It’s a Rematch of the First Match of the FC Tulsa Era on Sunday
TULSA – It’s only three weeks into the season, but FC Tulsa has already traveled all the way across America. After a season opener on the East Coast against Charleston Battery, FC Tulsa will now make its way West to take on Sacramento Republic FC on Sunday, its first of two visits to California in 2022.
With a home win on Wednesday over San Diego Loyal SC, FC Tulsa already has taken care of an opponent on the south side of Cali and will now try to do the same to a team in the Bay Area. To bring three points back to Oklahoma and extend its winning streak to three, FC Tulsa will need to buck some history – Tulsa has never beaten Sacramento in 10 all-time meetings, going 0-8-2 since the club’s inception in 2015.
The last trip to Sac-town for FC Tulsa was promising, however. In the season opener of 2020, the final match before COVID-19 dramatically impacted the world, FC Tulsa went into Heart Health Park and against a sellout crowd pulled out a result with a 1-1 draw. It was the first-ever match of the FC Tulsa era and signaled to the rest of the USL Championship that Tulsa was now a contender.
In that 2020 opener, which now seems so long ago, keeper Sean Lewis made seven saves, limiting Sacramento to just one goal on 16 shots. After falling behind in the first half, FC Tulsa broke through the Republic FC defense in the 79’ minute as Lebo Moloto sent a line-breaking through-ball to the feet of Rodrigo da Costa who buried his opportunity.
All three players remain key pieces for FC Tulsa in 2022, but the talent around them has greatly increased, giving Tulsa more than just a puncher’s chance to secure all the points. Even without its Salvadoran duo of Joaquín Rivas and Ronald Rodríguez, FC Tulsa was able to stifle San Diego and earn a 1-0 home win, proving that it boasts the formidable depth to grind out results.
Kickoff on Sunday will be at 4 p.m. CT and the match will be available locally on My41.
SCOUTING SACRAMENTO
Sacramento is coming off its worst season since joining the USL Championship back in 2014, as the club failed to make the Playoffs for the first time, mustering an 8-12-12 record and only earning 36 points. Change was needed in the offseason, and head coach Mark Briggs delivered with several high-profile signings all over the pitch.
At keeper, Sacramento signed one of the best backstops in the league, Danny Vitiello out of Pittsburgh who had 14 clean sheets and a 2020 Golden Glove award in his two seasons with the Riverhounds. Defensively, Republic FC added former OKC Energy FC captain Conor Donovan and former Scottish first-division left back Jack Gurr. Republic FC made wholesale changes offensively, adding eight new players in the midfield and forward group alone. Among the newcomers are former Athletico Madrid winger Keko Gontán and Real Salt Lake striker Douglas Martinez, the two most valuable outfield players in the USL Championship according to Transfermarkt.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW
1) Defense will be Critical
FC Tulsa will have to put in a stellar defensive shift if it’s to earn a result on Sunday. Luckily, it will be able to take some notes from San Diego Loyal, who shut out Sacramento a week ago despite the Republic generating 18 shots, six on target. Many of those shots were low percentage, however, with Republic’s best look only generating 0.113 of xG (expected goals) as Sacramento relied on crosses and set pieces sent into the box for many of its opportunities. Sean Lewis and FC Tulsa’s backline have been in fine form in 2022 and will need to stay compact and organized against Sacramento’s offensive talent.
2) Squad Rotation
Sunday will be the third match in eight days for FC Tulsa, while Sacramento has had more than full week between matches. With players still rounding into match fitness, FC Tulsa head coach Michael Nsien might rotate some members of the Starting XI to keep legs fresh. Greater squad depth in 2022 has already allowed Nsien and his staff to make late-game substitutions to conserve precious minutes on key players. Over the last two matches players like Rodrigo da Costa, Brian Brown and Adrián Diz Pe have been able to get a breather near the end of matches.
3) Darío and Rodrigo
Already with goals in 2022, Darío Suárez and Rodrigo da Costa are clicking in the early stages of the season. Both players can score in bunches, and if FC Tulsa is to win on Sunday, it would be a good bet that one of FC Tulsa’s two top goalscorers from 2021 will be on the scoresheet. Combined, Suárez and da Costa have 34 goals for FC Tulsa since the start of 2020, 46% of the team’s total goals over that stretch. Both will look to keep their good weeks going with more goals on Sunday.
HOW TO WATCH
All FC Tulsa matches are broadcast locally on My41. Fans can tune in at 4 p.m. CT for kickoff or can stream that match on ESPN+ across the U.S.
Follow @FCTulsa on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for all in-game highlights, updates and stats throughout matchday.
