The Swope Park Rangers (18-8-9) claimed the club’s second consecutive Western Conference championship and advanced to the 2017 USL Cup Final after a dramatic penalty kick shootout with OKC Energy FC on Saturday night at Children’s Mercy Park.
In an 11th round of penalties, SPR goalkeeper Adrian Zendejas made his fourth save of the shootout to deny his goalkeeping counterpart then stepped to the spot himself to convert the championship-winning attempt as the Rangers prevailed 7-6 in penalties after a scoreless draw through 120 minutes in the Western Conference Final.
The Rangers are now the first team in USL history to reach the league championship in back-to-back seasons and become the first expansion team in the modern era of American men’s outdoor professional soccer to reach a league final in each of the club’s first two seasons.