TULSA — FC Tulsa head back on the road to take on San Antonio FC.
Standings: FC Tulsa enters the match with a record of 5W-6L-7D, ranking 10th in the Western Conference. San Antonio FC enters the match with a record of 5W-10L-5D, ranking 11th in the Western Conference.
FC Tulsa’s Last Match: FC Tulsa welcomed Indy Eleven to ONEOK Field Friday, July 26th. Midfielder Boubacar Diallo took FC Tulsa’s first corner kick of the night, but the attempt did not result in any goals on the scoreboard. After a slow first half where possession was split almost equally, FC Tulsa held the majority of the possession throughout the second half, maintaining 58.1% possession. The newest addition to FC Tulsa, Midfielder Faysal Bettache, made his FC Tulsa debut after coming in as a sub at the 66th minute mark. Yellow cards were shown continuously throughout the match, with three being given to FC Tulsa, and three going to Indy Eleven. Forward Phillip Goodrum came close to making his second diving header of the season, but Indy Eleven’s goalkeeper quickly put a stop to his last-minute effort. FC Tulsa created several chances in both halves, and the defensive side held off Indy Eleven from scoring throughout the entirety of the match. The match ended in a 0-0 draw, FC Tulsa’s 7th of the season.
Last Match-Up Against San Antonio: Diogo Pacheco shines in first USL Championship start, FC Tulsa earned first home win. The action was slow to build throughout the first half, with possession being passed back and forth between the teams. FC Tulsa had 52 percent possession in the half. Both sides had several chances, but none were converted to goals. San Antonio FC took a shot from a corner kick in the 39th minute that resulted in a goal for the visitors, but was ultimately called offside. The action picked up quickly at the start of the second half. Forward Diogo Pacheco saw his opportunity and took it. Owen Damm gained possession of the ball and sent it down the field to Diogo Pacheco, who put it into the net for an FC Tulsa goal in the 53rd minute, the team’s first in five matches and Diogo’s first goal of the season. Pacheco was on a roll for his first USL Championship start, doubling the score for FC Tulsa with a beautiful header off of a corner kick from Midfielder Milo Yosef not even 10 minutes later. An advance was made from San Antonio FC shortly after, but Goalkeeper Michael Creek stopped the shot with yet another one of his impressive saves. San Antonio FC later reduced the scoring deficit after Midfielder Jorge Hernandez made a goal for the visitors in the 90th minute. After five additional minutes of stoppage time with no new goals on the board, FC Tulsa claimed a 2-1 victory.
Players to Watch: FC Tulsa’s players to watch are Goalkeeper Johan Peñaranda and Midfielder Faysal Bettache. Peñaranda joined the club in June on a 25 day contract due to injury, but the club decided to sign him for the rest of the 2024 season. He has started in the last 6 matches. Since signing with FC Tulsa, he has four clean sheets and was just nominated for USL Championship Player of the Month for July. Faysal Bettache is FC Tulsa’s newest addition coming to the club via transfer from MLS NextPro side Tacoma Defiance. Bettache came in as a sub verse Indy Eleven last week and played 24 minutes in his FC Tulsa debut. Faysal looks to find his footing with his new team and be able to make an impact.
San Antonio FC’s player to watch is Forward Juan Agudelo. Agudelo leads San Antonio FC in goals as well as shots. He has seven goals from 28 shots in 18 appearances.
Up Next: FC Tulsa returns home to ONEOK Field on Friday, August 9th at 7:30 p.m to take on Orange County SC. It is Dollar Beer Section Night so don’t miss out. For tickets, visit fctulsa.com/tickets.
