FC Tulsa Open USL Cup Play against Defending League One Champions
USL FC Tulsa

FC Tulsa Open USL Cup Play against Defending League One Champions

Published on April 24, 2026 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
FC Tulsa News Release


TULSA, Okla. - FC Tulsa begin their 2026 Prinx Tires USL Cup campaign on Saturday night at ONEOK Field as they take on defending USL League One champions One Knoxville SC in their opening group stage match in Group Three.

FC TULSA VS ONE KNOXVILLE SC

PRINX TIRES USL CUP

SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2026 @ 7:00 P.M. CT - ONEOK FIELD - TULSA, OKLAHOMA

Watch: ESPN+, Tulsa CW

In-game updates: @FCTulsa X/Twitter feed

LAST TIME OUT

USL Championship Regular Season

Oakland Roots SC 1:1 FC Tulsa

Saturday, April 18, 2026 - Oakland Coliseum - Oakland, California

The Scissortails found themselves in an early hole after a header off a long diagonal ball from the hosts in the fourth minute created an immediate uphill climb. Tulsa failed to create many threatening chances offensively but received some help when Oakland went down to ten men in stoppage time right before the break.

This lifeline energized the Black and Gold who came out of the locker room with a flurry of attacking threats to begin the second half. Both midfielder Jeorgio Kocevski and forward Stefan Lukic hit the woodwork in the opening ten minutes of the period, but it was clear that a goal seemed inevitable.

That sentiment paid off in the 70th minute as midfielder Owen Damm connected with forward Bailey Sparks who headed home the cross to level the match. More chances came for the Scissortails late in the match to find a winner, but ultimately, they had to settle for a point in their first road USL Championship match in 42 days.

Sparks found the back of the net for the second time this season while Damm also logged his second assist, both the first Tulsa players to record multiple of either statistic in league play this season. Tonight was the sixth matchup between Tulsa and Oakland with the home team still never recording a victory in the series.

KEY STORYLINES

This is the third year of the USL Cup after it launched in 2024 in USL League One. Unlike regular season matches, USL Cup matches will not end without a victor. If tied after 90 minutes, the match will go to a penalty shootout which promises more excitement to the tournament.

Points will be awarded as follows:

Win - 3 points

Shootout win - 2 points

Shootout loss - 1 point

Loss - 0 points

FC Tulsa will compete in Group Three of the USL Cup which features fellow USL Championship sides Birmingham Legion FC and San Antonio FC along with USL League One clubs Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, Corpus Christi FC and One Knoxville SC.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Defender Owen Damm: It's a bit early in the season to hand out awards for most improved player, but Damm is making a strong case in the early going in 2026. The Kentucky native has flourished for the Scissortails on the left hand side both in the attack and on the defensive end as shown by his crossing acumen and on-ball pressure. His pace and ability to create for teammates have cemented him as a key component for the Black and Gold this season.

Midfielder Jeorgio Kocevski: Through six league matches, the only player to play every minute for FC Tulsa has been Kocevski, the newcomer from New York. A national champion at Syracuse, the former Ventura County midfielder has impressed in the 8 spot for the Scissortails leading the team in passing accuracy (80.1%, min. 100 passes) and passing accuracy in the opposing half (73.3%).

Forward Remi Cabral: Most of the Tulsa attack has been a by-committee approach to begin 2026, but Cabral has impressed in his playing time so far this season largely off the bench. With two goals as a substitute already this year including the strike that sent the Scissortails to the Round of 32, the Frenchman has shown to be a capable focal point up top if needed. As the club looks for consistency up top as the season goes on, Cabral is making a strong case to see his number get called.

OPPONENT INFO: ONE KNOXVILLE SC

This is the second meeting between Tulsa and Knoxville after last season's matchup in the USL Jägermeister Cup. One Knoxville SC are the defending USL League One champions after winning the title in its third professional season.

One Knoxville SC has continued that success in 2026 as they advanced to the Round of 16 of the U.S. Open Cup after defeating DC United 3(6)-3(5) on April 15. The club is on an eight-match unbeaten streak across all competitions dating back to March 14.

Denis Krioutchenkov is the team's leading scorer(3) in USL League One play while Teddy Baker (16) and Mikkel Gøling (14) rank first and third in the league in chance created, respectively. Johan Garibay ranks second in USL League One with 23 saves and three clean sheets.

KEY STATISTICS

- FC Tulsa 4.81 expected goals against are the lowest total in the Western Conference in 2026.

- Entering this match, Tulsa have allowed the fewest shots per match in the Western Conference (8.5) while Knoxville leads USL League One in total shots (105).

- FC Tulsa's 18-match home regulation unbeaten streak across all competitions came to an end in their last home match. This also marked the end of their 14-match home regular season unbeaten streak.

RECENT QUOTES

Head Coach Luke Spencer on attacking progress: "We need to put the ball in the back of the net, and we're creating chances and sticking to our process. Everybody has full belief that the ball is going to find the back of the net, but the ball doesn't always bounce the way we want it to. The performances have been good, and the results will come."

Spencer on takeaways two months in: "I think what gives us confidence is that we're able to look back and say that we're performing well. The results haven't been as good as we'd like, but that's down to the margins, and those are things that we can control. For us, it's just about staying focused on the process. We're confident that the results will come, but we need to be focused on improving. When I look back to last season, that's where the focus was. It was on improving. We don't want to be the same team come September, October or November that we are right now. We've got to take it day by day and look at how we can be better and look to apply it."

Jamie Webber on offensive focus moving forward: "We've created a lot of chances. It's just a matter of taking them right now, but we can build on that because the problem isn't defensively but more in the final third. That's not as bad of a problem to have because once the goals come, I think they will come in bunches. We are building relationships at the moment, and I think in the future it will help us a lot."

Webber on mindset heading into USL Cup: "Every game, we want to win. Every game is an opportunity for us to bring something to the club and to the city. The more football we play, the happier we are. I think these tournaments help us players build confidence as well going into league play. Our mindset is no matter what the game is, whether it's a league game or a Cup game, we want to win the game and win the Cup as well."

Remi Cabral on takeaways from last weekend: "I think we can take away positives from this game, even though the result wasn't three points. We have to look forward because we know it's a long season. I think we just need to keep pushing, and the results will come. It's like ketchup out of the bottle. When it's coming, you cannot stop it."

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from April 24, 2026


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