The Swope Park Rangers (12-5-3, 3rd place) will host Orange County SC (7-6-5, 9th place) for Truman Night at 7:30 p.m. CT on Saturday at Swope Soccer Village. The first 1,000 fans inside Children’s Mercy Victory Field will receive a Bess and Harry Truman Train Car bobblehead, courtesy of the Truman Library Institute, and two Truman-themed ticket packages are available for the match:
- Purchase a $20 ticket using the promo code “17Truman” and receive free admission to the Truman Library, with a portion of all sales going to the Truman Statue Fund to raise money for a new Truman statue in the National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C.
- Call 913-951-3562 to purchase a $40 Presidential Package which includes a match ticket with exclusive seating and access to a hospitality tent featuring a buffet dinner.
Prior to the match, the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum (500 W US Hwy 24) in Independence, Mo. will host a Swope Park Rangers Day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT on Saturday. Free festivities on the museum lawn will include a futsal court, bounce house, Italian ice, face painting and yard games for attendees of all ages, as well as special appearances by an SPR player and the team’s mascot Hat Trick Harry. The event will also feature food trucks and sports-themed tours of the Truman Library.
The Rangers occupy third place in the USL’s Western Conference and will play Orange County SC, currently three points off playoff pace, twice in the next four weeks. The home-and-away series comes during an important stretch of games for SPR in which the club’s other six upcoming matches all come against teams sitting in playoff position.
SPR extended the club’s road unbeaten run to seven games last weekend with a scoreless draw at in-state rival Saint Louis FC. While the team was held scoreless for the first time in 11 games, rookie goalkeeper Darrin MacLeod saved a penalty kick in his professional debut as the Rangers kept their sixth clean sheet in the last seven games.
Saturday’s fixture falls amidst a grueling span of seven games in 21 days for Orange County SC, who fell 4-0 at home to Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC on Tuesday. Orange County SC, an affiliate of 2018 MLS expansion club Los Angeles Football Club, is led by head coach Logan Pause and club captain Richard Chaplow, who played three seasons in the English Premier League.
SPR and Orange County will play for the first time on Saturday since the teams memorable meeting in last season’s Western Conference Semifinals, in which the Rangers prevailed 2-1 in extra time despite having two players sent off in regulation. Mark Anthony Gonzalez scored the game’s opening goal on that day and he also scored in the only previous encounter with Orange County during SPR’s debut season, a 3-0 home win last July.
Game 21
Date: Saturday, August 12, 2017
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. CT
Location: Swope Soccer Village (Kansas City, Mo.)
Swope Park Rangers: 12-5-3 (39 pts), 3rd in Western Conference
MLS Affiliate: Sporting Kansas City
Orange County SC: 7-6-5 (26 pts), 9th in Western Conference
MLS Affiliate: Los Angeles Football Club
Game Notes: Click here
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Live Stream: The game will be broadcast on SportingKC.com and YouTube.com/USL
Talent: Dave Borchardt (play-by-play)
SOCIAL TAGS
Game-specific hashtag: #SPRvOC
Swope Park Rangers
Twitter: @SwopeRangers
Instagram: @SwopeParkRangers
Orange County SC
Twitter: @OrangeCountySC
Instagram: @OrangeCountySC
