TULSA – An undefeated start to the 2021 season along with Player of the Week, Goal of the Week and Team of the Week honors already has FC Tulsa off to its best start in club history. Throw in a capacity crowd at ONEOK Field for the club’s USL Championship home opener on May 1, and you don’t need us to tell you that FC Tulsa fever is quickly taking the city by storm.
All of this, and FC Tulsa is still just three matches into a 32-match season. There is still tons of soccer left and plenty of time to hop on the FC Tulsa hype train. For those new to Tulsa soccer, or who just want more of the best soccer content in the USL Championship, we are here to help.
Here are the five biggest FC Tulsa storylines so far in 2021…
1) Top of the USL Championship table
FC Tulsa is alone in first place with three wins and nine points through its first three matches in 2021. There is still a chance a couple of other teams in the leagues get to 3-0-0, but for now, FC Tulsa reigns supreme at the top.
Believe it or not, since FC Tulsa’s entry into the USL Championship in 2015, only 10 other clubs have every started a season 3-0-0 and FC Tulsa is just the second to accomplish the feat since 2018 joining Hartford Athletic in 2020. Of the 10 teams that previously started a season perfect through three matches, nine made the playoffs, five advanced to the Conference Semi-Finals and two made the USL Championship Final, including the 2018 USL Championship Title winners, Louisville City FC.
That’s good company for an FC Tulsa team looking to take the next step from surprise upset pick to true title contender.
2) Joaquín Rivas is the Golden Boot leader
It’s early, but the addition of Rivas to FC Tulsa’s 2021 roster looks like one of the best signings of the offseason. The Salvadoran international already has scored four goals through FC Tulsa’s first three matches to lead the league in scoring this season. He has broken the club’s all-time goalscoring record and has become the Black Gold Derby rivalry’s scoring leader as well.
For his brace against Indy Eleven last Saturday, Rivas was voted as the league’s Player of the Week, the first Tulsa player to win the award since Jesus Ferreira claimed the honor in 2018. Now, Ferreira is a star in Major League Soccer with FC Dallas and has earned appearances with the U.S. National Team.
Rivas himself is on the shortlist for the El Salvador international team and with World Cup qualifying and the Gold Cup due to take place in 2021, FC Tulsa fans can expect to continue to see Rivas on the international stage throughout the season.
3) FC Tulsa Defense has Become Even More Elite
In 2020, FC Tulsa’s combo of the backline and keeper Sean Lewis recorded the best defensive season in club history, allowing just 16 goals in 15 matches. Even more impressive was the fact that FC Tulsa never allowed more than two goals in any match in 2020. The cumulative performance vaulted Lewis into the conversation for the best USL Championship goalkeepers and earned FC Tulsa respect as a team built from the back forward.
The defense is already off to an even better start in 2021, allowing just one goal in three matches and limiting opposing offenses to a miniscule six total shots on target. Those performances have seen both Jorge Corrales and Bradley Bourgeois (twice) be named to USL Championship Team of Weeks.
Meanwhile, when called upon, Lewis has risen to the occasion, making a Save of the Week nominated stop in FC Tulsa’s 2-0 road victory over Indy Eleven. With the two clean sheets, Lewis is on pace to well surpass last season’s total of four, which was a career high for the 29-year-old shot stopper.
4) The Depth of the Roster is Legit
Normally, losing a former All-League player like Lebo Moloto for any length of time would spell doom for a midfield. Couple that with the loss of another starting central midfielder like Eric Bird, and teams would be scrambling their roster to find a band-aid solution. Despite being down both of its most accomplished center mids for the match against Indy Eleven, FC Tulsa plugged in Raphael Ayagwa and Kembo Kibato and won 2-0. Even former Academy player Ciaran Winters came off the bench to get minutes in the victory.
That kind of depth leaves head coach Michael Nsien with good problems to have when it comes to selecting his Starting XI and matchday squad. Players currently coming off the bench for FC Tulsa include U.S. international striker Jerome Kiesewetter, Nigerian international defender Solomon Kwambe and Brazilian dynamo winger Marlon Santos. In addition to players like Moloto and Bird who have been fighting minor injuries, FC Tulsa’s 2021 roster is loaded with talent.
5) The FC Tulsa Fanbase is Exploding
More than a year of COVID-19 has meant that ONEOK Field has yet to host a full capacity crowd for an FC Tulsa match. However, an expanded capacity for the club’s home opener two Saturdays ago gave fans a taste of what winning will do for a fanbase.
A capacity crowd of 4,241 fans saw FC Tulsa beat Sporting KC II 2-0 on May 1. Despite the capacity restriction, it was the largest crowd to see a Tulsa pro soccer match since the March 24, 2018, over three full seasons. From the club’s rebrand, to the new community-focused direction of the team and the increased investment from the Craft family ownership, the city is quickly taking notice of FC Tulsa.
With FC Tulsa on the rise, there has never been a better time to be a fan of USL Championship soccer in Tulsa.
