In the immediate moments following the Swope Park Rangers’ USL Cup Final defeat at the hands of New York Red Bulls II on Oct. 23, the disappointment and devastation around the team was tangible at Red Bull Arena. As players, coaches and staff took stock in the following days, a remarkable inaugural season that saw the Rangers claim the Western Conference Championship trophy came into perspective.
“It was a dream start for an expansion team,” Assistant Technical Director Mike Jacobs said. “To have them perform as well as they did on the field, along with the growth and development this team made, it’s a tremendous testament to the players and the coaching staff and the support staff.