TULSA – Back-to-back.
Those words haven’t applied to the postseason for Tulsa’s pro soccer team in the USL era until now. FC Tulsa officially clinched a second consecutive 2021 USL Championships Playoffs spot last night with its draw against Indy Eleven on Saturday evening.
While it’ll be the third Playoffs appearance in seven overall seasons for the Tulsa franchise, the club is 2-for-2 as “FC Tulsa” under the Craft brothers’ ownership and investment. In both seasons, FC Tulsa’s clinching was extra sweet as it also eliminated in-state rival OKC Energy FC from making the postseason each time.
The Historical Significance
Let’s step back and look at the big picture first.
The turnaround for this franchise has been nothing short of stunning over the last two years. Following the purchase of the club by J.W., Ryan and Kyle Craft at the tail-end of the 2019 season, the fortunes of Tulsa professional soccer have changed as much as the name and crest of the franchise.
From 2015-2019, the formerly named Tulsa Roughnecks FC went a combined 41W-81L-36D, losing more than half of its 158 matches. The team won just a quarter of its matches (26%) and made the playoffs just once in the five seasons (2017). The final two years of the Roughnecks were even more bleak as the team went 11W-35L-22D, winning only 16% of its matches over that stretch.
The last two seasons have been a completely different story. FC Tulsa is 19W-14L-12D and has won 42% of its matches with points earned via win or draw in 68% of matches. Much of that success has come in front of the home fans at ONEOK Field with a record of 12W-7L-4D in downtown Tulsa.
With that being said, ownership, management and technical staff have made clear from the restart of the franchise in 2019 that the on-field goals of FC Tulsa are bigger than just annual playoff appearances. Consistent winning and title contention on a yearly basis amidst packed crowds at ONEOK Field remain the expectation, but building a champion takes time, hard work and lessons learned from both triumph and defeat.
Two years in, however, the foundation for prolonged success is steadily being built in Tulsa.
What’s Left in 2021
FC Tulsa’s work in the regular season is far from done. While the club has achieved its first goal of clinching a Playoffs spot and has even higher aspirations when it comes to November results, it’s not quite time to close the book on this 2021 regular season campaign. Buckle in, the next 10 days are going to be a wild ride.
Third place in the Central Division in still very much in FC Tulsa’s reach. Third place over fourth place represents the difference between traveling to the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the first round, who boast the League’s best defense and second-best offense, or traveling to Pittsburgh, Miami, or Charlotte. All four playoff teams from the Atlantic Division present difficult matchups, so fans will want to stay locked in on FC Tulsa’s matchup with Memphis 901 FC on Wednesday night as seeding remains to be decided.
Since September, FC Tulsa and Memphis 901 have been engaged in the all-important battle for third place in the Division with FC Tulsa currently tied with Memphis at 44 points in the standings. The two shift their ongoing fight from the table to the pitch in Memphis on Wednesday in a match that could very well decide who goes where on the first weekend of November. Both clubs know the significance of the match and will have plenty to play for.
After FC Tulsa takes on Memphis in the middle of the week, fans of pro soccer across the state will get the match they have been waiting for since July – the Black Gold Derby. Rivals OKC Energy FC will come to town in a match that will be filled to the brim with emotion, passion, and rivalry. ONEOK Field will be packed and rocking with plenty of green shirts scattered among the sea of black and the fireworks will be poised for eruption just as the fans will be. The Wrench is on the line and FC Tulsa will defend its ownership of its trophy with everything it has. Everyone knows what is on the line in this rivalry and what it means to both cities. Despite being eliminated from Playoffs contention, OKC will not roll over in this clash and fans are in for an early treat on the eve of Halloween.
So yes, FC Tulsa has a has a lot to look forward to when it comes to November’s tourney. However, its work is far from complete here in October with the chance to top its club-record 46 points earned in its 2017 season and two of its biggest matches of the entire season slated during its final week.
What a season it has been, and it’s not over yet.