TULSA – An undefeated start to the 2021 season along with Player of the Week, Goal of the Week and Team of the Week honors already has FC Tulsa off to its best start in club history. Throw in a capacity crowd at ONEOK Field for the club’s USL Championship home opener on May 1, and you don’t need us to tell you that FC Tulsa fever is quickly taking the city by storm.
All of this, and FC Tulsa is still just three matches into a 32-match season. There is still tons of soccer left and plenty of time to hop on the FC Tulsa hype train. For those new to Tulsa soccer, or who just want more of the best soccer content in the USL Championship, we are here to help.
Here are the five biggest FC Tulsa storylines so far in 2021…
1) Top of the USL Championship table
FC Tulsa is alone in first place with three wins and nine points through its first three matches in 2021. There is still a chance a couple of other teams in the leagues get to 3-0-0, but for now, FC Tulsa reigns supreme at the top.
Believe it or not, since FC Tulsa’s entry into the USL Championship in 2015, only 10 other clubs have every started a season 3-0-0 and FC Tulsa is just the second to accomplish the feat since 2018 joining Hartford Athletic in 2020. Of the 10 teams that previously started a season perfect through three matches, nine made the playoffs, five advanced to the Conference Semi-Finals and two made the USL Championship Final, including the 2018 USL Championship Title winners, Louisville City FC.
That’s good company for an FC Tulsa team looking to take the next step from surprise upset pick to true title contender.
2) Joaquín Rivas is the Golden Boot leader
It’s early, but the addition of Rivas to FC Tulsa’s 2021 roster looks like one of the best signings of the offseason. The Salvadoran international already has scored four goals through FC Tulsa’s first three matches to lead the league in scoring this season. He has broken the club’s all-time goalscoring record and has become the Black Gold Derby rivalry’s scoring leader as well.
For his brace against Indy Eleven last Saturday, Rivas was voted as the league’s Player of the Week, the first Tulsa player to win the award since Jesus Ferreira claimed the honor in 2018. Now, Ferreira is a star in Major League Soccer with FC Dallas and has earned appearances with the U.S. National Team.
Rivas himself is on the shortlist for the El Salvador international team and with World Cup qualifying and the Gold Cup due to take place in 2021, FC Tulsa fans can expect to continue to see Rivas on the international stage throughout the season.
3) FC Tulsa Defense has Become Even More Elite
In 2020, FC Tulsa’s combo of the backline and keeper Sean Lewis recorded the best defensive season in club history, allowing just 16 goals in 15 matches. Even more impressive was the fact that FC Tulsa never allowed more than two goals in any match in 2020. The cumulative performance vaulted Lewis into the conversation for the best USL Championship goalkeepers and earned FC Tulsa respect as a team built from the back forward.
The defense is already off to an even better start in 2021, allowing just one goal in three matches and limiting opposing offenses to a miniscule six total shots on target. Those performances have seen both Jorge Corrales and Bradley Bourgeois (twice) be named to USL Championship Team of Weeks.
Meanwhile, when called upon, Lewis has risen to the occasion, making a Save of the Week nominated stop in FC Tulsa’s 2-0 road victory over Indy Eleven. With the two clean sheets, Lewis is on pace to well surpass last season’s total of four, which was a career high for the 29-year-old shot stopper.
4) The Depth of the Roster is Legit
Normally, losing a former All-League player like Lebo Moloto for any length of time would spell doom for a midfield. Couple that with the loss of another starting central midfielder like Eric Bird, and teams would be scrambling their roster to find a band-aid solution. Despite being down both of its most accomplished center mids for the match against Indy Eleven, FC Tulsa plugged in Raphael Ayagwa and Kembo Kibato and won 2-0. Even former Academy player Ciaran Winters came off the bench to get minutes in the victory.
That kind of depth leaves head coach Michael Nsien with good problems to have when it comes to selecting his Starting XI and matchday squad. Players currently coming off the bench for FC Tulsa include U.S. international striker Jerome Kiesewetter, Nigerian international defender Solomon Kwambe and Brazilian dynamo winger Marlon Santos. In addition to players like Moloto and Bird who have been fighting minor injuries, FC Tulsa’s 2021 roster is loaded with talent.
5) The FC Tulsa Fanbase is Exploding
More than a year of COVID-19 has meant that ONEOK Field has yet to host a full capacity crowd for an FC Tulsa match. However, an expanded capacity for the club’s home opener two Saturdays ago gave fans a taste of what winning will do for a fanbase.
A capacity crowd of 4,241 fans saw FC Tulsa beat Sporting KC II 2-0 on May 1. Despite the capacity restriction, it was the largest crowd to see a Tulsa pro soccer match since the March 24, 2018, over three full seasons. From the club’s rebrand, to the new community-focused direction of the team and the increased investment from the Craft family ownership, the city is quickly taking notice of FC Tulsa.
With FC Tulsa on the rise, there has never been a better time to be a fan of USL Championship soccer in Tulsa.
