The Swope Park Rangers (9-4-2, 3rd place) looks to set a club record this Wednesday, July 12 when the side could claim it’s fifth consecutive victory against Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 (4-8-4, 12th place) at McLeod Athletic Park in Langley, British Columbia, Canada with kickoff set for 2 p.m. CT.
The Rangers extended their unbeaten streak to seven games with a 4-0 victory over Rio Grande Valley FC at Swope Soccer Village on Saturday night, as Lebo Moloto, Mark Anthony Gonzalez, Colton Storm and Cameron Iwasa all found the back of the net. Kevin Oliveira also recorded two assists on the day as Moloto, Storm and Oliveira earned USL Team of the Week honors.
SPR has now won four games in a row, matching the club record streak that the side set to close out the 2016 regular season. The Rangers are unbeaten in seven, dating back to a 1-0 defeat to San Antonio FC on May 26, going 5-0-2 in that time.
The Rangers faced Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 once earlier this season, earning a 3-1 victory on May 5 at Swope Soccer Village behind a dominant first-half performance. Nansel Selbol opened the scoring before Lebo Moloto added a second midway through the opening period. Kharlton Belmar notched SPR’s third goal before halftime and the score remained that way until Vancouver were awarded a dubious penalty in second-half stoppage time that was converted by Ben McKendry to make the final score 3-1.
Whitecaps FC 2 leads the all-time series between the two sides with a 2-1-0 mark in the regular season, although the Rangers won the most important clash in the 2016 USL Cup Playoffs. The two teams met in the Western Conference Final with a spot in the 2016 USL Cup Final on the line, and the Rangers emerged as 3-0 winners behind a brace from Kris Tyrpak and a late strike from Dane Kelly.
Vancouver is currently languishing in 12th place in the USL’s Western Conference, sitting five points outside the eighth and final playoff position – currently held by Tulsa Roughnecks FC. Vancouver are winless in their last five games, going 0-3-2 since a 1-0 road victory over Portland Timbers 2 on June 4.
Most recently, Whitecaps FC 2 blew a 2-0 lead on the road against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC to settle for a 2-2 draw. Marco Bustos and Thomas Sanner put Vancouver in a commanding lead before the break but Colorado Springs hit back through Masta Kacher and Kevaughn Frater in the second half to claim a share of the spoils.
Vancouver are 2-3-2 at home this season, having moved to a new home field at McLeod Athletic Park after playing their home matches at UBC Thunderbird Stadium in 2016. The Rangers are 2-3-1 on the road, winning their two most recent away matches in the space of four days against Tulsa Roughnecks FC and LA Galaxy II on June 27 and 30.
The Rangers will be tested over the next 10 days as the side embarks on a three-game road swing in the Pacific Northwest. Once the side takes on Whitecaps FC 2 tomorrow, SPR will then head back to the U.S. to face Portland Timbers 2 on Sunday, July 16 before making the short trip to Seattle to face Sounders FC 2 on Thursday, July 20.
Game 16
Date: Wednesday, July 12, 2017
Kickoff: 2 p.m. CT
Location: McLeod Athletic Park (Langley, British Columbia, Canada)
Swope Park Rangers: 9-4-2 (29 pts), 3rd in Western Conference.
MLS Affiliate: Sporting Kansas City
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2: 4-8-4 (16 pts), 12th in Western Conference.
MLS Affiliate: Vancouver Whitecaps FC
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Live Stream: The game will be broadcast on SportingKC.com and YouTube.com/USL
SOCIAL TAGS
Game-specific hashtag: #VANvSPR
Swope Park Rangers
Twitter: @SwopeRangers
Instagram: @SwopeParkRangers
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2
Twitter: @wfc2
GAME NOTES
