30 Mar 2025 Local team creates ‘cupset’ in first round of national competition

Posted at 3:22 PMh in Sports by

By Lori Dunn

Very good things are happening this year for the Little Rock Rangers Soccer Club.

Kevin Ventura (who is airborne) nearly puts the Little Rock Rangers ahead early in the first half against Birmingham Legion. The team made history by upsetting them 1-0 and winning the first round match of the U.S. Open Cup. They will compete again on April 2 in Naples, Fla. Photo by Rod Bostic

The semi-professional league won their first game in this year’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, a tournament open to all affiliated amateur and professional teams. The Rangers are also adding a women’s team to the club. 

The Rangers upset the Birmingham, Alabama team at Episcopal Collegiate School’s Wildcat Stadium in Little Rock on March 19. They will advance to the next round and play on April 2 in Naples, Fla.

“Yes, we won!” said Jonathan Wardlaw, president and general manager of the Little Rock Rangers. “It was a really big honor to be in it and to host it. We put in a lot of hard work and we have put together a really good roster.”

The Rangers are one of nine teams in United Soccer League Two and one of two who are competing in the U.S. Open Cup. Wardlaw acknowledges the competition is tough, but he knows his players and coaches will bring their best to the game.

Wardlaw founded the Rangers in 2015 and the team played its first season in 2016. The team plays its home games at War Memorial Stadium. In 2018, before it was moved to League Two, the team had a 7-3 season and qualified for the 2019 Open Cup. The Rangers moved up to League Two in 2021. The team is mostly college-aged players or young adults who have recently completed college.

The team added a women’s team in 2017 but had trouble finding other teams to play. After a hiatus, the club is bringing back the women’s team and things are very different now for women’s sports. “The pipeline of youth sports and the talent here has grown tremendously,” Wardlaw said. The Rangers will have its second round of tryouts for the women’s team in May. The women will also play at War Memorial Stadium.

The Rangers Club is a 501(c)3 nonprofit and also hosts the Rangers Academy to provide opportunities for kids ages 1 through 18 to develop their soccer skills. Wardlaw grew up playing soccer and rediscovered his passion when his oldest son began playing. He is proud of how far the Rangers have come since 2016. “It’s just kind of snowballed. We have over 600 kids now! We have every age playing and it’s been cool to see it grow,” he said.