Goals from Yosef, Goodrum Pave the Way to Tulsa’s 5th in a Row
Goals from Yosef, Goodrum Pave the Way to Tulsa’s 5th in a Row
TULSA – FC Tulsa tied the longest win streak in franchise history on Friday night with its 2-1 win over Rio Grande Valley FC Toros in front of the home fans, something the ONEOK faithful witnessed three times over the past two weeks. Early goals from Milo Yosef and Phillip Goodrum created a sufficient cushion to fend off a depleted RGV unit for the rest of the evening as FC Tulsa stayed red hot to conclude the homestand.
FC Tulsa had opened the scoring first in each of the four matches during its current win streak, and Friday night was no different. A gorgeous cross sent in from Adam Armour on the left side fell to a wide-open Milo Yosef across the pitch, 12 yards from the goalkeeper. Phillip Goodrum drew two defenders, leaving nobody to cover Yosef at the back post and the German wing-back made them pay.
The goal marked Yosef’s third of the season and the first since FC Tulsa’s home opener on March 25 and the occasion was celebrated by the whole club walking with fictitious canes while clutching their backs, a celebration Yosef credited to defender Angel Bernal following the match.
Feeling the momentum, FC Tulsa doubled its lead in the 31′ minute when the man in scorching form, Phillip Goodrum, was pulled down inside the box and awarded a penalty kick. The RGV defender in question was shown his second yellow card of the match on the play, dropping his side down to 10 men with lots of soccer left to go.
As he did twice prior, Goodrum calmly took his place behind the ball, stared the keeper in the eyes, and floated his panenka right down the heart of the goal as the keeper dove to his right. The goal marked Goodrum’s seventh score of the season in just his 10th Tulsa match as the lead grew to 2-0.
Tulsa continued to make the visitors chase in the second half, hoarding nearly 60% of the possession and forcing RGV to chase while down a man.
Despite FC Tulsa dictating the action, RGV managed to sneak one past Michael Nelson in the 74′ minute following a brilliant service into the box. The opposition continued to build on its goal over the next several minutes and, although never testing Nelson again, looked more dangerous than it did over the first 70+ minutes of play.
Its momentum came to a screeching halt moments later when another RGV man was flashed a straight red card for a kick to Goodrum’s head and the numbers dwindled further for the Texas club.
Down two men and desperate, long balls poured in unsuccessfully from the Toros as FC Tulsa claimed all three points for the fifth consecutive time.
The active win streak is now tied for the longest in club history, and FC Tulsa has the chance to make history next Saturday at Tampa Bay Rowdies.
In addition, Tulsa leapfrogged yet another Eastern Conference opponent to claim sole possession of sixth place in the standings, trailing a home playoff spot by just two points.
UP NEXT
FC Tulsa has a trip to Florida in store when it travels to take on Tampa Bay Rowdies on Saturday, July 29 at 6:30 p.m. CT with a chance to set the longest win streak in club history.
GOALS
7′ TUL – Milo Yosef (assist: Adam Armour)
31′ TUL – Phillip Goodrum (PK)
74′ RVG – Juan Galindrez (assist: Christiano Francois)
LINEUPS
FC Tulsa: Nelson, Ruxi, Tetteh, Malou, Armour, McCabe, Bird, Yosef, Epps, Dyer, Goodrum (Subs used: Haji, Fernandez)
RGV FC Toros: Deric, Nodarse, Pimentel, Ackwei, Davila, Coronado, Ritondale, Ricketts, Pinzón, Cabrera, Lopez (Subs used: Benítez, Galindrez, Ruiz, Francois, Cerro)
