After a three-game road trip, the Swope Park Rangers (4-2-4, 6th place) return home to host Phoenix Rising FC (6-2-3, 2nd place) at 4 p.m. CT on Saturday at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas. Tickets are available to purchase online at SeatGeek.com or at the stadium box office prior to kick off.
Heat advisory: Ticket holders will be permitted to bring in one sealed, 20-ounce or smaller bottle of water on Saturday. The bottle’s cap will be removed at the gate.
The Rangers, who have played the most road games and fewest home matches of any team in the USL to date, sit in sixth place in the Western Conference through 10 games. Led by first-year head coach Paulo Nagamura, a total of 27 players have already featured for SPR this season including nine Sporting KC Academy products and 14 players on loan from Sporting Kansas City.
Sporting KC forward Kharlton Belmar, a former USL Rookie of the Year, leads the USL with eight goals in eight appearances while Hadji Barry has contributed three goals and four assists to go along with 15 chances created. Defensively, the Rangers have three clean sheets – by three different goalkeepers – on the year. Amer Didic leads SPR in clearances and blocks, while Graham Smith has a team-best 19 interceptions and Bryam Rebellon’s 18 tackles are most on the club.
SPR earned a road result at Rio Grande Valley FC last weekend, however were shut out for the first time this season in the scoreless draw. Rookie goalkeeper Eric Dick made a career-high six saves, highlighted by turning away a penalty kick with a save that finished second in USL Save of the Week voting.
Phoenix Rising FC, who return to Kansas City for the first time since falling in a penalty shootout in last year’s Western Conference Quarterfinal, are unbeaten on the road in 2018 with a 4-0-1 record in league play and will be looking to get back on track after disappointing results in each of their previous two outings.
Three days after crashing out of the U.S. Open Cup in a penalty shootout against amateur side Sporting Arizona, Phoenix Rising FC saw their six-game unbeaten run in the USL come to an end last Saturday with a 3-1 home loss to Sacramento Republic FC. Chris Cortez scored his team-leading fifth goal of the season however club captain and co-owner Didier Drogba missed a first half penalty kick in the defeat.
Drogba, a participant in the last three FIFA World Cups, scored 10 goals – including three against SPR – in 14 USL appearances last season and has four goals in five games in 2018. The 40-year-old is joined in the Rising FC attack by Ghanian international Solomon Asante and Jamaican striker Jason Johnson, who led the club with 13 goals a year ago.
Patrice Carteron’s squad also features three familiar faces in former Rangers players Amadou Dia, Zac Lubin and New Zealand international James Musa, who was the Rangers’ Most Valuable Player in 2017.
The Rangers, who have played Phoenix to draws in four of the five all-time meetings, will be looking for the team’s first win against the Rising FC on Saturday after conceding a 90th-minute equalizer in last month’s 2-2 draw at Phoenix Rising FC Soccer Complex. Belmar bagged a brace with two goals in the final 20 minutes to give SPR a short-lived 2-1 lead before Asante pulled Phoenix level on the cusp of full time.
Saturday’s match will be streamed live on ESPN+ and in-game updates will be available via the USLsoccer.com Match Center.
Game 11 of 34
Date: Saturday, May 26, 2018
Kickoff: 4 p.m. CT
Location: Children’s Mercy Park (Kansas City, Kan.)
Swope Park Rangers: 4-2-4 (16 points, 6th place in Western Conference)
MLS Affiliate: Sporting Kansas City
Phoenix Rising FC: 6-2-3 (21 points, 2nd place in Western Conference)
MLS Affiliate: N/A
Game Notes: Click here
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Live Stream: ESPN+
SOCIAL TAGS
Game-specific hashtag: #SPRvPHX
Swope Park Rangers
Twitter: @SwopeRangers
Instagram: @SwopeParkRangers
Phoenix Rising FC
Twitter: @PHXRisingFC
Instagram: @PHXRisingFC
