The First Open Cup Match of the FC Tulsa Era Kicks Off Tomorrow Night
TULSA – The 107th edition of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup comes to ONEOK Field on Tuesday night as FC Tulsa hosts NPSL side Tulsa Athletic in the Second Round. It will be the first “Tulsa Derby,” pitting the city’s men’s professional club against its amateur team for the right to advance in the Open Cup.
It will be the first time FC Tulsa has played in the Open Cup in the new era of the club after the tournament took a two-year hiatus in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19. With new rules in 2022 that places the majority of MLS teams into the tournament in the Third Round, a win for FC Tulsa on Tuesday night could mean a competitive matchup against a top division foe.
Kickoff for Tuesday’s match is at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are available in advance for just $8.
SCOUTING TULSA ATHLETIC
Competing in the 4th division of the U.S. Soccer pyramid in the NPSL, Tulsa Athletic qualified for the 2022 Open Cup due to the team’s runner-up finish in the NPSL Finals last season. Athletic advanced past the First Round of the tournament courtesy of a 3-0 win over local qualifier Azteca FC on March 23.
The Tulsa Athletic Open Cup roster for its win over Azteca FC consisted primarily of locally-based former college players with a handful of current college athletes. Captain and midfielder Joe Garcia leads Athletic offensively with 18 goals over the last three seasons. Formerly a college player at Northeastern St., Garcia, now 26, was a two-time Div. II All-American. He scored one of the goals in Athletic’s First Round victory.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW
1) Importance of Tulsa Derby
This is a matchup that many Tulsa Athletic fans have been waiting years for – a chance to play against the city’s professional team. That is the beauty of the U.S. Open Cup, a chance for lower league teams to play against bigger and better opposition. With a win on Tuesday night, FC Tulsa could get that same opportunity in the following rounds, either hosting or traveling to an MLS opponent. Both teams being in Tulsa heightens the stakes even more with FC Tulsa wanting to establish its place at the peak of Tulsa soccer.
2) FC Tulsa Squad Selection
With weekend USL Championship matches sandwiching this midweek Open Cup affair, FC Tulsa head coach Michael Nsien will have to balance minutes throughout the week. Several key FC Tulsa players played 45 minutes or less in Saturday’s win over New York Red Bulls II including forwards Brian Brown, Joaquín Rivas, Darío Suárez and Machuca, midfielders Eric Bird and Kembo Kibato and defenders Jorge Corrales, Matheus Silva and Ronald Rodríguez. Coach Nsien will have plenty of options available for Tuesday.
3) Home Winning Streak
FC Tulsa has been dominant at home so far in 2022 with three wins in three matches and five in-a-row dating back to October of 2021. Tuesday night will also be the first Open Cup match at ONEOK Field since May 27, 2015 when the Tulsa Roughnecks fell to OKC Energy FC 1-0 in the Third Round of the tournament. FC Tulsa fans will be hosting this opportunity at ONEOK goes differently than the first.
HOW TO WATCH
Tickets to the Open Cup match are available, starting at only $8 if purchased in advance and $10 on matchday.
The match will also be available to stream on ESPN+, and FC Tulsa will post match updates on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. CT.
