Match Kicks Off From Louisville at 1 p.m. CT
TULSA – A 653-mile trip out East to take on one of the league’s best awaits FC Tulsa on Saturday afternoon as the team searches for its first road result of 2022 at the site of its last road result in 2021. The purple glow of Lynn Family Stadium will serve as the battleground between two former Central Division rivals as FC Tulsa takes on the Louisville City FC in bourbon country.
FC Tulsa fared well against the division winners last season, splitting the season series at two wins apiece via a road victory in the final matchup between the side in Louisville. With the backdrop of the USL Championship’s stadium jewel, Darío Suárez’s 20’ minute bender from outside the box stole FC Tulsa all three points on that September night last season.
Both clubs have seen a dip in form recently and Saturday will serve as a competitive testing ground to see which side can get back on track first. After earning points in each of its first 10 matches, LouCity has dropped three-straight across all competitions, for the first time since 2015, and lost its grip on the top spot in the East. Meanwhile, FC Tulsa is still looking for its first road points of the season and has dropped five of its last six matches.
Tulsa has not played a match since May 13 due to its scheduled run-out last weekend against Hartford Athletic being postponed to August 24 due to multiple positive COVID test results in the Tulsa camp. After a week of rest, recovery, and careful monitoring, FC Tulsa is ready to go and shake up the Eastern Conference table under the Kentucky sun.
Kickoff from Louisville is set for 1:00 p.m. CT.
SCOUTING LOUISVILLE CITY FC
Currently sitting at 2nd place in the Eastern Conference table with a 7W-2L-3D record, Louisville City FC was the only professional club in the United States without a loss until LA Galaxy 2 shocked the league on May 13, beating Louisville 4-3. LouCity followed up its performance with losses at home to last-place Monterey Bay last weekend and MLS side Nashville SC on Wednesday night in the U.S. Open Cup Round of 16. It’s the first time Louisville has dropped three consecutive league matches since the final three matches of its inaugural 2015 season.
With the league’s 2018 Golden Boot winner, Cameron Lancaster, missing much of the 2022 season due to an injury suffered in preseason, other players have had to step in offensively for Louisville in his absence, namely Wilson Harris. Harris leads the club with six goals, three assists, and 33 shots in 2022. The defense has been tremendous as well, conceding only 10 times through 12 matches, and goalkeeper Kyle Morton has seven clean sheets whilst conceding only six times in 11 matches.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW
1) Brian Brown Bags 40
Brian Brown’s first league goal with FC Tulsa against Orange County SC was also a career milestone for Brown – it was the 40th USL Championship goal (including playoffs) of his career. Fittingly, the assist was supplied by his roommate, Abuchi Obinwa, and was Obinwa’s first USL Championship assist in his career. When adding in Brown’s MLS, NASL, and Albanian goal totals, the forward has scored 52 times in his career across all competitions.
2) Joaquín Hits the Century Mark
Rivas’ start on May 13 marked his 100th career appearance for FC Tulsa across all competitions dating back to his time with the Roughnecks in 2017. An appearance against Louisville on Saturday afternoon would be his 93rd regular season USL Championship appearance for Tulsa over his four seasons.
3) Assists by Committee
After its match last weekend was postponed, FC Tulsa’s assist total slipped to the fifth best in the Eastern Conference at 13. What did not slip was the number of FC Tulsa players to log an assist – 11. Only one other club in the USL Championship has 11 players with an assist, and that club is Saturday’s opponent, Louisville City FC.
HOW TO WATCH
After a nice brunch and a mimosa or two, turn on the TV on Saturday to catch the 1 p.m. CT kickoff locally on My41 or stream the action on ESPN+. You can also give @FCTusla a follow on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for live updates and highlights throughout the match.
