MNUFC2, along with MLS NEXT Pro, announced today that Homegrown forward Darius Randell was named MLS NEXT Pro’s Player of the Month for the month of September.
During September, the young forward scored five goals and provided one assist across MNUFC2’s four matches. His goalscoring helped propel the team into the 2026 MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs, finishing the regular season as the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference.
“Alhamdulillah, I want to give all thanks and praise to God. It’s hard to truly explain the feeling about earning the Player of the Month honors; it’s amazing and something I haven’t felt in a while,” said forward Darius Randell. “There are times during the season where you put in a lot of work but it still doesn’t make anything. For me to see that hard work succeed this past month – and especially since the team was in a tight spot while chasing the playoffs – yeah, it makes it even more rewarding. The goals I scored last month are great and definitely something every player wants to achieve, but this is more so about the work I put in during the season with the efforts my coaches and teammates have put in as well.”
Randell notably bagged a brace on Sept. 5 against Colorado Rapids 2 before recording a hat trick against Whitecaps FC 2 on Sept. 12, and in recognition for those standout performances, he was named back-to-back MLS NEXT Pro Player of the Matchweek honors for Matchweeks 27 and 28. Randell led the squad with 12 goals scored in regular-season action – the most goals scored in a single regular season in MNUFC2 history.
To add to his successful month of September, Randell earned a call up with the United States U20 National Team during their recent camp held in Spain. There, the forward made two game appearances (one start) in friendly matches against Brazil’s and Denmark’s U20 squads.
Randell is the second Loons player to earn MLS NEXT Pro Player of the Month Honors this season, where fellow First Team forward Marcus Caldeira was the Player of the Month for June.
Loons fans can watch MNUFC2’s second-consecutive postseason run when the Twos travel to face No. 3 Ventura County FC on Friday, Oct. 16 during the Western Conference Quarterfinal. The playoffs match will be streamed live on OneFootball and MLSNEXTPro.com.
