The Swope Park Rangers will host Portland Timbers 2 at 7:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday looking to extend the club’s six-game winning streak at Children’s Mercy Victory Field in Swope Soccer Village dating back to last season. A seventh straight home victory would match the third longest streak in USL history:
Most Consecutive Home Wins in USL (incl. playoffs)
- 13 games: Orlando (2014)
- 11 games: Rochester (2015-16)
- 7 games: Orlando (2013), Rochester (2014-15), Colorado Springs (2015)
Tickets for the midweek matchup are available online at SeatGeek.com or at the venue box office prior to kickoff and fans in attendance can take advantage of a special offer to purchase hot dogs for only $1 up until the game’s 10th minute. The match will also be streamed live on SportingKC.com and can be followed online via the new USLsoccer.com MatchCenter.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Swope Park Rangers announced the additions of Sporting Kansas City defenders Erik Palmer-Brown and Tyler Pasher on loan, while Kevin Ellis, Latif Blessing and Daniel Salloi were all recalled by Sporting KC after playing the full 90 minutes in the season opener on Saturday night.
Wednesday’s match will be the first of three Swope Park Rangers fixtures this season to feature the use of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology to review the following game-changing situations, if needed: goals, penalty decisions, direct red card incidents and cases of mistaken identity. Retired FIFA referee Howard Webb, who officiated the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final, will be in attendance as Manager of VAR Operations for the Professional Referee Organization.
The Rangers resume a three-game homestand to open the 2017 season after a 3-1 come-from-behind victory on Saturday over OKC Energy FC. Kharlton Belmar scored on his club debut in the first half and on-loan forwards Daniel Salloi and Latif Blessing struck in the second half to earn the Rangers the top spot in the USL Power Rankings after Week 1, while Salloi was named to the USL Team of the Week.
Six Sporting Kansas City Academy products featured for SPR in the opener, including professional debuts for current Academy U-18’s Wan Kuzain Wan Kamal and Felipe Hernandez. The Rangers’ strong showing came without the team’s 2016 Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year as Mark Anthony Gonzalez and Amer Didic are currently on international duty with the Canada Under-23 Men’s National Team.
In 2016, SPR and T2 split the regular season series with a pair of 2-1 home victories for each side. Portland concluded the campaign with five consecutive wins but narrowly missed a postseason berth in their first season under head coach Andrew Gregor, whose professional career included 23 appearances in all competitions for the Kansas City Wizards in 2001.
His roster is highlighted by Bulgarian playmaker Villyan Bijev, who led the USL with 10 assists last season and was named to the USL All-League First Team, as well as fellow returning contributors in defender Rennico Clarke, midfielder Victor Arboleda and goalkeeper Kendall McIntosh. All three earned senior team contracts in the offseason and featured for Portland Timbers 2 on loan in the team’s 2-1 home loss to Real Monarchs on Sunday.
Former Rangers midfielder Tomas Granitto will also make his return to Kansas City as a member of T2. The 23-year-old was signed by Portland after he made 27 appearances for SPR last season and scored in the USL Cup Final at Red Bull Arena.
Game 2
Date: Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. CT
Location: Swope Soccer Village (Kansas City, Mo.)
Swope Park Rangers: 1-0-0, 3 pts. 1st in Western Conference.
Portland Timbers 2: 0-1-0, 0 pts. 8th in Western Conference.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Live Stream: The game will be broadcast on SportingKC.com and YouTube.com/USL
Talent: Carter Augustine (play-by-play), Sam Kovzan (analyst)
SOCIAL TAGS
Game-specific hashtag: #SPRvPOR
Swope Park Rangers
Twitter: @SwopeRangers
Instagram: @SwopeParkRangers
Portland Timbers 2
Twitter: @TimbersFC2
Instagram: @TimbersFC2
SPR GAME NOTES
