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The Tulsa Roughnecks F.C. traveled to Illinois Saturday afternoon to face its MLS affiliate, the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park.  Facing a strong Fire lineup that included 2017 MLS Golden Boot winner Nemanja Nikolic, German World Cup veteran Bastian Schweinsteiger and MLS All-Star Dax McCarty, the Roughnecks took an early advantage but eventually surrendered two late goals to fall to the Fire 2-1.

The match marked the second straight year the two sides have met in Chicago during preseason, with the Roughnecks picking up a 2-1 win last season against a Fire side that was missing a number of key players, unlike this year’s meeting.

The Roughnecks opened the scoring 16 minutes into Saturday’s match when former Chelsea F.C. signing Jhon Pirez opened his Tulsa account.  Pirez took advantage of a poor clearance to beat former Roughnecks goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland and give TRFC the early lead.

The Fire threatened to find an equalizer before the break, controlling much of the play over the final 20 minutes of the first half.  Nikolic found the back of the net in the 34th minute, but he was ruled to have been in an offside position.

Three minutes later, former La Liga midfielder Aleksandar Katai forced TRFC goalkeeper Fabian Cerda into a save.

The pressure from the Fire picked up in the second half, with most of the threatening play coming from Katai and Nikolic.

The Roughnecks conceded the equalizer in the 69th minutes as Cerda turned away a laser from Schweinsteiger from distance, but Drew Conner tapped the rebound to Nikolic who had the easy finish to level the score at 1-1.

The match winner from the Fire came in the 79th minute.  Reserve Elliot Collier got behind a tiring Roughnecks’ backline and beat Cerda on the breakaway to make it 2-1.

Despite the score line, it was a good a productive afternoon for the Roughnecks who were missing a number of projected starters.  Joaquin Rivas, Paris Gee and Santiago Maidana were not available due to minor injuries.

“It was a very good outing for us,” said TRFC Head Coach David Vaudreuil.  “I was very happy with our play, and our guys held up really well.  Chicago had a lot of first-team players, and it is a group of really smart, experienced players that know how to attack you, and we showed well.  At times, we were able to apply high pressure on them and get a few turnovers and play the way we want to play.”

The Roughnecks will conclude their preseason slate next Saturday, March 10 when they travel to Texas to face USL Western Conference rival San Antonio FC at Toyota Field.  Kickoff in the Alamo City is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

The Tulsa Roughnecks F.C. traveled to Illinois Saturday afternoon to face its MLS affiliate, the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park.  Facing a strong Fire lineup that included 2017 MLS Golden Boot winner Nemanja Nikolic, German World Cup veteran Bastian Schweinsteiger and MLS All-Star Dax McCarty, the Roughnecks took an early advantage but eventually surrendered two late goals to fall to the Fire 2-1.

The match marked the second straight year the two sides have met in Chicago during preseason, with the Roughnecks picking up a 2-1 win last season against a Fire side that was missing a number of key players, unlike this year’s meeting.

The Roughnecks opened the scoring 16 minutes into Saturday’s match when former Chelsea F.C. signing Jhon Pirez opened his Tulsa account.  Pirez took advantage of a poor clearance to beat former Roughnecks goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland and give TRFC the early lead.

The Fire threatened to find an equalizer before the break, controlling much of the play over the final 20 minutes of the first half.  Nikolic found the back of the net in the 34th minute, but he was ruled to have been in an offside position.

Three minutes later, former La Liga midfielder Aleksandar Katai forced TRFC goalkeeper Fabian Cerda into a save.

The pressure from the Fire picked up in the second half, with most of the threatening play coming from Katai and Nikolic.

The Roughnecks conceded the equalizer in the 69th minutes as Cerda turned away a laser from Schweinsteiger from distance, but Drew Conner tapped the rebound to Nikolic who had the easy finish to level the score at 1-1.

The match winner from the Fire came in the 79th minute.  Reserve Elliot Collier got behind a tiring Roughnecks’ backline and beat Cerda on the breakaway to make it 2-1.

Despite the score line, it was a good a productive afternoon for the Roughnecks who were missing a number of projected starters.  Joaquin Rivas, Paris Gee and Santiago Maidana were not available due to minor injuries.

“It was a very good outing for us,” said TRFC Head Coach David Vaudreuil.  “I was very happy with our play, and our guys held up really well.  Chicago had a lot of first-team players, and it is a group of really smart, experienced players that know how to attack you, and we showed well.  At times, we were able to apply high pressure on them and get a few turnovers and play the way we want to play.”

