November. November brings with it orange leaves falling from the trees, perfect sweater weather, and families coming together on the fourth Thursday of the month to give thanks. For players and fans of the USL Championship, we give thanks for another special moment we have been waiting for since April – the Playoffs.
After seven months of a grueling season and with the final weekend of matches having concluded, the official USL Championship Playoffs bracket has been finalized. Eight clubs from the Eastern Conference and eight clubs from the Western Conference will represent the League going forward, annulling any autumn aspirations for 15 other clubs. The Central Division will be matching up with the Atlantic Division until a champion emerges to take on the Western Conference’s equivalent. The Playoffs structure is as follows:
#1 Central Division vs #4 Atlantic Division
#2 Central Division vs #3 Atlantic Division
#1 Atlantic Division vs #4 Central Division
#2 Atlantic Division vs # 3 Central Division
With the respective clubs plugged into the above formula, next weekend will look like this:
Louisville City vs The Miami FC (November 6 at 7 p.m. CT)
Birmingham Legion FC vs Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (November 7 at 4 p.m. CT)
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs FC Tulsa (November 6 at 6:30 p.m. CT)
Charlotte Independence vs Memphis 901 FC (November 6 at 6 p.m. CT)
It has been a rollercoaster of a season for FC Tulsa, but it has been one defined by resilience and determination as FC Tulsa’s never-give-up attitude has earned it a spot in the Playoffs for the second consecutive season. One word has been used over and over again by FC Tulsa players and coaches when reflecting on their season – streaky.
FC Tulsa started the season winning three straight matches before promptly losing the next three, an omen for the rest of the season. Through the end of July through the beginning of August, the club would lose four consecutive matches. Then at the end of August, FC Tulsa rattled off five straight wins, including wins over each of the three clubs that ended up finishing above it in the Central Division. As if on cue, the club followed up its five-match win streak with six matches in which it did not win once.
However, the season was capped off with an all-important win over OKC Energy on October 30 in the regular season finale. FC Tulsa successfully defended the Wrench for the first time in club history in front of the loudest crowd of the season on a chilly night at ONEOK Field. The club prepared for the Black Gold Derby’s 2021 conclusion match as if it was a playoff match itself. Riding off the momentum and confidence gained from its most recent result, FC Tulsa is ready to take on perhaps the best the USL Championship has to offer and 202’s Eastern Conference winners – The Tampa Bay Rowdies.
Since its first match to the 2021 campaign, Tampa Bay has either held sole possession of the top spot in the Atlantic or at least been tied with either Miami or Pittsburgh for the most points. Either way, the Rowdies have only ever fallen out of first due to tiebreakers, not because it had fewer points than another club. The defense of Tampa Bay has proved suffocating in 2021, while its offense is no slouch either.
Tampa Bay finished the 2021 regular season conceding only 23 goals over 32 matches, eight fewer than the next best club in the League. The Rowdies’ 15 clean sheets were the most in the USL Championship as well, meaning it shut out is opponent in nearly 50% of its matches played this season. At home, Tampa Bay went 13W-2L-1D, only conceding 10 times in 16 matches and came away with eight clean sheets. From August 13 through September 18, the Rowdies shut out their opponent eight straight times for a USL Championship record 894 straight minutes without conceding. For his efforts, goalkeeper Even Louro was awarded the 2021 Golden Glove, the League’s award for the keeper with the lowest goals against average.
However, the offensive numbers mirror those of FC Tulsa’s this season. Tampa Bay only scored six more goals this season than FC Tulsa did, 55 to 46. FC Tulsa only trails the Rowdies in shooting accuracy by one-tenth of a point, posting a 49.30% shooting accuracy pct. compared to Tampa Bay’s 49.40%. FC Tulsa’s 17.40% conversion rate this season beats Tampa Bay’s 16.70% conversion rate, suggesting FC Tulsa’s offense has the edge when it comes to doing more with less.
A 32-match season presents an arduous, backbreaking seven months of physical and mental challenges that is sure to test the full roster of a USL Championship club. FC Tulsa’s squad certainly experienced its fair share of wear-and-tear but appears to be getting healthy at just the right time. Sustained injuries included those to Darío Suárez, Eric Bird, Sean Lewis, and Avionne Flanagan while other crucial players missed time as well such as Joaquín Rivas, Jorge Corrales, Matt Sheldon, Mo Jadama, and others. However, the club appears to be getting healthy at just the right time as every player mentioned has appeared in at least one of the club’s final two matches except for Eric Bird and Sean Lewis.
New faces were forced into the Starting XI for head coach Micheal Nsien and have impressed with an increase in minutes. Early acquisitions such as goalkeeper Austin Wormell and Kembo Kibato along with mid-season pickups such as Jason Johnson, Johnny Fenwick, and Avionne Flanagan have all become vital to the roster and culture of FC Tulsa.
To be a champion, it takes heart to compete, determination to forge ahead, and confidence to embody the “next man up” mentality. FC Tulsa has proved time and time again that it possesses all three of these characteristics. Its reward? Possessing a spot in the USL Championship Playoffs. Once you get in, anything can happen, including slaying a giant in the first round. Who doesn’t love a good David vs. Goliath story?
Give us Saturday. Give us November.
