take on the Tacoma Defiance for the second time this season in what is set to be quite the rematch.

The Defiance proved to be relatively submissive the last time these teams met, as the Loons came out on top with a 3-1 win back in mid-May. Goals from Patrick Weah, Alejandro Bran, and Finn McRobb were the difference in that impressive comeback victory, and a second-half clean sheet from Alec Smir provided the platform the team needed to move forward confidently.

But a lot has happened since May. MNUFC2 have experienced ups and downs in form, seen a long list of Academy players go from making their professional debuts to becoming regular contributors, and plenty of squad rotation throughout it all. Tacoma, meanwhile, has recently caught fire in a major way.

The Defiance haven’t lost in their last five matches, and they’ve gone about it in style. They’ve averaged more than three goals a game in that span, putting away 16 and conceding half as many. In their last three games alone, they’ve scored four goals apiece, proving that their attacking threat is no fluke. They may be the most in-form team in MLS NEXT Pro right now, and with just one home loss all season, they make for quite the imposing opponents.

While MNUFC2 isn’t in quite the scintillating form that this weekend’s hosts are, they’re fresh off a late game-winner against Rapids 2. Local lad Rory O’Driscoll notched the goal, leading the way for a squad that included five Academy players in the starting lineup alone (Dom Mawing, Aidan Martinez, Tamer Ibsais, Giovanni Cruz, William Schmidt). Three more youngsters contributed before the final whistle, as Darius Randell, Julian Banks, and Justin Arias all subbed on to make their mark.

Only time will tell whose form will prevail on Sunday, but one thing is for sure: this is going to be an exciting match. The Twos will be hoping to keep their positive vibes going in an effort to make a playoff push and prove that their win against Tacoma earlier this year was no mistake, while the hosts will be looking to keep their goalscoring form on their way to a little bit of revenge.

Tune in to MLSNEXTPro.com this Sunday, August 4, at 2:00 p.m. to watch MNUFC2 take on one of the league’s most potent attacks.