FC Tulsa to Open 2026 USL Championship Season at Sacramento Republic FC
USL FC Tulsa

FC Tulsa to Open 2026 USL Championship Season at Sacramento Republic FC

Published on March 6, 2026 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
FC Tulsa News Release


Setting the Stage

FC Tulsa will be keen to get on the front foot to open the 2026 USL Championship regular season following a year that saw the side rise above all expectations. The Scissortails are coming off a year that saw them bring home the first piece of silverware in the club's modern era after winning the Western Conference title in a playoff stretch that saw them through penalty kicks in the USL Championship Final. The Black and Gold managed to shatter many regular season franchise records, including its best regular season record of 16W-5L-9D (57 pts.) and clinching the West's top playoff seed for the first time.

Tulsa will enter the season without leading scorer Taylor Calheira after transferring the forward to Major League Soccer's Sporting Kansas City. However, a busy transfer window saw several new additions make their way to the 918, including the likes of veteran shotstopper Alex Tambakis from New Mexico United, the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro Golden Boot winner Rémi Cabral, and forward Nelson Pierre on loan from MLS's Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

Sacramento Republic FC will be in a similar mindset come Saturday evening as the California-based team finished on the second rung of the Western Conference ladder, nine points behind Tulsa. While Sacramento secured its fourth playoff berth in as many seasons in 2025, the team also suffered its second consecutive Quarterfinal exit. With the additions of veteran Major League Soccer talent in Memo Rodriguez and Mark-Anthony Kaye, and Charleston Battery standout Arturo Rodriguez, the Republic will surely be coming out of the gate strong to put their stamp on the season early.

#SACvTUL Storylines

FC Tulsa will be looking to capitalize on last season's successes after the club finished its 2025 regular season campaign with a franchise-best 16W-9D-5L record (57 points), tallying a record 50 goals and registering 10 clean sheets.

In addition to the successes above, FC Tulsa also concluded the season with the top playoff seed in the Western Conference, secured the Western Conference title, and advanced to the USL Championship Playoff Final, all firsts for the Oklahoman side.

FC Tulsa reset expectations after finishing the 2025 season as the top seed in the Western Conference with 57 points, a 19-point turnaround following the end of the 2024 season - the second-largest point increase in club history behind the 27-point surge between 2016 and 2017.

A slew of new faces have appeared on FC Tulsa's roster in the last handful of weeks as the club made final preparations for the 2026 USL Championship season. The newcomers in the 918 include goalkeepers Alex Tambakis and Triston Henery; defender Alonzo Clarke; midfielders Raheem Somersall, Bailey Sparks, Jeorgio Kocevski, Zion Siranga, and forwards Rémi Cabral, Bruno Lapa, and Nelson Pierre.

FC Tulsa made a notable splash in the transfer window when it announced the departure of forward Taylor Calheira for a club-record fee to Major League Soccer side Sporting Kansas City on February 19.

FC Tulsa swept the regular season series against Sacramento last year with 1-0 wins in both home and away legs, goals scored by Calheira at ONEOK Field on March 28, 2025, and by striking partner Kalil ElMedkhar on the road on June 7, 2025.

Sacramento Republic FC finished its 2025 regular season in the second seed with 48 points, a three-seed improvement over its 2024 season with one less point on the table.

FC Tulsa's Alex Tambakis and Sacramento Republic FC's Danny Vitiello enter the season in a three-way tie with the retired Evan Newton on 58 regular season shutouts in the USL Championship regular season.

FC Tulsa's Head Coach Luke Spencer and Sacramento's Neill Collins featured on opposing USL rosters during their playing careers, with Spencer lining up for FC Cincinnati (2016) and Louisville City FC (2017-20), while Collins lined up for Tampa Bay Rowdies (2016-17).

FC Tulsa at Sacramento Republic FC

Saturday, March 7 - 9:00 P.M. CT

Heart Health Park | Sacramento, Calif.

Follow Live:

Local/National TV: N/A

Streaming Video: CBS Sports Golazo Network

Radio: N/A

In-game updates: @FCTulsa X/Twitter feed

2025 Regular Season Records:

FC Tulsa: 16W-5L-9D, 57 pts., 1st in Western Conference

Sacramento Republic FC: 13W-8L-9D, 48 pts., 2nd in Western Conference

Check out the FC Tulsa Statistics

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from March 6, 2026


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