TULSA – You might as well start calling him Rodri-GOAL da Costa.
After another Man of the Match performance for the Brazilian attacker in FC Tulsa’s Friday night victory over Rio Grande Valley FC, da Costa continued playing a starring role in FC Tulsa’s offensive start to the 2021 USL Championship season. He already has five goals and three assists in nine total matches, both stats in which he is either tied for or outright leads the club.
“Yes, I feel really confident right now,” said da Costa after last weekend’s victory. “But looking at the fight that team put [on Friday night], the 3 points was the most important.”
With the 2021 season just past it’s quarter mark, da Costa is on pace for 18 goals and 11 assists, numbers that would easily make the most productive individual offensive season in FC Tulsa franchise history. He already has contributed through scoring or assisting on eight of Tulsa’s 17 total goals scored, 47%.
To put his current 2021 pace into historical context, Da Costa is one of just 21 players to ever record a double-digit assist season in the history of the USL Championship when he hit 13 in 2019. No player has done it a second time. Not counting the severely shortened 2020 season which would have made 10+ assists nearly impossible, da Costa has a chance to record at least 10 assists in his first two full USL Championship seasons (2019 and 2021) and enter the USL record books.
Da Costa’s also on pace to record a rare “double-double” season, 10+ goals and 10+ assists, something just five players in the USL Championship have ever accomplished.
“The 2019 Rodrigo carried a lot of weight on his shoulders, and he stepped up to every occasion when he was asked upon,” said FC Tulsa head coach Michael Nsien. “I think this Rodrigo has that same attitude, but he’s complimented by other quality players so he can kind of find his space and where he can succeed. We just have to find the right dynamic to get all the players enough ball facing the goal, because we have a lot of guys that can score multiple goals. Just getting the guys in the right places so they can be successful.”
TULSA – You might as well start calling him Rodri-GOAL da Costa.
After another Man of the Match performance for the Brazilian attacker in FC Tulsa’s Friday night victory over Rio Grande Valley FC, da Costa continued playing a starring role in FC Tulsa’s offensive start to the 2021 USL Championship season. He already has five goals and three assists in nine total matches, both stats in which he is either tied for or outright leads the club.
“Yes, I feel really confident right now,” said da Costa after last weekend’s victory. “But looking at the fight that team put [on Friday night], the 3 points was the most important.”
With the 2021 season just past it’s quarter mark, da Costa is on pace for 18 goals and 11 assists, numbers that would easily make the most productive individual offensive season in FC Tulsa franchise history. He already has contributed through scoring or assisting on eight of Tulsa’s 17 total goals scored, 47%.
To put his current 2021 pace into historical context, Da Costa is one of just 21 players to ever record a double-digit assist season in the history of the USL Championship when he hit 13 in 2019. No player has done it a second time. Not counting the severely shortened 2020 season which would have made 10+ assists nearly impossible, da Costa has a chance to record at least 10 assists in his first two full USL Championship seasons (2019 and 2021) and enter the USL record books.
Da Costa’s also on pace to record a rare “double-double” season, 10+ goals and 10+ assists, something just five players in the USL Championship have ever accomplished.
“The 2019 Rodrigo carried a lot of weight on his shoulders, and he stepped up to every occasion when he was asked upon,” said FC Tulsa head coach Michael Nsien. “I think this Rodrigo has that same attitude, but he’s complimented by other quality players so he can kind of find his space and where he can succeed. We just have to find the right dynamic to get all the players enough ball facing the goal, because we have a lot of guys that can score multiple goals. Just getting the guys in the right places so they can be successful.”
Any comparisons of this season to da Costa’s rookie 2019 season, which ended with Second Team All-League honors, are warranted. That year, da Costa scored four goals alongside six assists in his first nine matches, en route to a nine-goal, 13-assist season. He appeared on the scoresheet, either scoring or assisting on 50% of Tulsa’s total goals scored while he was on the pitch that season, 22 out of 44.
Not only is da Costa leading the line offensively, but he’s also been leading the team on the pitch, wearing the captain’s armband in the stead of injured team captain Bradley Bourgeois.
“I know my role and my responsibilities when I put on the armband. but I also share these responsibilities with other players. Like we said before, there are a lot of players in this group that can help on and off the field leading the team.”
On Friday night, da Costa will get another crack at Black Gold Derby rival OKC Energy FC, a team he has recorded two goals and one assist against in six career matches, and more importantly has never lost to, going 2W-0L-4D. The match against OKC will kick off at 7:30 p.m. CT and will air locally in Tulsa on My41 and nationally on ESPN+.
Any comparisons of this season to da Costa’s rookie 2019 season, which ended with Second Team All-League honors, are warranted. That year, da Costa scored four goals alongside six assists in his first nine matches, en route to a nine-goal, 13-assist season. He appeared on the scoresheet, either scoring or assisting on 50% of Tulsa’s total goals scored while he was on the pitch that season, 22 out of 44.
Not only is da Costa leading the line offensively, but he’s also been leading the team on the pitch, wearing the captain’s armband in the stead of injured team captain Bradley Bourgeois.
“I know my role and my responsibilities when I put on the armband. but I also share these responsibilities with other players. Like we said before, there are a lot of players in this group that can help on and off the field leading the team.”
On Friday night, da Costa will get another crack at Black Gold Derby rival OKC Energy FC, a team he has recorded two goals and one assist against in six career matches, and more importantly has never lost to, going 2W-0L-4D. The match against OKC will kick off at 7:30 p.m. CT and will air locally in Tulsa on My41 and nationally on ESPN+.
