Sports stats



USL FC Tulsa

Preview: FC Tulsa Aims to Run Unbeaten Streak to Six to Start 2020

August 18, 2020 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
FC Tulsa News Release


TULSA - Let's try this again, shall we?

On Wednesday night, FC Tulsa will actually play Austin Bold FC. We hope. This match should have been the second meeting between the teams, but it will actually be the first after the July matchup in Austin was postponed to September after a COVID-19 positive test within the Austin Bold FC organization.

The postponement occurred on July 22, one day prior to the match being played, with FC Tulsa players and staff already in Austin for the match. The five-hour bus ride resulted in nothing more than a training session at Bold Stadium for FC Tulsa and a less than fulfilling bus ride home.

Now the location of the meeting has changed, but the script for the match has not. When looking at the Group D table, it appears that San Antonio FC looks playoff-bound while Rio Grande Valley FC and OKC Energy FC are likely out. The second and final playoff spot could come down to Tulsa vs. Austin and unlike in the battle for a Tesla plant, FC Tulsa comes into the meeting with the upper hand.

Attached are FC Tulsa match notes and prematch quotes from FC Tulsa head coach Michael Nsien and midfielder Lebo Moloto.

ABOUT AUSTIN BOLD FC

No team has been hit harder by COVID-19 than Austin Bold FC. Two of Bold's premier forwards, André Lima and Kris Tyrpak, have both opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID concerns. The duo recorded 23 goals and four assists for Austin in 2019, leading the club to a playoff berth in its inaugural campaign. Since the restart, Bold FC have been 1-1-2, with the lone win coming against bottom-dwelling RGVFC. One unique weapon for Austin is wingback Ismaila (Ish) Jome, a lightning-quick player who can defend and attack up and down his side of the pitch. Jome is tied for the team lead with two goals and one assist in 2020.

SERIES HISTORY

FC Tulsa has been stone-cold against Austin Bold in the short matchup history. Tulsa has lost the three previous meetings, all in 2019, against Austin. Two USL Championship defeats, by scores of 3-2 and 5-1, came after Austin knocked Tulsa out of the 2019 U.S. Open Cup by a 2-0 score. Needless to say, a measure of revenge with a Tulsa victory on Wednesday night would be a welcome change of pace for Coach Michael Nsien and his squad.

PLAYOFF POSITIONING

It's a classic six-pointer for each side. A Tulsa win would put a five-point gap between itself and Austin and also give it some breathing room for a Playoffs spot. An Austin win, on the other hand, would leapfrog Bold FC over Tulsa and into a Playoffs spot. Needless to say, there is a lot on the line.

GROUP D STANDINGS

San Antonio 4-0-3 15 pts

FC Tulsa 2-0-3 9 pts

Austin Bold FC 2-2-1 7 pts

OKC Energy FC 1-3-3 6 pts

Rio Grande Valley FC 0-5-3 3 pts

HOW TO TUNE IN

The match will be broadcast on TV locally on My41 Tulsa and nationally streamed on ESPN+. The match is also the SiriusXM "Game of the Week" and will be broadcast on SiriusXM FC 157. FC Tulsa is selling tickets to match and attendance will be limited capacity based on social distancing guidelines. Tickets are available at FCTulsa.com.

Check out the FC Tulsa Statistics



United Soccer League Championship Stories from August 18, 2020


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