Swope Park Rangers set for inaugural match Saturday

The snow fell onto the Swope Park Rangers practice field Thursday morning, nearly seven weeks after the club banded together for the first time. The undertaking of a United Soccer League expansion team has predictably included a few obstacles — and the snowfall on a March morning paled in comparison.

Take this, for example: In the opening days of preseason camp, the players needed to use word tricks to memorize one another’s names. The process of building a cohesive product on the field has required more time.

But it’s a journey the Rangers are ready to put to the test.

“We’ve all just been itching to get into a meaningful game,” captain Christian Duke said. “It’s been a long preseason with a lot of work to do, but we’ve done a fantastic job of getting everyone together collectively. We’re ready to play some games.”

The first in franchise history comes Saturday.

Swope Park, the USL affiliate for Sporting Kansas City, will play its inaugural match Saturday at Children’s Mercy Park, when it faces Portland Timbers 2 at 7:30 p.m.

That will put an end to a long, seven-week preseason.

But for some, the wait has been much longer.

“I can’t tell you how excited I am, because I have been waiting (seven) years for this, and it’s here finally,” Sporting KC coach Peter Vermes said.

Indeed, the addition of the USL team has its obvious benefits for Sporting KC. Swope Park, coached by Marc Dos Santos, will serve as a sort of minor-league affiliate, helping to create a bridge from the Sporting KC academy to the senior team.

The Rangers can also provide an opportunity for playing time for some of the Sporting KC reserves. And the club is already taking full advantage, loaning goalkeeper Jon Kempin, midfielder Jimmy Medranda and forward Daniel Salloi to the Rangers ahead of Saturday’s match. All three are expected to play. Kempin will likely spend the full season with the Rangers.

Vermes and Dos Santos stressed, however, that the playing time for Kempin, Medranda and Salloi — or anyone else, for that matter — won’t be promised.

“They have to make sure when they come down, there’s nothing guaranteed,” said Dos Santos, who coached the Ottawa Fury in the North American Soccer League last year, leading the team to the championship match. “You can’t come down from the first team expecting you’re going to start on the reserve team. It’s going to depend on what they do and how they approach everything. They know that.”

The objective is to create a competitive — and, in turn, a winning — environment. And the Rangers are optimistic they’re on the way.

Duke spent two seasons on the Sporting KC roster. Forward Dane Kelly is the USL’s all-time leading scorer. Central defender Tommy Meyer spent the past four seasons with the LA Galaxy — he started and played the full 90 minutes in the Galaxy’s MLS Cup win in 2012.

“I really, really think we’re going to be a team that’s going to be in every single game,” Dos Santos said. “We’re always going to have a chance to win.”

This story was originally published March 25, 2016 at 4:52 PM with the headline "Swope Park Rangers set for inaugural match Saturday."