• Swope Park Rangers (4 wins, 4 draws/ties, 2 defeats) currently sit in 6^th position in the USL Western Conference, 4 places below and 5 points behind Rising.
• Seven of Swope’s 10 games to date have been played on the road – the most of any USL side.  The Kansas City-based club will be expected to finish the season strongly, with 8 of their final 11 games to be played at Children’s Mercy Park.
• The two sides last met 5 weeks ago, claiming a point apiece in a 2-2 draw in the Valley.  Leading scorer Kharlton Belmar thought he had won the game for Swope when he dribbled past several defenders and slotted the ball home past Woszczynski in the 88^th minute for his second goal of the evening.  However, Solo Asante rescued a point for Rising with a powerful injury time equalizer.
• Belmar has been responsible for 8 of Swope’s 16 goals this season, and also leads the USL goal scoring chart for both conferences.  All 8 goals have been scored from inside the penalty box – 3 with his left foot, 4 with his right foot, and 1 with his head.  A former Timbers 2 forward, Belmar had a 15 goal, 6 assist return in 53 games during 2 seasons in Portland, earning him the USL Rookie of the Year in 2016.  This is his second season at Rangers.  Last year, he led Swope with a club record 15 goal return.  Belmar has also made two second half substitute MLS appearances for Swope’s parent club, Sporting Kansas City.  These were in a 2-1 loss away to Houston Dynamo last October, and a 1-0 loss to the New England Revolution on April 28.
• Swope’s other goals this season have been scored by Hadji Barry (3 goals), Rodrigo Saravia (2 goals), Diego Rubio (1 goal), Colton Storm (1 goal), and Tyler Blackwood (1 goal).
• Guinean forward Barry signed for Swope from Orlando City during the close season.  He made 11 senior appearances for Orlando City in 2016 and 2017, but failed to find the net for the Lions.  His form on loan at USL affiliate Orlando City B was far more impressive, averaging a goal every 2 games in 2016 and 2017 (14 goals, 29 appearances).  Barry has started all 10 USL games for Swope this season, and contributed the most assists (4).
• Guatemalan international midfielder Rodrigo Saravia spent the 2017 season on loan from Columbus Crew at Swedish Superettan outfit IK Frej (1 goal, 11 appearances).  He played 12 times for the Crew in 2016, and has contributed 2 goals and 2 assists for Swope this season.  One of those assists came in the previous encounter against Rising.
• Englishman Blackwood is well-known to many Rising fans, scoring 8 goals in 26 appearances for Arizona United in 2016.  This is his first season at Swope, following a close season move from Sacramento Republic where he scored 6 goals in 34 appearances.
• Swope have failed to find the net only once this season.  That was last Saturday’s goalless draw away to Rio Grande Valley.  Five of their 16 goals to date have been scored in the last 15 minutes.

• Rotation has been commonplace in the Swope goal.  Californian Adrian Zendejas, on loan from Sporting Kansas, has started 4 games, conceding 9 goals.  Canadian Darrin MacLeod has started 3 games, conceding 3 goals.  They both have 1 clean sheet to their names this season.
• The other keeper to feature is 18 year old rookie Eric Dick.  Last weekend he also claimed a clean sheet, thanks in part to a 55^th minute penalty save against RGV’s Todd Wharton.  Dick has conceded 3 goals in 3 games for Swope this season.
• Ten of the 15 goals conceded by Swope have been scored in the second half, including 5 in the first 15 minutes after half-time.
• Three Swope defenders have the dubious honor of scoring for their opponents.  Matt Lewis put into his own net on the opening day of the season away to Reno.  Colton Storm’s own goal away to LV Lights gave the Nevada side all 3 points on March 31; and the former Sounders veteran Brad Evans conceded in a 4-1 defeat away to Monarchs earlier this month.  All 3 are on loan from Sporting Kansas.

• Two other defenders of note are Amer Didic and Graham Smith.
• Bosnia-born Didic currently leads Swope in clearances and blocks.  This is his third season at the club.  He has also appeared for Sporting Kansas in a 2016-17 CONCACAF Champions League game against Central FC (Trinidad and Tobago).
• Graham Smith has successfully completed 752 passes in 9 games this season – the best record in the USL – and also a club-best 19 interceptions.  He is another player on loan from MLS affiliate Sporting Kansas.
• Didic has been responsible for 3, and Smith 2 of the 25 yellow cards collected by Swope this season.  Midfielder Wan Kuzain has the worst disciplinary record with 4 yellows.  Swope have successfully avoided any red cards.
• Averaging a mere 1,000 or so fans a game, all of Swope’s remaining home games this season will be played at Children’s Mercy Park, rather than Shawnee Mission District Stadium.  Rising fans can therefore expect to see plenty of empty seats in the 18,467 capacity stadium this afternoon.

 

From The Ashes Prediction:  Rising to claim another point on the road in a tight encounter