Standings: FC Tulsa enters the match with a record of 7W-10L-10D, ranking 9th in the Western Conference. Rhode Island FC enters the match with a record of 8W-7L-13D, ranking 7th in the Eastern Conference.
FC Tulsa’s Last Match: With the result, head coach Mario Sanchez and FC Tulsa moved to 7-10-10 (31 points) to carry at least a share of eighth in the Western Conference while Louisville City FC moved to 20-5-2 (62 points), remaining atop the league table.
Possession was cut evenly through the first half, with FC Tulsa building upon its control throughout the segment. Goalkeeper Johan Peñaranda combatted three shot attempts in play, including a save against former FC Tulsa forward Phillip Goodrum in the 14th minute and a soaring save against Ray Serrano in the 26th minute, with his outstretched arm slipping the ball above the center crossbar. The stint included a pair of missed LouCity opportunities off of free kicks, with Rashid Tetteh and Bradley Bourgeois collecting yellow cards in the 12th and 29th minute, respectively. Louisville City FC struck the board in the 33rd minute as a Sean Totsch cross into the right edge of the box saw Jansen Wilson squeezing a low shot into the bottom-left corner. Aaron Bibout nearly notched the equalizer in the 61st minute, as a header attempt, generated off a corner kick, was stopped short by Damian Las. A similar story unfolded in the 88th minute, when a cross to Patrick Seagrist veered left of the goal. The second half saw FC Tulsa lead possession with a 61.9% cut while leading in expected goals, 0.4 to 0.27. Both sides also notched a pair of yellow cards in the second half, with Alexis Souahy (68’) and Harvey St Clair (70’) on the home side, while LouCity notched two with Elijah Wynder (54’) and Kyle Adams (83’) receiving cards.
Last Match-Up Against Rhode Island FC: This is the first matchup between the two sides as it is Rhode Island FC’s inaugural season.
Players to Watch: FC Tulsa’s players to watch this match are Midfielder Milo Yosef and Defender Alexis Souahy. Yosef scored FC Tulsa’s lone goal in the 1-1 draw against Las Vegas Lights FC last Wednesday. He was out against Louisville City FC with an injury but looks to get back on the scoresheet in Rhode Island this weekend. Yosef has two goals on eight shots. He has played in 24 matches this season, starting in eight of them. Souahy has been a staple of the FC Tulsa defense all season. He has started in 22 matches and has 3 goals, all coming from set pieces. He has 98 clearances, 28 blocks, 19 interceptions and 16 tackles. Souahy has only picked up 2 yellow cards this season and continues to be a leader on and off the field.
Rhode Island FC’s players to watch this match are Forwards Albert Dikwa and Noah Fuson. Albert Dikwa leads the team in goals with 7. The Cameroonian national also leads the team in shots with 39, 21 on target. Noah Fuson leads the team in assists and chances created with 6 and 30 respectively.
Up Next: FC Tulsa are back on the road next weekend as they head to Oakland on Sunday, September 29th at 5pm. The club is hosting their watch party at Cabin Boys Brewpub in Downtown Tulsa. FC Tulsa returns to ONEOK Field on October 5th to kickoff the final month of the regular season. They take on El Paso Locomotive FC at 7:30pm for 80’s night and will feature a Roughnecks Shirt Giveaway. For tickets visit, fctulsa.com/single-match-tickets/
