The USL Championship affiliates of two aspiring Major League Soccer clubs will square off Sunday as the Swope Park Rangers (1-5-2, 5 points) welcome Atlanta United 2 (3-5-2, 11 points) to Children’s Mercy Park. Tickets for the contest are available at SeatGeek.com or at the stadium box office beginning at 2 p.m. CT.
Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. CT with a live stream on ESPN+ and additional in-game updates available on the USL Championship MatchCenter. Fans can also follow @SwopeRangers on Twitter for coverage throughout the match.
The Rangers were victorious in their last home fixture on May 6, winning a 3-2 thriller over two-time defending USL Cup champions Louisville City FC, and will be eager to bounce back from a 5-1 defeat inflicted at the hands of Nashville SC last Saturday at First Tennessee Park. SPR midfielder Felipe Hernandez bagged his team-leading third goal of the season in the loss, marking his return to his hometown with an emphatic long-range strike in what was an otherwise disappointing night for head coach Paulo Nagamura’s side.
Now in their second year of existence, Atlanta United 2 owns a 3-5-2 record under head coach Stephen Glass. The club snapped a three-game losing skid last Sunday thanks to an early goal from Laurence Wyke in a 1-1 stalemate at Bethlehem Steel FC. Forward Romario Williams, a 24-year-old Jamaican on loan from 2018 MLS Cup champion Atlanta United FC, has a team-best three goals for Glass' men. Seven other players on the team have accounted for a single goal, while Laurent Kissiedou and Anderson Asiedu have chipped in two assists apiece.
The Rangers have received strong performances throughout the 2019 campaign from 20-year-old Sporting KC Academy product Hernandez (three goals, two assists), inventive winger Jerome Ngom Mbekeli (two goals, two assist) and dynamic Brazilian left back Alexsander (one goal, one assist). Nagamura has consistently fielded youthful lineups throughout the year, with 24-year-old Ethan Vanacore-Decker the youngest player to feature in last weekend's match at Nashville SC.
Match Information
USL Championship: Game 9 of 34
Date: Sunday, May 19, 2019
Kickoff: 4 p.m. CT
Location: Children's Mercy Park (Kansas City, Kansas)
Live Stream: ESPN+
Swope Park Rangers: 1-5-2 (2 points, 17th place in Eastern Conference)
MLS Affiliate: Sporting Kansas City
Atlanta United 2: 3-5-2 (11 points, 11th place in Eastern Conference)
MLS Affiliate: Atlanta United FC
ESPN+ Live Stream Link: Click here
USL Championship MatchCenter:Click here
Match Notes: Click here
SOCIAL TAGS
Game-specific hashtag: #SPRvATL
Swope Park Rangers
Twitter: @SwopeRangers
Instagram: @SwopeParkRangers
Atlanta United 2
Twitter: @atlutd2
Instagram: @atlutd2
