FC Tulsa to Host Detroit City in its Inaugural Season Amidst Mayfest Festivities
TULSA – On Friday morning, FC Tulsa got a small victory when it learned its appeal of midfielder Lebo Moloto’s red card from Wednesday night’s match was unanimously supported by an Independent Review Panel. On Saturday night, FC Tulsa will aim for a victory on the ONEOK Field pitch to snap its four-match losing streak in USL Championship play.
It’s now been over a month since Tulsa won a league match, dating back to its 3-2 home win over New York Red Bulls II on April 2. Over this four-match losing streak, FC Tulsa has been outscored 12-5 and has led for a total of three minutes out of 360.
However, Wednesday’s road match provided hope. An early goal and more balanced play in the first 30 minutes seemed to have FC Tulsa on track to compete for a result at El Paso Locomotive FC. Then, Moloto’s red card significantly altered the match and forced to play a man down for nearly 60 minutes, Tulsa was unable to salvage a result.
FC Tulsa is due for a measure of good fortune on Saturday night when it returns home to play Detroit City FC in the teams’ first-ever meeting, presented by Bill Knight Lincoln. Detroit, a newcomer to the USL Championship in 2022, has been as hot as FC Tulsa has been cold. “Le Rouge” has won four league matches in a row and currently sits in second place in the Eastern Conference.
A large crowd is expected for the match as Mayfest will be occurring just outside the ONEOK Field gates in downtown. While FC Tulsa will serve as the Main Stage sponsor throughout the weekend for the city’s largest art festival, the team itself will be in the spotlight on Saturday, looking to break out of its month-long slump.
SCOUTING DETROIT CITY FC
Coming over to the USL Championship from NISA, a third-division professional league, little was expected of Detroit in its debut season. So far, it has blown those expectations out of the water with elite defense, enough scoring and the raucous and dedicated fanbase it has become known for in lower division soccer.
Allowing a meager four goals in eight matches, starting keeper Nathan Steinwascher leads a defense which ranks tied for fewest goals allowed so far in 2022. The team has not allowed more than a single goal in any match this season and has kept clean sheets in half of its matches.
With that level of defense, Le Rouge hasn’t needed to score many goals. Led by Antoine Hoppenot’s three tallies, Detroit has 12 goals this season which ranks just inside the top 10 in goals per 90. However, four of those came against an Atlanta United 2 team that finished the match with only nine men. In five of Detroit’s eight matches so far, the club has scored one or fewer goals.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW
1) Look to 2021
One doesn’t need to look too far back to find FC Tulsa’s last four-match losing streak. That came in July/August of 2021 when it suffered four straight losses to fall out of playoff position. FC Tulsa immediately turned things around, winning six of its next seven matches and cementing its spot as a playoff team. The same thing could happen in 2022 with four of the next seven matches at ONEOK Field including Saturday night’s showdown against Detroit.
2) JJ Making Them Pay
FC Tulsa center forward JJ Williams has scored five goals over his last five league matches and has been getting noticed across the league. With a Team of the Week award already under his belt this season, Williams was named a finalist this week for the USL Championship’s April Player of the Month award. He’s got stiff competition, but FC Tulsa fans can get him to the top by voting for him here.
3) Fun Inside an Out of ONEOK Field
It will be an exciting Saturday in downtown between FC Tulsa’s match and Mayfest. Here is a rundown of all of the fun…
- Mayfest starts at 11 a.m. Visit the FC Tulsa Main Stage at Guthrie Green to hear live music from local artists.
- The FC Tulsa booth at Mayfest will be located at the southeast corner of Guthrie Green, come see us and spin the Prize Wheel to win a FC Tulsa goodie!
- Pre-paid parking is available to all on Saturday in the “BOK Lot” located at the corner of Archer St. and Detroit Ave. (200 E. Archer St. for an exact address). Parking is $5 for the full day and the emailed receipt from purchase can be shown to the lot attendant for access. Purchase a spot here!
- Happy Hour at the FC Tulsa match goes from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the Scoreboard Bar. Domestics will be $4 and Crafts will be $6 for the full Happy Hour!
- The first 100 kids to enter the match at the main gate on Elgin Ave. will receive a Studio To-Go bag courtesy of ahha Tulsa! This is a take-home craft to get into the spirit of Mayfest!
- The PGA Championship’s Wanamaker Trophy will be on display at the FC Tulsa match. Fans will be able to get a photo with the trophy at the Party Platform starting at 6:30 p.m.
- FC Tulsa’s signature free Fireworks Show will immediately follow the match.
HOW TO WATCH
The best way to watch the match is to purchase a ticket! Starting at only $12 if purchased in advanced, FC Tulsa tickets offer the best value in Tulsa for fun and entertainment. Even better, stop by the FC Tulsa booth at Mayfest for a special ticket offer.
The match will also be broadcast on My41 and streamed nationally on ESPN+, and keep up date will all the action by following @FCTulsa on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
