Standings:
FC Tulsa enters the match with a record of 7W-9L-10D, ranking 8th in the Western Conference. Las Vegas Lights FC enters the match with a record of 19W-5L-2D, ranking 1st in the Eastern Conference. Louisville is the only team in the USL Championship to clinch a playoff spot so far this season.
FC Tulsa’s Last Match:
Milo Yosef’s 26th birthday came with an extra present Wednesday as his goal in the 37th minute helped FC Tulsa to a 1-1 draw against Las Vegas Lights FC. With the result, head coach Mario Sanchez and FC Tulsa pushed to 7-9-10 (31 points) while Las Vegas Lights FC moved to 10-8-9 (39 points) to slot eighth and sixth in the Western Conference, respectively. “I give the guys all the credit, because we came up with a game plan and they executed really well,” Sanchez said. “You could see in the last 15 or so, we started to fade, and they brought on some new subs. You always want three points, but a point is huge, especially in conference. “It keeps us in eighth place and gives us a little momentum heading into Saturday night, really proud of the guys.” The match opened with a teaser for FC Tulsa as forward Aaron Bibout nailed a volley shot in the sixth minute, only to be disallowed on an offside call. Las Vegas Lights FC crept into the conversation one minute later as Khori Bennett launched a shot from the right side of the penalty area before being blocked by Johan Peñaranda. Jean-Claude Ngando took a running attempt from the center of the 18-yard box but overshot the goal. Following a 10-minute shot drought, FC Tulsa collected yellow cards in the 30th and 34th minute, with Boubacar Diallo and Harvey St Clair notching them. FC Tulsa strung together two highlights in the 36th and 37th minute – etching the scoreboard in the process. Opening the sequence, defender Alexis Souahy logged a spectacular block, posting a header to the top crossbar to hold Ngando off the board. The sequence came off of a Ngando dribble which took Peñaranda out of the box, leaving Souahy to take his place. “I think it was just instincts,” Souahy said. “I read the shot and I tried my best to make it bigger on the goal line. Luckily, I had a bit of help with the crossbar.” Yosef marked the opening goal a minute later as Faysal Bettache butted into a Las Vegas throw-in, sounding a left-footed cross into the box for Yosef’s tap-in. The goal marked Yosef’s second in USL Championship competition this season, both being against Las Vegas, while Bettache added his first assist in league play. “It was a relief,” Yosef said. “It felt great to be honest. I was trying to focus on what I can control, go out there, have fun and enjoy it again.” “It’s my birthday. I had a phone call with my mom this morning. She manifested it. She said I would score today, so that goal was for her.” Bibout flirted with a pair of shot attempts in the early portion of the second half, missing a header to the left of the goal before missing on a cross attempt. In five matches with FC Tulsa, the forward has generated 12 shot attempts. Las Vegas Lights FC midfielder Coleman Gannon plugged in off the bench for the equalizer in the 78th minute.
Last Match-Up Against Louisville City FC:
The two squads last faced off on August 4, 2023. FC Tulsa will want to quickly put Friday night in the rearview mirror following a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Louisville City FC, a result that split the season series with the reigning Eastern Conference champions with one win each. FC Tulsa commanded the attention of LouCity early by creating three quality chances inside the first eight minutes. Moses Dyer threatened twice with two early efforts, and Phillip Goodrum was pulled down inside the box with plenty of contact. Despite the appeals from a grounded Goodrum and his teammates, the referee insisted that play resume. Despite FC Tulsa looking the more dangerous side, the visitors found the back of the net first in the 31′ minute. Back-to-back tackle attempts put in by FC Tulsa unluckily resulted in bounces directly to Louisville feet, and a final desperation pass by Cameron Lancaster into a sea of bodies miraculously found Sean Totsch at the back post for the opener. Both clubs finished the first half even with seven shots apiece, FC Tulsa with 58% of the possession, but Louisville City leading the scoreline 1-0. After a quiet first 13 minutes to begin the second half of play, Cameron Lancaster doubled Louisville’s lead in the 58′ minute following an FC Tulsa turnover deep within its own half. As FC Tulsa threw numbers forward and implemented substitutions to bolster the attack, LouCity managed to counter in the 80′ minute with Wilson Harris going the distance and accounting for his side’s third of the evening. Tulsa’s loss ended the club’s four-match win streak at ONEOK Field while also serving as the club’s second consecutive 3-0 loss after stringing together five straight wins previously.
Players to Watch:
FC Tulsa’s players to watch this match are Forward Aaron Bibout and Defender Alexis Souahy. Bibout was acquired midseason by FC Tulsa on loan from MLS Next Pro side Ventura County FC. He scored his first goal with FC Tulsa against Detroit and has some good looks in the matches since but is still looking for his second goal of the season. Souahy made a phenomenal goal line save in the match on Wednesday night that earned him Save of the Match. He has scored two goals in the match against New Mexico United on August 14th and has been a staple of the Tulsa defense this season.
Louisville City FC’s players to watch this match are Forward Wilson Harris and Forward Phillip Goodrum. Harris leads Louisville City FC in goals with 16 and shots with 52. Harris is also second in the Golden Boot race behind Charleston Battery’s Nicholas Markanich. FC Tulsa fans are familiar with Goodrum. He joined Louisville City FC after they triggered a clause in his contract. Louisville paid a league record for Goodrum to join their squad. Since joining Louisville City he has one goal in four matches played.
Up Next:
FC Tulsa are back on the road for the next two matches. First, they head to Rhode Island on Saturday, September 21st at 6:30pm. Then they’ll head to Oakland on Sunday, September 29th at 5pm. The club is hosting watch parties for both of these away matches at Cabin Boys Brewpub in Downtown Tulsa. FC Tulsa returns to ONEOK Field on October 5th to kickoff the final month of the season. They take on El Paso Locomotive FC at 7:30pm for 80’s night and Roughnecks Shirt Giveaway. For tickets visit, fctulsa.com/single-match-tickets/
