TAMPA, Fla. – Louisville City FC and the Swope Park Rangers will square off for the 2017 USL Cup on Nov. 13. The dramatic conclusion to the record-breaking 2017 USL Season will kick off at 9 p.m. ET live nationwide on ESPNU and SiriusXM. A tense night of action in the Eastern and Western Conference Finals of the 2017 USL Cup Playoffs saw both sides prevail following penalty shootouts to earn a chance to claim the league championship.
Louisville claimed the Eastern Conference Final, and gained a modicum of revenge, as the No. 1-seed defeated the No. 7-seed and defending USL Cup champion New York Red Bulls II 4-3 in a shootout after the teams had played to a 1-1 draw through regulation and extra time in front of 10,047 fans at Slugger Field. Louisville goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh recorded saves in the fourth and fifth round of the shootout as City rallied back from an early deficit to eliminate the Red Bulls II in the same manner as when the teams had squared off at the same stage a season ago.
In the Western Conference Final, the No. 4-seed Rangers became the first team in USL Cup Playoffs history to reach the USL Cup in back-to-back seasons as it defeated No. 6-seed OKC Energy FC 7-6 after the longest penalty shootout in USL Cup Playoffs history as 11 rounds were needed to determine a winner after a 0-0 draw at Children’s Mercy Park. SPR goalkeeper Adrian Zendejas was the hero for the hosts, as he first saved from OKC counterpart C.J. Cochran to open the 11th round, and then converted from the spot himself to earn the Rangers a second consecutive Western Conference Championship.
FOLLOW THE USL
Every game of the 2017 USL Cup Playoffs through the Eastern and Western Conference Finals will be available on the league’s Match Center, with updates from across the league also available via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
The 2017 USL Cup will air live on ESPNU and SiriusXM FC on Monday, Nov. 13 at 9 p.m. ET
2017 USL Cup
Monday, Nov. 13
Louisville City FC vs. Swope Park Rangers, 9 p.m. ET, ESPNU / SiriusXM FC