FC Tulsa Hope for On-Field Fireworks in Second Half of 2026
USL FC Tulsa

FC Tulsa Hope for On-Field Fireworks in Second Half of 2026

Published on July 10, 2026 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
FC Tulsa News Release


TULSA, Okla. - FC Tulsa finish out its group stage campaign in the 2026 Prinx Tires USL Cup campaign as they travel to face Birmingham Legion FC on Saturday, July 11 at Protective Stadium at 7:00 p.m. CT. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.

FC TULSA VS BIRMINGHAM LEGION FC

PRINX TIRES USL CUP GROUP STAGE

SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2026 @ 7:00 P.M. CT - PROTECTIVE STADIUM - BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA

Watch: ESPN+

In-game updates: @FCTulsa X/Twitter feed

LAST TIME OUT

USL Championship Regular Season

FC Tulsa 1:2 Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC

Saturday, June 20, 2026 - ONEOK Field - Tulsa, Oklahoma

In a matchup of the past two Western Conference champions, FC Tulsa suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC at ONEOK Field. The visitors were on the front foot for the first 20 minutes forcing the Tulsa back line to fend off some attacking threats. After things leveled out a bit, the match looked as if it would be scoreless heading to the locker room before forward Remi Cabral poked home a loose ball in the box off a throw-in in the first minute of stoppage time to give the hosts the advantage.

Colorado Springs came out of the break fired up, however, as they slotted home a pair of goals in a five-minute span in the first 15 minutes of the second half to take the lead. A couple of chances from midfielder Jamie Webber and forward Logan Dorsey excited the home crowd, but ultimately, the Scissortails were unable to find a late equalizer.

Cabral's goal was his fifth of the regular season and ninth across all competitions in 2026, both team highs. This match also marked the return from injury for defenders Abdoulaye CIssoko and Delentz Pierre along with forward Kalil ElMedkhar who all got their first starts in nearly two months.

KEY STORYLINES

Last week's home clash against Sacramento Republic FC was rained out meaning that it's been three weeks since the Scissortails have been in action. It's the longest in-season break in club history with the second half of the season getting underway. Head coach Luke Spencer's squad will look to shake off the rust and rediscover their May form to climb the league standings these last few months.

June was an up-and-down month for the Scissortails that ended with a league-wide mental health break allowing the club to recover and get back some much-needed energy for the summer months ahead. Captain Abdoulaye Cissoko addressed that it was good chance for the guys to be refreshed mentally and physically while getting back on track with their lofty preseason expectations.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Midfielder Jamie Webber: The South African has been a workhorse for the Black and Gold in 2026. He is the only player to start all 19 games across all competitions this season tallying three goals and five assists in the process. He will be called on to continue his attacking ways as FC Tulsa look for some more stability up top.

Midfielder Bailey Sparks: An offseason acquisition, Sparks has engrained himself into the fabric of the Tulsa attack starting the eight matches on the right wing. Fans will hope the former SMU Mustang can return to his early season form to help provide another dangerous option for the Black and Gold in the final third.

Forward Remi Cabral: The French forward has been red hot as of late with three goals in his last four matches for the Scissortails. He has tallied a team-high nine goals across all competitions in 2026 and has proven to be a go-to man in the box which will be crucial for the club to reach its expectations this year.

OPPONENT INFO: BIRMINGHAM LEGION FC

This is the 12th meeting between Tulsa and Birmingham with the two clubs tied at four wins apiece in the all-time series. This weekend's hosts have had the upper hand as of late with the Scissortails' last win against the Legion coming in July 2022. Birmingham were victorious in last year's USL Cup clash between these two sides in 2-1 fashion at ONEOK Field with a pair of second half goals proving the difference.

First year head coach Jay Heaps looks to turn things around for the Alabama side after a last place Eastern Conference finish in 2025. Things have gotten off to a rocky start in 2026 as they sit in tenth place in the east through 15 league matches. Tyler Pasher and Dawson McCartney have led the charge for the Birmingham attack while Jassem Koleilat ranks second in the USL Championship in saves this season (45).

KEY STATISTICS

- Birmingham averages the most fouls won per match in the league (16.4) while conceding the second fewest (11.27). In contrast, Tulsa have won the seventh most (14.62) while conceding the fourth most (15.54).

- Remi Cabral's 0.86 goals per 90 minutes across all competitions this season is the highest such rate in FC Tulsa history.

RECENT QUOTES

Head coach Luke Spencer on first half of 2026: "I think we're at a really good spot as a team considering all the things that we've gone through up to this point. We had a lot of additions to the roster coming into this season and then some injuries early on. We've faced a ton of adversity already, and being able to come through that has only made us grow closer with a lot of learning opportunities. We're looking forward to this next challenge."

Spencer on what break means for team: "I think having a break is important, mentally and physically. It's not always great for me because I like to be here working and enjoying what we're doing, but it is nice to have everybody back, refreshed and ready to go. We're getting bodies back healthy which has been a big issue up to this point, so it's nice to have available players healthy, and training has reflected that this week."

Spencer on team mentality moving forward: "We don't get carried away looking at the table. It's always next game up for us. We look at what we can control and being process-oriented. We've been very good defensively. I think we can be better in possession. We've been very good on set pieces, so there's a lot of positives to take from where we're at but also some opportunities to improve and apply moving forward. That's the challenge as we go forward. How can we stay looking one game at a time and not getting distracted by outside noise or where we're at in the table? If we focus on training well, preparation and execution, then the table will take care of itself."

Abdoulaye Cissoko on back half of 2026 season: "A key for us will be the energy and also the way we start the second half. I think we were pretty good in the first half, but now, we need to be consistent during the 90 minutes. That's something I think we missed the first couple of months. This was a good break to reset and focus now on the second half of the season."

Giordano Colli on club's next man up mentality: "We came into the start of the year knowing that every player is going to be valuable in this team and that everyone is going to have to play a role at one stage or another. With injuries coming as they did with a lot of key players being out for us, players had to step up, and they have. We know that every player counts just as much as any other in this team, and we need to keep going."

Check out the FC Tulsa Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 10, 2026


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central