FC Tulsa Prepare for Playoff Rematch against Phoenix Rising FC
USL FC Tulsa

FC Tulsa Prepare for Playoff Rematch against Phoenix Rising FC

Published on March 27, 2026 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
FC Tulsa News Release


TULSA, Okla. - After grabbing their first three points last weekend, FC Tulsa hope to continue its momentum as it faces off against Phoenix Rising FC on Saturday, March 28 at 7 p.m. at ONEOK Field.

To purchase your tickets, head to fctulsa.com/tickets or call 918-727-2231. The club will be celebrating Pups at the Pitch, featuring a dog bandana giveaway for the first 250 fans with dogs at the gate. $1 Beer Section Night is also back for fans to enjoy this weekend.

FC TULSA VS PHOENIX RISING FC

SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 2026 @ 7:00 P.M. - ONEOK FIELD - TULSA, OKLAHOMA

Watch: ESPN+, News on 6 Now

In-game updates: @FCTulsa X/Twitter feed

LAST TIME OUT

USL Championship Regular Season

FC Tulsa 3:2 Las Vegas Lights FC

Saturday, March 21, 2026 - ONEOK Field - Tulsa, Oklahoma

In a back-and-forth affair, midfielder Owen Damm's late strike gave FC Tulsa a 3-2 victory over Las Vegas Lights FC on Saturday night at ONEOK Field.

FC Tulsa created numerous attacking threats early but couldn't capitalize to start the match. This led to the visitors taking advantage of a generous deflection to go up 1-0 in the 32nd minute. Their lead was short-lived, however, as forward Kalil ElMedkhar cleaned up some commotion in the box to even things up nine minutes later right before halftime.

The Lights came out firing to start the second half and forced goalkeeper Alex Tambakis to make some key saves. Against the run of play, Tulsa managed to jump on top with Damm finding the head of halftime substitute forward Remi Cabral in his 100th regular season appearance in the 61st minute to go up 2-1. Five minutes later, however, Las Vegas found a smooth equalizer of their own to bring the match back to a stalemate.

The Scissortails made a few more substitutions to go for the three points at home. Then, in the 81st minute, defender Delentz Pierre niftily slid the ball back into the path of Damm on the left side of the box who smashed it inside the near post for a match winner. Tulsa saw out some late chances from the Lights to capture its first USL Championship victory of 2026 and keep its unbeaten resumé against Las Vegas intact.

KEY STORYLINES

After failing to find the net in its opening two contests, FC Tulsa scored seven goals in its two matches last week to recapture its attacking prowess. No repeat goalscorer meant that everyone was getting in on the action with Jamie Webber and Owen Damm both picking up multiple goal contributions.

After doubling up Little Rock Rangers SC 4-2 last Wednesday, the Scissortails will continue its 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup campaign in the Alamo City against fellow USL Championship side San Antonio FC on Wednesday, April 1 at 7:30 p.m. The match will take place at Toyota Field and will be streamed on Paramount+.

With a goal and assist against Las Vegas last Saturday, Owen Damm was named to the USL Championship Team of the Week. His match-winning strike in the 82nd minute also won Goal of the Week as through three league contests, the 22-year-old has created numerous attacking threats appearing to be an important piece for Tulsa moving forward.

"The ball set up to where I could shoot it first time," Damm said on Saturday night. "I just needed to put my laces through it and make sure it was on target to give it a chance, and luckily, it went in."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Goalkeeper Alex Tambakis: The all-time saves leader in USL Championship currently finds himself in another record race. Tambakis entered the season in a three-way tie for the league shutout record with current Sacramento Republic FC veteran Danny Vitiello and retired Evan Newton at 58. He currently sits in second after his 59th career clean sheet on March 14 against San Antonio and will hope to reclaim the top spot in a fun storyline as the season progresses.

Defender Ian Carlo Souza Daniel: Last season's late arrival on the back line has made his mark on the Black and Gold in just ten matches with the club. Commonly tasked as the right center back in Luke Spencer's 3-4-3 unit, the Brazilian defender has helped to dispel trouble from opposition attacks while also playing a key role on attacking set pieces.

Forward Remi Cabral: In his 100th USL Championship regular season appearance, Cabral introduced himself to the Tulsa faithful with a then-go-ahead header in the 61st minute against Las Vegas as a halftime substitution. As the club looks to fill the void left by Taylor Calheira's departure to Sporting Kansas City, the 26-year-old French forward looks to throw his hat into the ring to be a threat in the final third for opposing defense to account for.

OPPONENT INFO: PHOENIX RISING FC

This is the 18th meeting between Tulsa and Phoenix with Rising FC holding a slight lead in the all-time series with seven victories. Last November, these two sides clashed in the Western Conference Semifinals with Stefan Lukic scoring the match-winner for Scissortails in the 122nd minute on the club's way to a conference title. The two clubs met four total times in 2025 with Tulsa winning twice including 1-0 in the season opener at Phoenix.

Pa Modou-Kah enters his second season at the helm for Rising FC after leading the club to a conference semifinal appearance in 2025. Phoenix featured in many high-scoring affairs in 2025 scoring the second most goals in the Western Conference while allowing the most goals of any playoff team. Charlie Dennis and Ihsan Sacko return in the Phoenix attack while Chitutu Odunze is the new man between the sticks for Rising FC.

KEY STATISTICS

- Phoenix Rising FC is now the third most common opponent for FC Tulsa in club history (18 matches) moving into a tie with Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. The top two clubs are OKC Energy FC (24, inactive) and San Antonio FC (22).

- Phoenix (57) and Tulsa (54) have won the most and second most fouls in the Western Conference in 2026, respectively.

- FC Tulsa's 1.86 expected goals against are the third lowest total in the league in 2026.

- Defender Abdoulaye Cissoko has won the most duels in the league in 2026 (27).

RECENT QUOTES

Head Coach Luke Spencer on Las Vegas win:

"We got three points, and we needed them. I'm proud of the guys for fighting down the stretch, seeing the game out the way they needed to and being resilient. That's part of our identity. I'm so proud of those aspects."

Abdoulaye Cissoko on importance of LV victory:

"They make it tough. Las Vegas is a good team with good individual players, so we knew we had to fight. It was a good game, back and forth, and we needed to keep fighting to earn the win."

Check out the FC Tulsa Statistics

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from March 27, 2026


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