MEMPHIS, Tenn. – On a scorching night at AutoZone Park in Elvis' backyard, FC Tulsa played the blues in a 1-0 defeat to Memphis 901 FC on Saturday night. Despite the majority of possession and the better chances, a first half stoppage time goal from Memphis sealed the three points for the hosts.
It looked like FC Tulsa would go ahead early as forward Marlon Santos nearly snuck the ball into the goal after a shot deflected off the Memphis keeper Kyle Morton’s heel. A fantastic sliding recovery by 901 FC defender Mark Segbers cleared the shot off the line and kept Tulsa off the board early.
The lone goal of the match came off the bandaged head of Memphis forward Kyle Murphy in first-half stoppage time after being involved in a collision in the 11' minute. Murphy won a header in the box and just put his shot past the rising hand of keeper Austin Wormell to give Memphis the lead going into the break.
A stop and start second half never allowed either team to find a rhythm, but again, FC Tulsa nearly broke through. Defender Mo Jadama had an excellent look in the nine minutes of second half stoppage time to draw even for Tulsa, but the Gambian's header ended up rattling off the crossbar.
In the final seconds of stoppage time, it appeared FC Tulsa would be thrown a lifetime when a cross appeared to hit the outstretched hand of a Memphis defender. However, the officials didn't award the penalty, and FC Tulsa was shut out for just the third time in 2021.
Here are three takeaways from the defeat…
1) Bourgeois Makes Return to Pitch
After missing the previous five matches due to injury, mainstay captain Bradley Bourgeois made his return to the pitch for FC Tulsa. The defender came on for Kevin Garcia in the second half, logging 29 minutes as head coach Michael Nsien eased Bourgeois back into action.
Despite the limited minutes, Bourgeois made an impact, creating one chance and converting a pass percentage at 92%.
2) Still in 3rd Place in the Central Division
Despite dropping its last two matches, FC Tulsa is still in a good place in the standings as the end of summer approaches. Tulsa still holds a USL Championship Playoff spot and has the second-best conversion rate in USL.
The return of Joaquín Rivas to the team this week, coming off a two-goal performance tonight for El Salvador, will also boost a squad who has scored just one goal in its last 180 minutes.
3) FC Tulsa Makes TV History
Tonight marked the first time a regular season FC Tulsa match was broadcast on local network television. After 5,000+ fans represented FC Tulsa in its last home match at ONEOK Field, FOX23 shifted the match to its main network to allow more fans to watch the club on the road.
UP NEXT
FC Tulsa continues its road trip out east against Atlanta United 2 at 6:30 PM CT on Wednesday, July 28. The club will be looking to even up the season series after dropping the first match between the two at Fifth Third Bank Stadium back in May.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – On a scorching night at AutoZone Park in Elvis’ backyard, FC Tulsa played the blues in a 1-0 defeat to Memphis 901 FC on Saturday night. Despite the majority of possession and the better chances, a first half stoppage time goal from Memphis sealed the three points for the hosts.
It looked like FC Tulsa would go ahead early as forward Marlon Santos nearly snuck the ball into the goal after a shot deflected off the Memphis keeper Kyle Morton’s heel. A fantastic sliding recovery by 901 FC defender Mark Segbers cleared the shot off the line and kept Tulsa off the board early.
The lone goal of the match came off the bandaged head of Memphis forward Kyle Murphy in first-half stoppage time after being involved in a collision in the 11′ minute. Murphy won a header in the box and just put his shot past the rising hand of keeper Austin Wormell to give Memphis the lead going into the break.
A stop and start second half never allowed either team to find a rhythm, but again, FC Tulsa nearly broke through. Defender Mo Jadama had an excellent look in the nine minutes of second half stoppage time to draw even for Tulsa, but the Gambian’s header ended up rattling off the crossbar.
In the final seconds of stoppage time, it appeared FC Tulsa would be thrown a lifetime when a cross appeared to hit the outstretched hand of a Memphis defender. However, the officials didn’t award the penalty, and FC Tulsa was shut out for just the third time in 2021.
Here are three takeaways from the defeat…
1) Bourgeois Makes Return to Pitch
After missing the previous five matches due to injury, mainstay captain Bradley Bourgeois made his return to the pitch for FC Tulsa. The defender came on for Kevin Garcia in the second half, logging 29 minutes as head coach Michael Nsien eased Bourgeois back into action.
Despite the limited minutes, Bourgeois made an impact, creating one chance and converting a pass percentage at 92%.
2) Still in 3rd Place in the Central Division
Despite dropping its last two matches, FC Tulsa is still in a good place in the standings as the end of summer approaches. Tulsa still holds a USL Championship Playoff spot and has the second-best conversion rate in USL.
The return of Joaquín Rivas to the team this week, coming off a two-goal performance tonight for El Salvador, will also boost a squad who has scored just one goal in its last 180 minutes.
3) FC Tulsa Makes TV History
Tonight marked the first time a regular season FC Tulsa match was broadcast on local network television. After 5,000+ fans represented FC Tulsa in its last home match at ONEOK Field, FOX23 shifted the match to its main network to allow more fans to watch the club on the road.
UP NEXT
FC Tulsa continues its road trip out east against Atlanta United 2 at 6:30 PM CT on Wednesday, July 28. The club will be looking to even up the season series after dropping the first match between the two at Fifth Third Bank Stadium back in May.
