FC Tulsa’s Open Cup Run Comes to a Close Despite a Valiant Effort on the Road
FRISCO, Texas – The Cupset just wasn’t meant to be. FC Tulsa lost 2-1 on the road at FC Dallas in the Third Round of the U.S. Open Cup in a hard-fought 90 minutes of play at Toyota Stadium in Frisco on Tuesday night. An equalizing goal by captain Bradley Bourgeois gave Tulsa fans dreams of a Cinderella story, but the clock struck midnight early in the second half when Dallas scored the eventual winner.
“The players were on edge, they gave a lot and I think they deserve a lot of credit,” said FC Tulsa head coach Michael Nsien. “You see some of the guys that played 90’ were going nonstop and were spent after the match. It is hard to take moral victories because we are professionals and we are competitive people, but in terms of what game speed is supposed to look like, I think we’ve seen today what we expect from our players, and we just need that continuity now.
”The first good look for either side fell the way of FC Tulsa in the 29′ minute when a through ball from midfielder Lebo Moloto was perfectly placed to an onrushing Rodrigo da Costa. The Brazilian flicked the ball across the box to Joaquín Rivas, whose shot was parried away by a diving Jimmy Maurer, the Dallas keeper, at full stretch.
]Missing that chance quickly came back to bite Tulsa as Dallas earned a penalty just three minutes later when center-back Johnny Fenwick barrelled into the back of Dallas striker Francisco Jara inside the 18. After earning the penalty, Jara took it himself, sliding the ball down the middle as Sean Lewis dove to his right.
Ten minutes later, FC Tulsa equalized through captain Bradley Bourgeois. A bouncing ball in the box following a corner ended up at the feet of Bourgeois who turned and fired into the far side of the net. It was Bourgeois first goal of 2022 and first career Open Cup goal.
Dallas regained the lead early in the second half when a cross went the length of the box to Jader Obrian who jumped mid-stride and kneed the ball inside the far post.
Up a goal in the 72′ minute, FC Dallas brought on two of its heavy hitters, Designated Players Jesus Ferreira and Alan Velasco. Ferreira, a former loanee to Tulsa in 2018, is now in the mix to be the starting striker for the U.S. Men’s National Team in the 2022 World Cup, while Velasco is an up and coming Argentine winger whom Dallas spent millions to acquire from Independiente this offseason.
The infusion of talent took the sting out of the match as Dallas held on for the 2-1 win to end Tulsa’s Open Cup run.
1) CAPTAIN COMES THROUGH
Texas born and bred, FC Tulsa captain Bradley Bourgeois provided the highlight of the first half when he scored the equalizer from a scramble in front of the net for Bourgeois’ first career professional goal in his home state. In his career, Bourgeois has now scored goals as a defender in the USL Championship regular season, USL Championship Playoffs and U.S. Open Cup.
2) NO MORAL VICTORIES
Despite the loss, FC Tulsa played its best match in weeks, locking in for the full 90 minutes with sound defensive positioning and dangerous offense. Nsien mentioned that while there are no moral victories in professional soccer, Tuesday night’s match was one to build on heading back into USL Championship play for the rest of 2022. In particular, Tulsa’s head coach noted the effort and heart that was left on the pitch tonight.
3) BACK AT ONEOK FIELD
With losses in four of its last six matches, FC Tulsa needs to use its homefield advantage on Saturday to get back on track. It will be a tough task against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, who currently sit tied for second in the Western Conference. This will be the third match against a Western Conference team already in 2022 for FC Tulsa, with all three opponents sitting in the top six of the conference. Tulsa has won two of its last three meetings with Colorado Springs dating back to the start of the 2019 season.
UP NEXT
After more than a week on the road, FC Tulsa will finally head home on Wednesday morning from Dallas for a Saturday night match at ONEOK Field against Western Conference foes Colorado Springs. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. CT, and the match will be broadcast on My41 and ESPN+.
