TULSA – FC Tulsa’s 0-0 draw with San Antonio FC on Wednesday was about so much more than the result for the club. Five months to the day since the USL Championship season was suspended just before the scheduled home opener, FC Tulsa welcomed live professional sports back to the city with a safe capacity crowd in the first home match of the club’s new era.
“It is great to have the fans behind us,” Head coach Michael Nsien said postgame. “You could hear them, they were loud, even though they were spread out you could still feel the vibes. We did a good job here [Wednesday] in terms of the organization and what it was. It was a spirited crowd, well organized, and I am sure the fans enjoyed the atmosphere, hopefully next time we will be able to give them the three points.”
FC Tulsa earned a 0-0 draw against a top-of-the-group San Antonio FC squad to remain unbeaten through its first five matches, the longest such streak to open a season in Tulsa’s USL Championship franchise history.
“I think 100% we are on the right track,” Nsien said. “Anytime you are able to eliminate the opponent from scoring you give yourself a great chance to win games, minimum you are going to pick up a point. That has to be the attitude going forward, we can’t get out of balance trying to do more than we should.
“In the attacking third we are creating opportunities, we are doing a great job, the balance is fantastic. We just have to be able to defend like we are and just execute in the final third. It’s been fantastic the players should be encouraged; the coaching staff is very encouraged that we are on the right track and the expectation next match is that we will be able to seal the deal.”
Sean Lewis and the back line kept a clean sheet for the second consecutive match, and the measly three goals allowed by FC Tulsa this season is also the best defensive record through five matches in the club’s history.
“I got some really talented guys in front of me and it’s the whole team that works hard defensively,” Lewis said. “We’re really jelling defensively, we cover each other well, we’re well organized. You’ve seen the results as far as letting in fewer goals and keeping clean sheets so far. These guys make everything pretty easy as far as what they have to do. They cover each other well. We communicate well. I do what I have to, and so far, that hasn’t been terribly much. I’m happy with the guys in front of me and looking forward to keeping this going.”
FC Tulsa is tied for the second-best defensive record in the USL, and Wednesday was the first time all season that San Antonio FC failed to score.
“It’s a collective team effort,” defender Bradley Bourgeois said. “That’s what we’re talking about building on. It’s this consistency of working together. It’s not just the back line, it’s not just Sean [Lewis]. It’s everyone. It’s going to take all of us, that bend, don’t break, mentality. That was one of the positives for [Wednesday], was that we kept a clean sheet.”
FC Tulsa will remain at ONEOK for its next match against Austin Bold FC, which kicks off next Wednesday at 7 p.m.
“It’s a drive to get better every day.” Bourgeois said. "Tomorrow is a brand-new day. We’re now focused on the improvements we can make, and it’s onto Austin. That’s what out standard is: we build off of what we’ve done. And for us, it’s just not good enough. It has to get better every single day regardless of the result because we have to get better. That’s the attitude that we have.”
TULSA – FC Tulsa’s 0-0 draw with San Antonio FC on Wednesday was about so much more than the result for the club. Five months to the day since the USL Championship season was suspended just before the scheduled home opener, FC Tulsa welcomed live professional sports back to the city with a safe capacity crowd in the first home match of the club’s new era.
“It is great to have the fans behind us,” Head coach Michael Nsien said postgame. “You could hear them, they were loud, even though they were spread out you could still feel the vibes. We did a good job here [Wednesday] in terms of the organization and what it was. It was a spirited crowd, well organized, and I am sure the fans enjoyed the atmosphere, hopefully next time we will be able to give them the three points.”
FC Tulsa earned a 0-0 draw against a top-of-the-group San Antonio FC squad to remain unbeaten through its first five matches, the longest such streak to open a season in Tulsa’s USL Championship franchise history.
“I think 100% we are on the right track,” Nsien said. “Anytime you are able to eliminate the opponent from scoring you give yourself a great chance to win games, minimum you are going to pick up a point. That has to be the attitude going forward, we can’t get out of balance trying to do more than we should.
“In the attacking third we are creating opportunities, we are doing a great job, the balance is fantastic. We just have to be able to defend like we are and just execute in the final third. It’s been fantastic the players should be encouraged; the coaching staff is very encouraged that we are on the right track and the expectation next match is that we will be able to seal the deal.”
Sean Lewis and the back line kept a clean sheet for the second consecutive match, and the measly three goals allowed by FC Tulsa this season is also the best defensive record through five matches in the club’s history.
“I got some really talented guys in front of me and it’s the whole team that works hard defensively,” Lewis said. “We’re really jelling defensively, we cover each other well, we’re well organized. You’ve seen the results as far as letting in fewer goals and keeping clean sheets so far. These guys make everything pretty easy as far as what they have to do. They cover each other well. We communicate well. I do what I have to, and so far, that hasn’t been terribly much. I’m happy with the guys in front of me and looking forward to keeping this going.”
FC Tulsa is tied for the second-best defensive record in the USL, and Wednesday was the first time all season that San Antonio FC failed to score.
“It’s a collective team effort,” defender Bradley Bourgeois said. “That’s what we’re talking about building on. It’s this consistency of working together. It’s not just the back line, it’s not just Sean [Lewis]. It’s everyone. It’s going to take all of us, that bend, don’t break, mentality. That was one of the positives for [Wednesday], was that we kept a clean sheet.”
FC Tulsa will remain at ONEOK for its next match against Austin Bold FC, which kicks off next Wednesday at 7 p.m.
“It’s a drive to get better every day.” Bourgeois said. “Tomorrow is a brand-new day. We’re now focused on the improvements we can make, and it’s onto Austin. That’s what out standard is: we build off of what we’ve done. And for us, it’s just not good enough. It has to get better every single day regardless of the result because we have to get better. That’s the attitude that we have.”
FC Tulsa season and single-match tickets are on sale now! You can still buy season tickets for our seven remaining home matches and save up to $5 a ticket by emailing tickets@https://www.fctulsa.com or calling 918-297-6808.
FC Tulsa season and single-match tickets are on sale now! You can still buy season tickets for our seven remaining home matches and save up to $5 a ticket by emailing tickets@https://www.fctulsa.com or calling 918-297-6808.