The Roughnecks will conclude their preseason slate next Saturday, March 10 when they travel to Texas to face USL Western Conference rival San Antonio FC at Toyota Field.  Kickoff in the Alamo City is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

English Version

Los Roughnecks Fc ya tienen Nuevo lateral izquierdo. Enrique Montano, jugador con experiencia en Louisville y Sacramento, formará parte de la plantilla de Vaudreuil para la temporada 2018, aún estando pendiente de la aprobación federativa.

En palabras del técnico, David Vaudreuil, el jugador es “muy dinámico y rápido, pese a su envergadura y talla. Ha tenido una carrera exitosa en el Louisville y recientemente en México, donde ha estado jugando. Estamos muy contentos de contar con él en nuestro equipo”.

Nacido en California, Montano jugó en sus años universitarios en el San Jose State University. Un total de 53 partidos disputó con más de 4400 minutos. Recibió diversos premios como en 2014 cuando fue nominado en el equipo defensivo de la categoría. Sus primeros años como profesional fueron en el Louisville FC antes de sumarse a la plantilla del Sacramento Republic. En total, estuvo tres temporadas en la USL jugando 32 partidos y 2433 minutos. Tuvo un breve paso por tierras mexicanas defendiendo la camiseta del Deportivo Tepic, en la tercera categoría antes de llegar al equipo de Tulsa.

En el partido de esta semana ante el ORU fue el autor del primer gol de los naranjas que sirvió para empatar.

Por otra parte, el equipo de Vaudreuil jugará este sábado, desde las 12:00 PM ante el Chicago Fire, en Chicago. Será un buen toque para el equipo de Tulsa ante el equipo del que es afiliado.

English Version

Brady Ballew, el histórico goleador en el equipo de Roughnecks FC  se ha unido al equipo naranja, pero no sobre el césped, sino en los despachos porqe se convertirá en analista en los medios de comunicación que trabajan con el equipo de Tulsa.

En la historia del equipo, Brady Ballew fue de los miembros de la plantilla original y el autor del primer gol del equipo, tanto que sirvió para empatar ante el Oklahoma City en el partido inaugural. Jugó 64 partidos durante las tres campañas que defendió a los naranjas.

Trabajará para aportar contenidos  a los medios de comunicación  con entrevistas y apariciones en los medios detrás de la cámara. Además colaborará con Jeremie Poplin y David Saunders en las narraciones de los partidos otorgando una parte más táctica a sus comentarios.

El ex jugador del equipo decía que “tras tres años jugando estoy muy contento de tener esta oportunidad a nivel periodístico que me permitirá seguir trabajando con el equipo. Espero que esta posición ofrezca a los aficionados más información de lo que es el equipo y de experiencias en los días de partidos”.

Dueño del Press café x Yoga junto a Claire Spears, su negocio ofrecerá café a los Roughnecks antes de los partidos convirtiéndose en el Official Coffee Partner del equipo de Tulsa.

Brian Carroll, vicepresidente de los Roughnecks, aseguraba que “es ilusionante anunciar el nuevo papel de Brady Ballew en el equipo. Ha sido una de las más populares figuras del equipo y creemos que puede seguir siéndolo en el desarrollo de su nueva función con nosotros”.

Parecidas palabras tenia Justin Gorki, director de marketing del club: “Estamos contentos de que “Saint Brady” se una a nosotros y nos ayude a producir y distribuir nuevos contenidos para nuestros aficionados a través de las cuentas en los medios. Nos dará una nueva perspectiva que seguro que nuestros aficionados disfrutan y aprecian.”

The Tulsa Roughnecks FC made a short cross-town drive on Tuesday evening to face Oral Roberts University in its third preseason match to prepare for the 2018 USL regular season. Substitute Riggs Lennon was the hero of the night, scoring a pair of second-half goals to give the Roughnecks 3-1 win over the NCAA Division I side.

Tulsa had control of the match in the opening minutes, but the Golden Eagles struck first. In the 23rd minute, TRFC had a miscue in its back line that left Cerda with little chance to stop a chip shot that put ORU on top 1-0.

The lead did not last long. Five minutes later, defender Enrique Montano beat the ORU keeper from distance to even things up at 1-1.

The Tulsa Roughnecks FC made a short cross-town drive on Tuesday evening to face Oral Roberts University in its third preseason match to prepare for the 2018 USL regular season. Substitute Riggs Lennon was the hero of the night, scoring a pair of second-half goals to give the Roughnecks 3-1 win over the NCAA Division I side.

Tulsa had control of the match in the opening minutes, but the Golden Eagles struck first. In the 23rd minute, TRFC had a miscue in its back line that left Cerda with little chance to stop a chip shot that put ORU on top 1-0.

The lead did not last long. Five minutes later, defender Enrique Montano beat the ORU keeper from distance to even things up at 1-1.

After opening the second half with the same starting 11, the Roughnecks continued to control the match. In the 56th minute, forward Fernando Arce just missed with the net with a bending, left-footed shot that sailed just high of the goal.

