Two clubs in the bottom half of the USL Championship Eastern Conference standings will lock horns Sunday as the Swope Park Rangers (3-14-6, 15 points) visit Bethlehem Steel FC (6-13-5, 23 points) at Talen Energy Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 5 p.m. CT with a live stream on ESPN Plus. Fans can also follow @SwopeRangers on Twitter or the USL Championship MatchCenter for in-game updates.
Led by second-year head coach Paulo Nagamura, the Rangers took a 5-1 home loss to conference leaders New York Red Bulls II last Saturday. Wilson Harris equalized for SPR within the first 20 minutes, but a second yellow card to left back Alexsander gave the visitors a man advantage for the rest of the match.
Under the guidance of fourth-year head coach Brendan Burke, Bethlehem suffered a 3-2 home defeat to Birmingham Legion FC last Sunday. Legion FC surged ahead 3-0 before the hosts responded midway through the second half, receiving goals form Michee Ngalina and Olivier Mbaizo.
Steel FC won a 4-3 thriller in the first meeting between the clubs on April 6, bagging a 93rd-minute winner courtesy of Philadelphia Union forward Sergio Santos at Children’s Mercy Park.
The Rangers are currently mired in a five-game losing streak, while Bethlehem are winless in four since knocking off two-time defending USL Cup champion Louisville City SC on July 20. SPR has seen standout performances throughout the season from 21-year-old Sporting KC Academy product Felipe Hernandez, who has a team-best eight goals to go with three assists.
On the Steel FC sideline, 19-year-old Cameroonian Faris Pemi Moumbagna leads the side with six goals, while 23-year-old midfielder Zachary Zandi has a team-best five assists.
Match Information
USL Championship: Game 24 of 34
Date: Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019
Kickoff: 5 p.m. CT
Location: Talen Energy Stadium (Chester, Pennsylvania)
Swope Park Rangers: 3-14-6 (15 points, 18th place in Eastern Conference)
MLS Affiliate: Sporting Kansas City
Bethlehem Steel FC: 6-13-5 (23 points, 13th place in Eastern Conference)
MLS Affiliate: Philadelphia Union
ESPN+ Live Stream Link: Click here
USL Championship MatchCenter:Click here
Match Notes: Click here
SOCIAL TAGS
Game-specific hashtag: #BSTvSPR
Swope Park Rangers
Twitter: @SwopeRangers
Instagram: @SwopeParkRangers
Bethlehem Steel FC
Twitter: @BSteelFC
Instagram: @BSteelFC
