FC Tulsa Head Back on the Road to Take on Phoenix Rising FC on ESPN2

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FC Tulsa

FC Tulsa Head Back on the Road to Take on Phoenix Rising FC on ESPN2

September 5, 2024 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
FC Tulsa News Release


Standings: FC Tulsa enters the match with a record of 7W-8L-9D, ranking 7th in the Western Conference. Phoenix Rising FC enters the match with a record of 7W-8L-9D, ranking 8th in the Western Conference. The teams are tied with 30 points each.

FC Tulsa's Last Match: FC Tulsa's six-match, 100-day home undefeated streak came to an end on Sunday as the club dropped 4-1 at ONEOK Field. With the result, FC Tulsa moved to 7-8-9 (30 points) while Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC jumped to 11-10-5 (38 points) and slot eighth and fifth in the Western Conference, respectively. Colorado Springs took the lead two minutes into play propelled with Jairo Henríquez cashing in on a rebound. The opportunity was created after Zach Zandi's cross attempt from the left goal line was swatted, providing a tap-in chance for Henríquez at the center of the box. The Switchbacks garnered two more first-half goals with Ronaldo Damus scoring in the 36th minute and Duke Lacroix in the 45th. Following a pass upfield from Zandi, Damus drew Johan Penaranda out of the box, dribbled around the goalkeeper and converted in the back-left corner. Lacroixs' opportunity also was built in the right flank, with a pass from Speedy Williams creating a transition tap into the over the goalkeeper. Andrew Booth scored his first goal with FC Tulsa in stoppage time, generating a goal in 90+3 with a low-rising ball shot well behind the 18-yard box.

Last Match-Up Against Phoenix Rising FC: FC Tulsa welcomed Phoenix Rising FC to ONEOK Field on April 5th, 2024 in their home opener. Although FC Tulsa walked off ONEOK Field with a 3-3 draw against Phoenix Rising FC, they did not disappoint the crowd. Just 52 seconds into the game Forward Stefan Stojanovic made ONEOK Field roar with noise with a beautiful goal right past their goalkeeper. For the next 38 minutes, the two sides had multiple shots on target that couldn't quite make it past either goalkeeper. In the 38th minute, Phoenix Rising FC overtook FC Tulsa toward the end of the first half, with forward Remi Cabral scoring once off a penalty kick, then again before halftime, leaving the score 1-2 at the half. Midfielder Edwin Laszo established himself well for his debut start at FC Tulsa by evening up the score with a header from Midfielder Justin Portillo's corner kick in the 49th minute. It was almost déjà vu as Defender Alexis Souahy had a header from Portillo's corner to give FC Tulsa the lead only 7 minutes later. Phoenix Rising's Midfielder Emil Cuello was shown a red card just a few minutes after that lead goal leaving them down a player for the final 30 minutes. Two yellow cards were shown simultaneously for FC Tulsa's Defender Bradley Bourgeois and Midfielder Milo Yosef in the 70th minute which led to a penalty kick for Phoenix Rising. The penalty kick awarded to Phoenix was taken by Forward Dariusz Formella which resulted in their equalizer. Even with the draw result, the 5,135 fans that came to ONEOK Field for the Home Opener brought the energy from kickoff to the final whistle.

Players to Watch: FC Tulsa's players to watch this match are FC Tulsa's newest additions Forward Aaron Bibout and Forward Matthew Bell. Both players are on loan from MLS Next Pro teams Ventura County FC and Real Monarchs, respectively. Aaron Bibout scored his first goal with FC Tulsa in the August 24th win over Detroit City FC. Forward Matthew Bell, joined FC Tulsa on load from Real Monarchs on September 5th and looks to make an impact with the club.

Phoenix Rising FC's players to watch this match are goalkeeper Rocco Rios Novo and Forward Rémi Cabral. Novos has made 24 appearances and has 10 clean sheets. He has conceded 25 goals off 105 shots, giving him a save percentage of 76.2%. Cabral leads Phoenix Rising FC in goals with six this season. He scored a brace against FC Tulsa in the 2024 home opener. He also has one assist and 28 shots in 15 appearances this season.

Up Next: FC Tulsa returns to ONEOK Field on Wednesday, September 11th at 7:30 p.m to take on Las Vegas Lights FC for Pups at the Pitch night. Fans are encouraged to bring their dogs to the match to sit in the lawn section, fans with their dogs will receive a dog bandana. FC Tulsa will stay at home to take on Louisville City FC on Saturday, September 14th at 7:30pm for Vamos Tulsa night. For tickets to both matches visit, fctulsa.com/tickets.

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