The Swope Park Rangers (10-9-7, 8th place) will kick off a pivotal five-game homestand at 7:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday when the team welcomes regional rivals Tulsa Roughnecks FC (2-12-10, 17th place) to Children’s Mercy Park. Tickets for the match are available to purchase online at SeatGeek.com or at the stadium box office on gameday.
With only eight games remaining in the regular season, the Rangers currently hold the eighth and final playoff position in the USL’s Western Conference entering a stretch of five straight home games in which they’ll face seventh-place Saint Louis, ninth-place OKC, 10th-place San Antonio and 11th-place Fresno.
First up though is a Tulsa side anchoring the West in last place. After going winless in the club’s first 16 matches across all competitions, the Roughnecks replaced head coach David Vaudreuil with Tulsa native Michael Nsien, who has rallied his squad to two victories and three draws in the past nine matches.
Tulsa, currently in the midst of a five-game road trip, are coming off back-to-back 3-2 losses at Real Monarchs and Saint Louis FC, and will be in search of two milestones on Wednesday as the club looks for a first-ever win against SPR and a first away win of 2018.
The Roughnecks, who will be without veteran midfielder Ivan Mirkovic due to caution accumulation, feature a roster highlighted by 17-year-old FC Dallas Homegrown Player Jesus Ferreira, the son of MLS MVP David Ferreira, and goalkeeper Fabian Cerda, who leads the USL with 90 saves this season.
Ferreira has three goals in Tulsa’s last two games while the club’s leading scorer, Joaquin Rivas, has been absent due to injury. Rivas is enjoying a career-year himself for the Roughnecks with nine goals and recently received his first call up to the El Salvador Men’s National Team.
The Rangers snapped an eight-game winless skid on Saturday with an important 2-1 road win at San Antonio FC behind goals from Amer Didic, who garnered USL Team of the Week honors on Tuesday, and Hadji Barry, who now leads the team with 10 goals in 2018 and is tied for third on the club’s all-time goal scoring chart.
Aiming to defend back-to-back Western Conference championships, SPR will strive to find the team’s stride with a return to winning ways at Children’s Mercy Park. After winning five of the team’s first six home matches in 2018, the Rangers are winless in their past five home dates.
Wednesday’s mid-week match-up will be streamed live on ESPN+ and in-game updates will also be available via the USLsoccer.com Match Center.
Game 27 of 34
Date: Wednesday, August 29, 2018
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. CT
Location: Children’s Mercy Park (Kansas City, Kansas)
Swope Park Rangers: 10-9-7 (37 points, 8th place in Western Conference)
MLS Affiliate: Sporting Kansas City
Tulsa Roughnecks FC: 2-12-10 (16 points, 17th place in Western Conference)
MLS Affiliate: Chicago Fire
Game Notes: Click here
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Live Stream: ESPN+
Talent: Carter Augustine (play-by-play) and Sam Kovzan (analyst)
SOCIAL TAGS
Game-specific hashtag: #SPRvTUL
Swope Park Rangers
Twitter: @SwopeRangers
Instagram: @SwopeParkRangers
Tulsa Roughnecks FC
Twitter: @RoughnecksFC
Instagram: @RoughnecksFC