November. November brings with it orange leaves falling from the trees, perfect sweater weather, and families coming together on the fourth Thursday of the month to give thanks. For players and fans of the USL Championship, we give thanks for another special moment we have been waiting for since April – the Playoffs.
After seven months of a grueling season and with the final weekend of matches having concluded, the official USL Championship Playoffs bracket has been finalized. Eight clubs from the Eastern Conference and eight clubs from the Western Conference will represent the League going forward, annulling any autumn aspirations for 15 other clubs. The Central Division will be matching up with the Atlantic Division until a champion emerges to take on the Western Conference’s equivalent. The Playoffs structure is as follows:
#1 Central Division vs #4 Atlantic Division
#2 Central Division vs #3 Atlantic Division
#1 Atlantic Division vs #4 Central Division
#2 Atlantic Division vs # 3 Central Division
With the respective clubs plugged into the above formula, next weekend will look like this:
Louisville City vs The Miami FC (November 6 at 7 p.m. CT)
Birmingham Legion FC vs Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (November 7 at 4 p.m. CT)
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs FC Tulsa (November 6 at 6:30 p.m. CT)
Charlotte Independence vs Memphis 901 FC (November 6 at 6 p.m. CT)
It has been a rollercoaster of a season for FC Tulsa, but it has been one defined by resilience and determination as FC Tulsa’s never-give-up attitude has earned it a spot in the Playoffs for the second consecutive season. One word has been used over and over again by FC Tulsa players and coaches when reflecting on their season – streaky.
FC Tulsa started the season winning three straight matches before promptly losing the next three, an omen for the rest of the season. Through the end of July through the beginning of August, the club would lose four consecutive matches. Then at the end of August, FC Tulsa rattled off five straight wins, including wins over each of the three clubs that ended up finishing above it in the Central Division. As if on cue, the club followed up its five-match win streak with six matches in which it did not win once.
However, the season was capped off with an all-important win over OKC Energy on October 30 in the regular season finale. FC Tulsa successfully defended the Wrench for the first time in club history in front of the loudest crowd of the season on a chilly night at ONEOK Field. The club prepared for the Black Gold Derby’s 2021 conclusion match as if it was a playoff match itself. Riding off the momentum and confidence gained from its most recent result, FC Tulsa is ready to take on perhaps the best the USL Championship has to offer and 202’s Eastern Conference winners – The Tampa Bay Rowdies.
Since its first match to the 2021 campaign, Tampa Bay has either held sole possession of the top spot in the Atlantic or at least been tied with either Miami or Pittsburgh for the most points. Either way, the Rowdies have only ever fallen out of first due to tiebreakers, not because it had fewer points than another club. The defense of Tampa Bay has proved suffocating in 2021, while its offense is no slouch either.
Tampa Bay finished the 2021 regular season conceding only 23 goals over 32 matches, eight fewer than the next best club in the League. The Rowdies’ 15 clean sheets were the most in the USL Championship as well, meaning it shut out is opponent in nearly 50% of its matches played this season. At home, Tampa Bay went 13W-2L-1D, only conceding 10 times in 16 matches and came away with eight clean sheets. From August 13 through September 18, the Rowdies shut out their opponent eight straight times for a USL Championship record 894 straight minutes without conceding. For his efforts, goalkeeper Even Louro was awarded the 2021 Golden Glove, the League’s award for the keeper with the lowest goals against average.
However, the offensive numbers mirror those of FC Tulsa’s this season. Tampa Bay only scored six more goals this season than FC Tulsa did, 55 to 46. FC Tulsa only trails the Rowdies in shooting accuracy by one-tenth of a point, posting a 49.30% shooting accuracy pct. compared to Tampa Bay’s 49.40%. FC Tulsa’s 17.40% conversion rate this season beats Tampa Bay’s 16.70% conversion rate, suggesting FC Tulsa’s offense has the edge when it comes to doing more with less.
A 32-match season presents an arduous, backbreaking seven months of physical and mental challenges that is sure to test the full roster of a USL Championship club. FC Tulsa’s squad certainly experienced its fair share of wear-and-tear but appears to be getting healthy at just the right time. Sustained injuries included those to Darío Suárez, Eric Bird, Sean Lewis, and Avionne Flanagan while other crucial players missed time as well such as Joaquín Rivas, Jorge Corrales, Matt Sheldon, Mo Jadama, and others. However, the club appears to be getting healthy at just the right time as every player mentioned has appeared in at least one of the club’s final two matches except for Eric Bird and Sean Lewis.
New faces were forced into the Starting XI for head coach Micheal Nsien and have impressed with an increase in minutes. Early acquisitions such as goalkeeper Austin Wormell and Kembo Kibato along with mid-season pickups such as Jason Johnson, Johnny Fenwick, and Avionne Flanagan have all become vital to the roster and culture of FC Tulsa.
To be a champion, it takes heart to compete, determination to forge ahead, and confidence to embody the “next man up” mentality. FC Tulsa has proved time and time again that it possesses all three of these characteristics. Its reward? Possessing a spot in the USL Championship Playoffs. Once you get in, anything can happen, including slaying a giant in the first round. Who doesn’t love a good David vs. Goliath story?
Give us Saturday. Give us November.
