League

Rangers clinch berth in 2018 USL Cup Playoffs

The Swope Park Rangers are headed back to the USL Cup Playoffs as the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference following a 5-1 win over LA Galaxy II on Sunday at Childrenā€™s Mercy Park.

The back-to-back Western Conference champions will begin the clubā€™s pursuit of a third straight appearance in the USL Cup on the road at No. 2 seed Sacramento Republic FC at 9:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, October 20 at Papa Murphyā€™s Park in the Western Conference Quarterfinals. 


The match will be streamed live on ESPN+ and will be shown inside No Other Pub in the KC Power and Light District for fans ages 21 and over.


The 2018 USL Cup Playoffs will feature the top eight teams from each conference competing in a single-elimination knockout format with all postseason games held at the higher seed. The postseason will culminate with the 2018 USL Cup on Thursday, Nov. 8 live on ESPN2.


     Conference Quarterfinals: Oct. 19-21, 2018
     Conference Semifinals: Oct. 26-28, 2018
     Conference Championships: Nov. 2-4, 2018
     USL Cup: Nov. 8, 2018


The Rangers and Sacramento Republic FC are the only two clubs from the Western Conference to reach the postseason for a third straight season in 2018. Both sides are led by first-year managers and will now meet in a rematch of last yearā€™s Western Conference Semifinal, won 1-0 by SPR on a Kharlton Belmar goal and Adrian Zendejas clean sheet.


For all the latest news and updates from the Rangers playoff run, visit SportingKC.com/Rangers and follow SPR on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.