KANSAS CITY, Mo. – At the start of the club’s existence, the first game of the first preseason in Swope Park Rangers history quickly created a sense of belief that the club could immediately be competitive.

“I mean, in preseason, yeah,” said forward Kris Tyrpak, who was among the goal-scorers in a 3-1 victory against the Colorado Rapids in at the Desert Diamond Cup.

Eight months later, the Rangers sit one win away from a championship as they face the New York Red Bulls II on Sunday night in the 2016 USL Cup Final, Presented by Nike.

Tyrpak arrived in Kansas City for the Rangers’ inaugural season after a year that had seen Tyrpak perform well in the USL, finishing tied for team-lead in goals for the Austin Aztex. The chance to join the expansion side brought a new set of surroundings, and the knowledge that with performance could come the chance to make the move to Sporting Kansas City.

• RELATED: Pasher’s Versatility Proving Invaluable for Rangers

Back-to-back wins to open provided an ideal start, but then things started to go south for the expansion side. Injuries in particularly left the Rangers finding it difficult to establish a rhythm, as players rotated in and out of the lineup.

“The injury bug hit us pretty early this year,” Tyrpak said. “We struggled a bit at the beginning of the year, and we found our momentum at the right time.”

While there were struggles on the field, off the field the team was becoming close-knit due to the adversity. Despite a low position in the Western standings, at one point the side sat 13th of the 15 teams in the conference, there were signs that a turnaround could be on the horizon.  

“We had a bad spell, I think a five-game spell without winning a game, but the group always stayed together,” said Coach Marc Dos Santos. “I think the mentality of the group, the cohesion of the group, the mentality of the club – that has been a winning club in the last five years in MLS – we wanted to continue that work in the USL team. I think that was a turning point, in a moment when things were not going very well, we kept working and believing in what we were doing.”

Tyrpak was one of the side who remained relatively healthy. Appearing in 28 regular season contests, he notched seven goals and one assist, as his ability to stretch opposing defenses and make sharp moves at close quarters was regularly on display. Those performances earned a call-up to Sporting Kansas City’s MLS squad for the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League, an experience Tyrpak was pleased to earn.

“I thought I’d been playing well, and to get the reward of going up and playing with the first team is always great,” Tyrpak said. “Hopefully I can get a couple more minutes with them in the future, but if nothing happens, it’s been a great year so far.”

Tyrpak helped the side earn a trip to the postseason as the Rangers concluded the regular season with six wins out of seven. He has since scored three times this postseason to put him tied for the league lead alongside teammate Mark Anthony Gonzalez and one of the main foes for the side in Sunday’s USL Cup Final, Presented by Nike, Brandon Allen of the New York Red Bulls II. 

But while getting to the playoffs for the first time since he was named PDL Most Valuable Player in 2013 with the Austin Aztex has been big, adding a USL Cup to the PDL title that side earned would be even better.

“It would be huge,” said Tyrpak. “It’s the first time I’ve been in the playoffs besides the PDL, so professionally it’s awesome. This is the biggest stage I’ve played on so far, so hopefully we’ve got one more win in us.”

With the closeness the team has formed thanks to its early-season travails, the belief is there the side can finish the playoffs in the same manner it opened its inaugural preseason.

“I think we have a really strong bond,” Tyrpak said. “We’ve been through a lot this year, between injuries, like I said before, and red cards last game, it’s been a grind for us. We’ve stepped up to the challenge every single game. We’ve got a bunch of young guys who’ve kept their heads, and it’s worked well for us.”