The USL’s emphasis on regional rivalries has created many noteworthy and contentious derbies. From the Black Gold Derby to the King’s Cup, the USL is full of rivalries that fuel both the passion in the stands and the product on the field.

One of the newer rivalries in its budding stages that will be hotly contested this weekend is between Saint Louis FC and the Swope Park Rangers. 

The matchup is one that not only pits the USL’s two Missouri clubs against each other for only the second time, but is one that might have an impact on the push toward the playoffs in the tightly-packed Western Conference. STLFC earned a 3-0 victory the first time around on May 7.

With everything involved, both sides are looking forward to the second game of the Show Me State Showdown Saturday night at Children’s Mercy Victory Field at Swope Soccer Village.

“With the first meeting that we had between the two teams, you could kind of feel a little bit of that rivalry,” said Saint Louis FC midfielder Brandon Barklage. “I think we got a couple of lucky breaks in that game, and maybe they came out on the unlucky end. At the same time, they showed what they can do, and we know they are a very dangerous team. Obviously they’re only 3 1/2 hours away, so yes it will turn into a rivalry.”

That first match took place at World Wide Technology Park, where Saint Louis has yet to lose this season. It laid the groundwork for the rivalry moving forward.

Since that meeting, both teams have had trouble finding consistency week-in and week-out. Saint Louis has had the better run of the two clubs points-wise, but only slightly, having taken 11 points from the past eight games to Swope Park’s 10. The one-point differential, combined with the points both clubs took from the first six games of their respective seasons has Saint Louis on 22 points with a 6-5-4 record in the Western Conference. Swope Park is four spots behind on 17 points and a 5-7-2 record. 

Neither team is satisfied with its point haul, but Saint Louis, given its place within the standings and ability to rack up goals on occasion, is more at peace with how the first half of the season has gone.

“I’d say we’re in a very good state of mind, especially coming off of a very solid team performance against Portland last weekend,” said Barklage. “We felt Portland was a very good, quick, young, talented team, so that was a good victory for us. At the same time, we know that we’ve maybe dropped a few points that we shouldn’t have, mainly on the road. At the end of the day, we’re undefeated at home in USL regular season play, and that was kind of one of our goals, and we’re going to stick with that. If you get three points at home, I think that will put you in the playoffs alone.”

Swope Park, given the expectations thrust upon the club at the beginning of the season due to not only its status as Sporting Kansas City’s USL club, but the talent the club amassed, is less enthusiastic with where it sits currently, though the Rangers feel that the results that they’ve picked up recently have them tracking in the right direction.

“We’re not very happy when it comes to the table and standings, to be honest with you,” said Swope Park Head Coach Marc Dos Santos. “We wanted, after 15 games, to maybe be in the top eight, so we’re not there yet. I think if you look at the standings, and if you look how close everything is for the top eight places, I think that we’re there despite so many injuries and unlucky stuff. I think we were able to hold our ground, and we were able to be competitive all the time in our first year. I think we are just going to grow from it, and it was important to give a good answer after our loss at home here to OKC, which I thought was probably our worst performance of the season. At the end of the day, I think we are finding a certain level of consistency and going from there.”

Both Saint Louis and Swope Park enter the second game of the four game Showdown series coming off of wins against clubs from Cascadia: Saint Louis a 1-0 victory against Portland and Swope Park a 2-0 win against Seattle. The three points that both teams amassed last week have given both a boost within their respective locker rooms. But with how both clubs’ seasons have gone thus far, and the way the first game between the two played out, players and coaches on both sides are not taking this weekend’s game lightly. 

“I think everybody is surprised that they’re not a little bit higher up the table,” Barklage said of Swope. “We saw the quality that they had. They had some special players. I had the chance to play with Kris Tyrpak at San Jose for a little bit. I think he is a very special player. They have a good organization going at Sporting KC, and I’m sure that they’re getting little tips from the first-team’s front office and coaching staff. I know they like to play an attractive style of soccer, and I know they’ve had a lot of good opportunities against us to change that first meeting up, so it’s going to be an interesting little matchup, but I think we’re ready for it.”

For Swope Park, Dos Santos not only understands what the game means in terms of the budding rivalry, but he also recognizes the significance of the game for the club as it makes a push for the playoffs.

“It is an important game for us,” said Dos Santos. “It is important because it is a game against Saint Louis. It is a rival, and we want to do well. Our last game that we had at home was against OKC. It wasn’t good at all. We were very slow in everything that we did, very casual, so now we have to answer well. Answering with the type of performance that we had against Portland, and it’s now answering by doing our best and trying to get out of the gates with a lot of intensity to win against Saint Louis.

“I think at the end of the day that what we have to do is that we have to make sure that we are very tight defensively, that we are aware of players that have experience like [Mike] Ambersley or [Irvin] Herrera, and other players that can bring something to their offense. I also think that we have to focus on us. We have to continue what we do well offensively, because we are a team that scores a lot of goals, but we concede a lot also, so we have to tighten up things defensively. Once we do that then we are able to organize better, and we’re able to get a chance to win the game.”

Both clubs have had some moments of brilliance, from Saint Louis’ Herrera posting an impressive four goals against Tulsa Roughnecks FC to Swope’s Tyrpak showcasing his knack for striking from distance. Whichever team can replicate those moments on Saturday remains to be seen, but both sides share the sentiment that a positive result will do wonders for their club moving forward.

“We expect to go and get three points on the road,” said Barklage. “I think that’s the number one goal. We’re working hard at practice this week, and we’ll take a look at a little bit of film Thursday and Friday. We have to go in without being naïve, and realize that they’re a dangerous team and that they have a lot of threatening pieces, but if we got out there and play together and play the way that we know we can play. I think that we’re going to be a very tough team to beat going forward.”

“Now we are at a stage where we need to kind of try and connect a little bit and get momentum,” said Dos Santos. “I think it is going to be a good game. I think our players are hungry, our players want to do well. The players look confident, and I am sure the players are going to want to answer very well to the last loss against Saint Louis.”