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USL FC Tulsa

Tonight's Roughnecks vs Galaxy II Preview

June 27, 2015 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
FC Tulsa News Release


The Roughneck play their second match in three nights as they host Los Angeles Galaxy II tonight at ONEOK Field. It will be the second meeting of the season between the two sides with Los Dos claiming a 2-0 win in Los Angeles on May 13.

On Thursday, Tulsa hosted 2014 USL Champs Sacramento and dropped a 3-1 decision to the Republic.

The Roughnecks enter the match with Galaxy II with a 4-7-2 record and in 11th place in the Western Conference standings with 14 points.

Galaxy II come into the contest with an 8-5-1 record, setting in fourth place in the West with 25 points. They have posted wins in four of their past five matches with two of the victories coming on the road (at OC Blues & Vancouver Whitecaps 2).

The match is presented by the News on 6 and 101.5 El Patron radio.

The game will be broadcast live on Tulsa's Sports Radio AM 1300 with Jeremie Poplin and David Saunders calling the action. The broadcast can be heard online at 1300TheBuzz.com. It will also be shown live on the Roughnecks YouTube channel.

STARTING XI - Tulsa is expected to begin the match with the following lineup: Lubin, Price, Brewster, Venter, Davoren, Ballew, Jimenez, Bond, Miller, Ochoa, Mata.

LOS DOS - Galaxy II is second in the USL with an average of 13.36 shots per outing, but they are only 11th in the league with 1.36 goals per match. They have been one of the top teams defensively, giving up exactly one goal per match, the fourth best mark in USL. Their five shutouts are tied for third most.

Offensively, Galaxy II is led by Ariel Lassiter who has scored six goals in 11 games played. One of the goals came in the May 13 win over the Roughnecks. Lassiter is the son of MLS record goal scorer Roy Lassiter. Raul Mendiola has also played a key role in the attack, collecting a league high eight assists this season.

In goal, Clement Diop has started 12 of their 14 matches, compiling a 1.09 GAA. Brian Rowe, who has made four starts in MLS this season, recorded the shutout victory against Tulsa earlier in the season.

MATA DEBUT - Cristian Mata had quite a day on Thursday. The Tulsa Union High School and University of Tulsa product signed his first professional contract that morning and received USSF clearance to join the Roughnecks roster about 4:30PM that afternoon. Approximately four hours later, he scored his first goal in Tulsa's 3-1 loss to Sacramento.

CORDEIRO CHIPS IN - Lucas Cordeiro's perfectly weighted chip pass set up Mata for his goal. It was Cordeiro's team-leading fourth assist of the season.

LUBIN SAVES - Tulsa's Zac Lubin continues to lead all USL goalkeepers with an average of 4.93 saves per match. His 69 total saves this year easily lead all league keepers, with Arizona United's Carl Woszczynski a distant second with 48 saves.

THE COACHES - Tulsa head coach David Irving was a player for the original Roughnecks in the old North America Soccer League. Irving scored three goals in seven appearances for Tulsa during the 1980 NASL season. His professional playing career also included stints with Everton FC and Sheffield United in England.

Los Dos are led by Curt Onalfo. A former MLS head coach with Kansas City and D.C. United, Onalfo played college soccer for Bruce Arena at the University of Virginia and then served as his assistant coach with the U.S. National Team from 2003-2006. He is in his second season as head coach of Galaxy II.

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