FC Tulsa on the Brink of a Seven-Match Home Win Streak
TULSA – A week ago, FC Tulsa’s three home matches in eight days seemed like it could be a daunting stretch. However, the Golden Boys now have a chance to turn all three matches into three wins as FC Tulsa hosts Pittsburgh Riverhounds on Saturday afternoon. The ‘Hounds and Tulsa will be a clash between No. 2 and No. 3 teams in the Eastern Conference standings – an early season measuring stick for both sides jockeying to be amongst the USL Championship’s elite.
Riding a franchise-best six straight wins at ONEOK Field, dating back to October of 2021, and coming off a Second Round victory in the U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday, FC Tulsa matches up with the Riverhounds, the club one point above Tulsa in the standings. The sides lead the East in goals scored with eight apiece, albeit Pittsburgh achieving the mark in one fewer match.
The meeting will be the first between Tulsa and Pittsburgh and tickets are available for the match here. Due to the afternoon kickoff, there will not be fireworks following the match, but the match itself is sure to provide plenty on firepower.
Kickoff from ONEOK is slated for 1 p.m. CT.
SCOUTING PITTSBURGH RIVERHOUNDS SC
Lilley-Ball hits ONEOK on Saturday. Legendary USL coach Bob Lilley, whose teams are known for stingy defense, has not missed the USL Championship Playoffs in his last eight seasons as a head coach. Under his tutelage, Pittsburgh has finished in the Top-3 in fewest goals allowed in each of the last four seasons, leading that category in both 2018 and 2020.
Riverhounds SC has been extremely tough to beat, not losing a competitive match on the pitch since October 2, 2021 when the club was forced to forfeit its First Round playoff match versus Birmingham Legion FC last season due to a teamwide COVID-19 outbreak just days before the match. Led up front by habitual goal-scorer Russell Cicerone and the USL Championship’s all-time assist leader Kenardo Forbes, Pittsburgh is just as dangerous on offense as it is suffocating on defense.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW
1) Home Sweet Home
Following its league victory over New York Red Bulls II last Saturday and its U.S. Open Cup win over Tulsa Athletic on Tuesday, FC Tulsa’s current home win streak has climbed to six straight dating back to 2021. It’s the longest winning streak at home in franchise history, passing the club’s previous best of four last season from August 7 to September 8 when Tulsa registered consecutive USL Championship wins over Birmingham Legion FC, Memphis 901 FC, Atlanta United 2 and Indy Eleven.
2) A Few Firsts
In its Open Cup match on Tuesday vs the NPSL’s Tulsa Athletic, forward Brian Brown and defender Ronald Rodríguez each scored their first goals as members of FC Tulsa. Newcomer Abuchi Obinwa played the full 90 minutes for Tulsa, his first action for the club. In addition, Academy midfielder Aimar Membrila was subbed on for FC Tulsa in the 79’ minute, making Membrila the first player in FC Tulsa history to make a competitive appearance for the club while signed to an Academy contract.
3) Elite Ball Movement
FC Tulsa has excelled this season in ball distribution and scoring off assists. The club is eighth in total passes in the USL Championship and six of Tulsa’s eight goals have been assisted this season. Only three clubs in the league have more assists than FC Tulsa, and five players have registered assists for the club – Petar Čuić has two while Joaquín Rivas, Darío Suárez, Gabi Torres, and Lebo Moloto each have one. Čuić is one of only 20 players in the league with multiple assists this season.
HOW TO WATCH
Of course, the best way to get the full FC Tulsa matchday experience is to watch the match in person at ONEOK Field. Tickets purchased in advance come with a price tag of $5 less than tickets at the gate.
Fans can also catch every FC Tulsa match locally over the air on My41 through the club’s partnership with Fox23. Matches can also be streamed digitally on ESPN+.
Follow @FCTulsa on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for all in-game highlights, updates and stats throughout matchday.
