After producing the biggest upset of the 2018 USL Cup Playoffs with a 2-1 win at Sacramento Republic FC, the Swope Park Rangers (16-11-8) have advanced to take on No. 3 seed Phoenix Rising FC (20-9-6) at 9:30 p.m. CT on Friday in the USL Western Conference Semifinals.
SPR, the seventh seed in the West, secured the club’s first away playoff win in comeback fashion last Saturday as Wan Kuzain Wan Kamal and Hadji Barry scored four minutes apart to dispatch second-seeded Sacramento for a second straight postseason.
The Rangers’ rally to keep the team’s defense of back-to-back Conference Championships alive, coupled with Phoenix’s comfortable 3-0 victory over Portland Timbers 2, now sets up another playoff rematch as SPR returns to the road in pursuit of a third straight appearance in USL Cup.