League

Game Preview: Rangers head to Oklahoma to face Tulsa Roughnecks FC

Lebo Moloto vs. Colorado Springs - June 21, 2017

The Swope Park Rangers (6-4-2, 6th place) kick off a two-game road swing on Tuesday when the club heads to Tulsa, Oklahoma for a matchup with regional rivals Tulsa Roughnecks FC (5-7-0, 11th place) at ONEOK Field with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. CT.


The game kicks off Week 15 of the USL season and will be streamed live on SportingKC.com and can also be followed online via the USLsoccer.com MatchCenter.


The Rangers enter the game on the back of a four-game unbeaten streak, going 2-0-2 in the month of June. The side last suffered defeat with a 1-0 home loss to San Antonio FC over a month ago on May 26. Last Wednesday, the Rangers fought back from a goal down to take all three points for the second time this season, with second-half goals from Liam Doyle and Christian Duke enough to earn a 2-1 victory over Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC.


SPR is 0-3-1 on the road this season and snapped a three-game losing streak away from home with a 0-0 draw against San Antonio FC at Toyota Field on June 3. Of the Rangers’ 12 games played to date in 2017, eight have come at home while only four have been on the road.


One of the two SPR ones in the club’s recent 2-0-2 unbeaten streak came against the Roughnecks, earning a 3-1 victory at Swope Soccer Village on June 11. After taking the lead through Sporting KC loanee Cameron Iwasa’s stunning strike, Oumar Ballo put the ball into his own net to leave the score locked at 1-1 heading into stoppage time. Last season’s top scorer, Mark Anthony Gonzalez, came off the bench and scored a late penalty after Kharlton Belmar was felled in the area before adding a second two minutes later to make the final score 3-1.


The Roughnecks, under the guidance of new head coach David Vaudreuil, are languishing out of the playoff picture in 11th place heading into Week 15 of the USL season. Tulsa have played just one game since that setback to the Rangers on June 11, falling to a 3-1 road defeat against San Antonio FC. Joaquin Rivas scored the goal for the Roughnecks that snapped San Antonio’s seven-game shutout streak, but it wasn’t enough to snatch any points from the game.


The Rangers are 5-0-0 all-time against Tulsa Roughnecks FC, including a 4-0-0 mark in the 2016 season where SPR won both games at home and both games at ONEOK Field. The Rangers beat Tulsa 2-1 at ONEOK Field last April – with Nansel Selbol on the scoresheet – before earning a 3-1 victory in their penultimate game of the 2016 regular season in Tulsa.


Game 13
Date:
 Tuesday, June 26, 2017
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. CT
Location: ONEOK Field (Tulsa, Okla.)


Swope Park Rangers: 6-4-2 (20 pts), 6th in Western Conference.
MLS Affiliate: Sporting Kansas City


Tulsa Roughnecks FC: 5-7-0 (15 pts), 11th in Western Conference.
MLS Affiliate: Chicago Fire


BROADCAST INFORMATION
Live Stream:
 The game will be broadcast on SportingKC.com and YouTube.com/USL


SOCIAL TAGS
Game-specific hashtag: 
#TULvSPR


Swope Park Rangers
Twitter: @SwopeRangers
Instagram: @SwopeParkRangers


Tulsa Roughnecks FC
Twitter: @RoughnecksFC
Instagram: @RoughnecksFC


GAME NOTES