Swope Park Rangers to open inaugural USL season March 26 at Children’s Mercy Park
The Swope Park Rangers will begin their inaugural United Soccer League season at Children’s Mercy Park, where on March 26 they will play host to the Portland Timbers 2.
The Rangers are an expansion USL club — a minor-league affiliate, of sorts — owned by Sporting Kansas City.
They will play inside Sporting Kansas City’s home venue twice in 2016 — for its season opener on March 26 and for a match against Saint Louis FC on Aug. 21. The remainder of the Rangers’ home matches will be played at Swope Soccer Village.
The Rangers have been placed in the USL Western Conference and will face OKC Energy, Saint Louis FC and the Tulsa Roughnecks four times. OKC Energy is coached by former Sporting KC goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen, who is scheduled to make trips to Kansas City on June 18 and July 12.
The 30-game schedule will conclude with a home match Sept. 24 against the Seattle Sounders 2.
Swope Park will join Sporting KC for the second leg of its preseason training camp, which starts Feb. 8 in Tucson, Ariz.
2016 Swope Park Rangers schedule
DATE | OPPONENT | TIME (CT) |
Saturday, March 26 | PORTLAND TIMBERS 2* | 7:30 PM |
Saturday, April 2 | at Tulsa Roughnecks FC | 7:00 PM |
Saturday, April 9 | at San Antonio | 7:30 PM |
Saturday, April 23 | at OKC Energy FC | 7:00 PM |
Wednesday, April 27 | VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC 2 | 7:00 PM |
Saturday, May 7 | at Saint Louis FC | 7:30 PM |
Saturday, May 14 | TULSA ROUGHNECKS FC | 7:30 PM |
Saturday, May 21 | at Rio Grande Valley FC | 7:30 PM |
Saturday, May 28 | at Sacramento Republic | 9:30 PM |
Saturday, June 4 | at Portland Timbers 2 | TBD |
Wednesday, June 8 | RIO GRANDE VALLEY FC | 7:30 PM |
Sunday, June 12 | at Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 | 4:00 PM |
Saturday, June 18 | OKC ENERGY FC | 7:30 PM |
Sunday, June 26 | at Seattle Sounders FC 2 | 7:00 PM |
Saturday, July 2 | SAINT LOUIS FC | 7:30 PM |
Saturday, July 9 | at Arizona United SC | 9:30 PM |
Tuesday, July 12 | OKC ENERGY FC | 7:30 PM |
Wednesday, July 20 | at Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC | 8:00 PM |
Saturday, July 23 | ORANGE COUNTY BLUES FC | 7:30 PM |
Saturday, July 30 | SAN ANTONIO | 7:30 PM |
Wednesday, August 3 | at Saint Louis FC | 7:00 PM |
Saturday, August 6 | at Tulsa Roughnecks FC | 7:30 PM |
Saturday, August 13 | at Real Monarchs SLC | 8:00 PM |
Sunday, August 21 | SAINT LOUIS FC* | 6:00 PM |
Saturday, August 27 | LA GALAXY II | 7:30 PM |
Wednesday, August 31 | SAN ANTONIO | 7:30 PM |
Saturday, September 3 | RIO GRANDE VALLEY FC | 7:30 PM |
Saturday, September 10 | TULSA ROUGHNECKS FC | 7:30 PM |
Sunday, September 18 | at OKC Energy FC | 6:00 PM |
Saturday, September 24 | SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC 2 | 7:00 PM |
*at Children’s Mercy Park. Other home games are at Swope Soccer Village.
Sam McDowell: 816-234-4869, @SamMcDowell11
This story was originally published January 26, 2016 at 12:39 PM with the headline "Swope Park Rangers to open inaugural USL season March 26 at Children’s Mercy Park."