Arizona United Not Overlooking Tulsa in Latest Road Trip
June 30, 2016 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Phoenix Rising FC News Release
On paper, Arizona United SC is having a better run of play than its upcoming opponent, Tulsa Roughnecks FC. But ahead of Friday night's match (July 1, 5:30 P.M.) head coach Frank Yallop does not see it as an easy win.
"The table doesn't lie points wise, but it only matters at the end of the season who is the best team," Yallop said. "It's a tough place to go, into Tulsa, and play, and they're desperate. I don't expect anything other than a really, really hard game."
Yallop pointed to last weekend's result, a 1-1 draw against Sacramento Republic FC, as an example of why previous records don't matter. As he put it, Arizona United wasn't supposed to beat Sacramento, one of the best teams in the league, but they came minutes away from doing so.
It's not just the head coach who is preaching not to overlook the next opponent. The players are also well aware of how important it will be to approach the match with the same intensity as they would approach a match with a team at the top the table.
"How many teams 'should win'?" said Arizona United forward Chris Cortez. "It doesn't mean much of anything, to be honest. It's won after 90 minutes. It's not won before the game. ... Anything goes in soccer. Anything can happen on any given day. So, it's a matter of don't ever take a game too lightly. ... Three points would be huge for us and that's what we'll look to do."
Friday's match will be featured on ESPN3 (link above). Kickoff will be at 5:30 P.M. Arizona time.
Scouting Report: Roughnecks FC sits at the bottom of the Western Conference standings with a 2-10-2 record, second only to FC Montreal (2-12-1) for the dubious distinction of worst record in the league. The club has also lost five of its last six matches.
But they have a dangerous player in Sammy Ochoa, who has scored seven goals this season, fifth-best in the nation. He also leads the team in assists with three (the high mark for assists nationwide is four).
Previous meeting: This is the first time the two clubs will meet in 2016. In their last meeting, Arizona United fell in a 6-3 loss at Tulsa.
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