Unbeaten in five consecutive USL matches, the Swope Park Rangers (7-4-2, 4th place) conclude a two-game road swing Friday when they travel to face LA Galaxy II (3-9-2, 14th place) at StubHub Center Track and Field Stadium. Kickoff is set for 9:30 p.m. CT with a live stream on SportingKC.com and in-game updates available via the USLsoccer.com MatchCenter.
Sporting Kansas City forward Diego Rubio made his first professional start since returning from a long-term ACL injury in the Rangers’ 2-1 road victory against Tulsa Roughnecks FC on Tuesday night. Mark Anthony Gonzalez doubled the visitors’ lead in the 63rd minute with his fourth goal of the USL campaign, entering a tie for the team lead alongside Kharlton Belmar. The result gave SPR their third win in four matches—including their first road triumph of 2017 — and kept the side unbeaten during the month of June.
The Rangers currently occupy fourth place in the USL’s Western Conference, but a win on Friday would lift head coach Nikola Popovic’s side into third place ahead of Sacramento Republic FC.
Friday’s counterparts dwell on the opposite side of the table, however, as LA Galaxy II sit second-from-last with 11 points through 14 matches. Led by manager Mike Munoz, Los Dos are coming off a 3-2 home defeat to Sacrament Republic FC on Sunday. After falling three goals behind in the first half, Galaxy II mounted a rally behind strikes from Justin Dhillon and Adrian Vera, but the rally would be cut short and their in-state rivals emerged with all three points. Los Dos are in search of their first home victory since the 2017 season opener on March 25.
These teams previously met twice during the 2016 season, with a pair of wins going to the Rangers at Children’s Mercy Victory Field inside Swope Soccer Village. SPR won 2-1 last August, receiving goals from Gonzalez and captain Christian Duke, before the sides met again in the USL Western Conference quarterfinals a month later. Five Galaxy II players were cautioned in a feisty affair that saw SPR explode for three goals in the final quarter-hour, two of which coming from Gonzalez in second-half stoppage time.
Game 14
Date: Friday, June 30, 2017
Kickoff: 9:30 p.m. CT
Location: StubHub Center Track and Field Stadium (Carson, California)
Swope Park Rangers: 7-4-2 (23 pts), 4th in Western Conference.
MLS Affiliate: Sporting Kansas City
LA Galaxy II: 3-9-2 (11 pts), 14th in Western Conference.
MLS Affiliate: LA Galaxy
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Live Stream: The game will be broadcast on SportingKC.com and YouTube.com/USL
SOCIAL TAGS
Game-specific hashtag: #LAvSPR
Swope Park Rangers
Twitter: @SwopeRangers
Instagram: @SwopeParkRangers
LA Galaxy II
Twitter: @LAGalaxyII
Instagram: @LAGalaxyII
