FC Tulsa Gets its First Taste of 2022 Match Action on Thursday Night
TUCSON, Ariz. – After a pre-5 a.m. wakeup call and two morning flights heading West, FC Tulsa has arrived in Tucson, Ariz. for a five-day preseason getaway that will include warm weather, grass fields, and spectacular views of the Arizona desert and mountains. It will also include the club’s first two official preseason matches of 2022, a Thursday evening tilt against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC and a Sunday morning contest against Oakland Roots SC.
That means we are approaching just 24 hours until kickoff of a competitive FC Tulsa match in 2022. You are almost there!
As always, your friendly neighborhood FC Tulsa content team will provide you with the lowdown from this week’s matches. However, it’s good to keep in mind that this is the preseason – all results, good or bad, are ultimately forgotten once the regular season begins.
Kickoff from Tucson is slated for 5 p.m. CT on Thursday night.
SCOUTING COLORADO SPRINGS
First up in Arizona is Colorado Springs, whom FC Tulsa has not played since the final regular season match of the 2020 campaign – a 2-0 playoff clinching victory for Tulsa at ONEOK Field. In that match, Rodrigo da Costa had a goal and an assist as FC Tulsa coasted against an underwhelming Switchbacks FC side that managed 0 shots on target over the 90 minutes.
Times have changed in Colorado.
Last season, under new head coach Brendan Burke and competing in a new soccer specific stadium, Colorado Springs made the postseason for the first time since 2016, finishing third in the Mountain Division and with the 5th best overall record amongst Western Conference teams. They have added some big USL Championship names to their squad this offseason including forward Kharlton Belmar, midfield Cam Lindley, defender Macca King and keeper Jeff Caldwell.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW
1) Switchbacks Switched Up
When we say that the Switchbacks are a totally different team than they were two years ago, we mean it. Not a single player remains from its 2020 roster that FC Tulsa played against. In fact, the only player who will suit up in Thursday’s preseason match between the sides who played for Colorado Springs in 2020 is Adrián Diz Pe, who now plays for Tulsa. In comparison to Colorado Springs’ lack of continuity from 2020 to 2022, FC Tulsa has seven players on its roster this season who are in their third or more year with the club.
2) Reigning MVP & Golden Boot Winner
Colorado Springs boasts the top offensive player from the league last season in forward Hadji Barry who scored 25 goals in 2021, tying a single season league record. He added on five assists in his 32 matches and took home several league accolades including the league’s Golden Boot, its MVP award and a place on the All-League First Team. Barry averaged a goal every 115 minutes he played as the Guinean bagged over 40% of the Switchbacks goals in 2021. He will prove a challenging initial test for the remade FC Tulsa defense.
3) FC Tulsa Position Battles
There is no better way to make a good impression in preseason camp than showing out in matches. FC Tulsa head coach Michael Nsien will have tough decisions at several different spots on the pitch due to the additions made to the roster this offseason. No position group has been spoken about more so far in preseason than the defense, which Nsien has said needs to improve in both consistency and physicality in 2022. Against a lethal Switchbacks FC attack, FC Tulsa’s backline will have the chance to show its up to the task.
HOW TO FOLLOW
There will be no stream of the match, but FC Tulsa will be providing live updates on its social media handles and will have highlights following the match. Be sure to follow @FCTulsa on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and download the FC Tulsa App to get all of the info about tomorrow’s preseason contest.
