The Rangers will take the field for the first time at Shawnee Mission South District Stadium in Overland Park, Kan., at 7:30 p.m. CT on Saturday when the back-to-back USL Western Conference champions host Seattle Sounders FC 2.
Tickets for the match, starting at $9, are available online at SeatGeek.com and the first 500 fans in attendance at the home opener will receive Rangers schedule magnets. In addition, local students can purchase $5 student tickets at the box office with a valid student ID.
The 7,500-seat Shawnee Mission South District Stadium, located at 5800 W. 107th St., underwent a $6-million renovation in 2017 and boasts a Daktronics LED videoboard as well as a state-of-the-art sound system. Free parking is available on the west side of the venue, accessible via Lamar Ave. or W. 107th St., with designated parking spaces also reserved for Rangers Season Ticket Members.
The Rangers, featuring seven players on loan from Sporting Kansas City, opened the 2018 campaign last Saturday with a thrilling 4-3 victory at Reno 1868 FC. Kharlton Belmar was named USL Player of the Week for his two-goal, two-assist performance and newcomer Hadji Barry marked his debut for SPR with a goal and two assists.
While the Rangers rallied to win a road match for the first time in comeback fashion, S2 also came from behind for a 2-1 victory in their season opener over rivals Portland Timbers 2. Felix Chenkam and Nicholas Hinds scored less than two minutes apart to lift S2, who played their inaugural game at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma, Wash., after previously playing at Starfire Sports in Tukwila, Wash., from 2015-2017.
SPR, led by former assistant coach Paulo Nagamura, and S2, led by former assistant coach John Hutchinson, both welcome new head coaches in 2018 and each has a roster featuring a plethora of promising prospects, including eight new Academy signings announced by the Rangers on Friday.
On the opposite side, S2 utilized nine teenagers in their season opener a week ago however will be without four of their top youth internationals on Saturday. Ray Serrano and Azriel Gonzalez are both with the Sounders Academy at the 2018 Generation adidas Cup, while Sam Rogers and Jake Morris are currently in camp with the United States Under-20 Men’s National Team.
The Rangers have won all four meetings against Sounders FC 2, most recently prevailing 2-1 in last year’s regular season finale. The result secured home field advantage in the postseason and proved pivotal as SPR reached the USL Cup Final for a second straight year.
Game 2 of 34
Date: Saturday, March 24, 2018
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. CT
Location: Shawnee Mission South District Stadium (Overland Park, Kan.)
Swope Park Rangers: 1-0-0 (3 points, 1st place in Western Conference)
MLS Affiliate: Sporting Kansas City
Seattle Sounders FC 2: 1-0-0 (3 points, 1st place in Western Conference)
MLS Affiliate: Seattle Sounders FC
Game Notes: Click here
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Live Stream: SportingKC.com and USLsoccer.com
Talent: Dave Borchardt (play-by-play) and Doug McLagan (analyst)
SOCIAL TAGS
Game-specific hashtag: #SPRvSEA
Swope Park Rangers
Twitter: @SwopeRangers
Instagram: @SwopeParkRangers
Seattle Sounders FC 2
Twitter: @SoundersFC2
Instagram: @SoundersFC2