In the 65th minute, TRFC Head Coach David Vaudreuil made several changes to his team, including bringing on Lennon.  Playing in an up-front position, it took him only four minutes to have an impact as he slid a shot under the ORU keeper in the 60th minute to give the Roughnecks the lead.

Lennon took advantage of a miscue from the Golden Eagles to strike again just seconds later to seal his brace and the win for the Roughnecks.

After opening the second half with the same starting 11, the Roughnecks continued to control the match. In the 56th minute, forward Fernando Arce just missed with the net with a bending, left-footed shot that sailed just high of the goal.

In the 65th minute, TRFC Head Coach David Vaudreuil made several changes to his team, including bringing on Lennon.  Playing in an up-front position, it took him only four minutes to have an impact as he slid a shot under the ORU keeper in the 60th minute to give the Roughnecks the lead.

Lennon took advantage of a miscue from the Golden Eagles to strike again just seconds later to seal his brace and the win for the Roughnecks.

Vaudreuil was pleased with the effort he saw in Tuesday's outing.

“It’s been a real tough week with the weather and the cancellation of last Saturday’s match,” he said.  “Even though we were missing a couple of guys, it was really the first time that we could see how we look tactically on the field.  It was the first time we could play together on a big field and start to build relationships.”

“We are really thankful to ORU for working with the bad weather and finding a new venue at the last minute,” he said.  “We got guys 65 minutes, and it was a workout we really needed after a week of rainouts.”  

The result keeps TRFC unbeaten in the preseason with a 2-0-1 record.

The game was the first of two matches for the Roughnecks this week, and the competition will get tougher.  On Saturday, TRFC will travel to Chicago to face its parent MLS club, the Chicago Fire.  Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. at Toyota Park.

Vaudreuil was pleased with the effort he saw in Tuesday’s outing.

“It’s been a real tough week with the weather and the cancellation of last Saturday’s match,” he said.  “Even though we were missing a couple of guys, it was really the first time that we could see how we look tactically on the field.  It was the first time we could play together on a big field and start to build relationships.”

“We are really thankful to ORU for working with the bad weather and finding a new venue at the last minute,” he said.  “We got guys 65 minutes, and it was a workout we really needed after a week of rainouts.”  

The result keeps TRFC unbeaten in the preseason with a 2-0-1 record.

The game was the first of two matches for the Roughnecks this week, and the competition will get tougher.  On Saturday, TRFC will travel to Chicago to face its parent MLS club, the Chicago Fire.  Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. at Toyota Park.

English Version

Los Roughnecks han completado el cuerpo técnico con el que David Vaudreuil trabajará durante esta temporada 2018. Vaudreuil sigue como entrenador de un equipo que contará con la ayuda de Lloyd Kinnear, su segundo en el banco, y con Donovan Ricketts, entrenador de porteros. Ambos siguen en el cuerpo técnico este curso y se une a ellos, Michael Nsien. Koby Smith sigue también en el equipo llevando la parte física junto a la novedad de Jeff Pace, otro acondicionador físico.

Lloyd Kinnear presenta una dilatada experiencia en los banquillos junto a su experiencia como jugador en Suráfrica, su país de origen. Ha trabajado como asistente de Eric Wynalda con los LA Blues,  además de ser entrenador de los Orange County Spartans  de la NPSL como de los LA Azul y Hollywood Hitmen en la PDL. También ha entrenado en el Malibu High School en California recibiendo numerosos premios a su trayectoria. Tiene la licencia  A de la USSF.

Por su parte, el entrenador de porteros Donovan Ricketts también afronta su segundo curso con Vaudreuil. Compaginó su tarea como jugador, aunque sin llegar a debutar en el equipo naranja. Ricketts jugó más de doscientos partidos en la MLS defendiendo la meta de Los Angeles Galaxy, Portland Timbers, Montreal Impact y Orlando City. También jugó más de un centenary de partidos en la Tercera y Cuarta Categoría de Inglaterra en la portería del Bradford City. En la selección de Jamaica estuvo más de cien partidos tomando parte en el Mundial de Francia de 1998.

Nsien, native de la ciudad de Tulsa, se une el cuerpo técnico con su experiencia en varios clubes locales y en el Instituto Booker T. Washington. Una vez llegó a la Universidad defendió a la niversidad de Dayton durante cuatro temporadas siendo seleccionado en la Conferencia y en el partido de Ohio. Incluso tomó parte en las clasificaciones de los partidos de Nigeria para los Juegos Olímpicos de 2004 en Atenas. Ha colaborado también con  Los Angeles Galaxy y los Portland Timbers.  Actualmente es el director de entrenadores del Tulsa Soccer Club.