TULSA – Back-to-back.
Those words haven’t applied to the postseason for Tulsa’s pro soccer team in the USL era until now. FC Tulsa officially clinched a second consecutive 2021 USL Championships Playoffs spot last night with its draw against Indy Eleven on Saturday evening.
While it’ll be the third Playoffs appearance in seven overall seasons for the Tulsa franchise, the club is 2-for-2 as “FC Tulsa” under the Craft brothers’ ownership and investment. In both seasons, FC Tulsa’s clinching was extra sweet as it also eliminated in-state rival OKC Energy FC from making the postseason each time.
The Historical Significance
Let’s step back and look at the big picture first.
The turnaround for this franchise has been nothing short of stunning over the last two years. Following the purchase of the club by J.W., Ryan and Kyle Craft at the tail-end of the 2019 season, the fortunes of Tulsa professional soccer have changed as much as the name and crest of the franchise.
From 2015-2019, the formerly named Tulsa Roughnecks FC went a combined 41W-81L-36D, losing more than half of its 158 matches. The team won just a quarter of its matches (26%) and made the playoffs just once in the five seasons (2017). The final two years of the Roughnecks were even more bleak as the team went 11W-35L-22D, winning only 16% of its matches over that stretch.
The last two seasons have been a completely different story. FC Tulsa is 19W-14L-12D and has won 42% of its matches with points earned via win or draw in 68% of matches. Much of that success has come in front of the home fans at ONEOK Field with a record of 12W-7L-4D in downtown Tulsa.
With that being said, ownership, management and technical staff have made clear from the restart of the franchise in 2019 that the on-field goals of FC Tulsa are bigger than just annual playoff appearances. Consistent winning and title contention on a yearly basis amidst packed crowds at ONEOK Field remain the expectation, but building a champion takes time, hard work and lessons learned from both triumph and defeat.
Two years in, however, the foundation for prolonged success is steadily being built in Tulsa.
What’s Left in 2021
FC Tulsa’s work in the regular season is far from done. While the club has achieved its first goal of clinching a Playoffs spot and has even higher aspirations when it comes to November results, it’s not quite time to close the book on this 2021 regular season campaign. Buckle in, the next 10 days are going to be a wild ride.
Third place in the Central Division in still very much in FC Tulsa’s reach. Third place over fourth place represents the difference between traveling to the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the first round, who boast the League’s best defense and second-best offense, or traveling to Pittsburgh, Miami, or Charlotte. All four playoff teams from the Atlantic Division present difficult matchups, so fans will want to stay locked in on FC Tulsa’s matchup with Memphis 901 FC on Wednesday night as seeding remains to be decided.
Since September, FC Tulsa and Memphis 901 have been engaged in the all-important battle for third place in the Division with FC Tulsa currently tied with Memphis at 44 points in the standings. The two shift their ongoing fight from the table to the pitch in Memphis on Wednesday in a match that could very well decide who goes where on the first weekend of November. Both clubs know the significance of the match and will have plenty to play for.
After FC Tulsa takes on Memphis in the middle of the week, fans of pro soccer across the state will get the match they have been waiting for since July – the Black Gold Derby. Rivals OKC Energy FC will come to town in a match that will be filled to the brim with emotion, passion, and rivalry. ONEOK Field will be packed and rocking with plenty of green shirts scattered among the sea of black and the fireworks will be poised for eruption just as the fans will be. The Wrench is on the line and FC Tulsa will defend its ownership of its trophy with everything it has. Everyone knows what is on the line in this rivalry and what it means to both cities. Despite being eliminated from Playoffs contention, OKC will not roll over in this clash and fans are in for an early treat on the eve of Halloween.
So yes, FC Tulsa has a has a lot to look forward to when it comes to November’s tourney. However, its work is far from complete here in October with the chance to top its club-record 46 points earned in its 2017 season and two of its biggest matches of the entire season slated during its final week.
What a season it has been, and it’s not over yet.
