OC Travel to Tulsa For First Time Since 2019

After the reality check that was last week's game up in Colorado Springs, Orange County SC continue their long road trip with a visit to a familiar area but one that they have not been to in awhile; Oklahoma.

Oklahoma of course being home to FC Tulsa, a former Western Conference team that has since been moved to the East. It is back to the drawing board for OC after suffering their worst defeat of the season last Saturday. That match saw PK’s given and not given, goals given and not given, and overall was a forgettable matchup from a forgettable season.

Anyways, OC will still look to claim their first victory on the road this season and will look to do so against FC Tulsa who like OC sit at 13 points and currently out of the playoff picture.

THE OPPONENT - FC TULSA

Formerly known as Tulsa Roughnecks FC, FC Tulsa are one of the earliest members of the USL having played their first season in 2015. With the increased age compared to most teams, that does not necessarily mean that the success has come with it. Tulsa to this point have been a vastly mediocre side in history having only qualified for the playoffs three times and not making it past the conference quarterfinals either time.

This season, like the club, has been pretty quiet. Through 13 games played Tulsa have only earned 13 points and only on two wins. The move to the Eastern Conference has not been easy for Tulsa as they have placed in 8th in both of their seasons there.

As far as this season has gone specifically, it has been of perpetual drawing for Tulsa as they are tied for the league lead in draws with 7. They do have two wins on the year coming at home to Loudoun and away at Louisville. Other than that there is really nothing to note about Tulsa. They are league average with regards to goals scored and goals allowed with a goal differential only at -2. This is the first season for head coach Blair Gavin who previously was an assistant at Phoenix and for the Columbus Crew.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

The forward core has been steadily consistent for Tulsa with four different players in that group combining for nine goals. With the number of potent attackers, the OC defenders will have their hands full on Saturday. Particularly speaking, the likes of Marcus Epps and Phillip Goodrum should be the ones to watch. Starting with Epps, the right winger has 24 career goals in the USL and has spent time with a number of different clubs in both USL and MLS. Alongside him is Phillip Goodrum who is coming off of a transfer from fellow USL side Memphis to the Oklahoma side including scoring in his first game with Tulsa against Louisville.

This will also be a chance to see former OC midfielder and USL champion Tommy McCabe. After his stint with OC, McCabe left on a free transfer to Detroit City where he spent last season. Then it was announced a couple of weeks ago that he would be a part of a player swap and would be sent to Tulsa where he now is. McCabe made 61 appearances with the Oranges including one goal and one assist in all competitions.

On the orange side of things, we will be looking at the original Iloski brother in that of Brian Iloski. Born in Escondido, Brian has played for a number of teams both in America as well as overseas in Europe. The attacking midfielder has made 77 appearances with 7 goals along with 6 assists. As well as winning the USL title, Iloski is also a one-time Polish league champion and is the first American to play for Polish giants Legia Warszawa.

THE MATCHUP

This is an even matchup overall with OC only holding the slight edge at 5-4-1. However there have been a number of massive scorelines in recent matchups. For starters the last time these two teams played came last year when OC thumped Tulsa 5-1. This came 2 years after Tulsa thumped OC 5-3 in a big upset. However that does not compare to the 2018 season where across two games Orange County had an aggregate of 11-1 over Tulsa. These matchups have always been high offensive games. Of course it must be said that OC have been awful in away games as well as playing in baseball stadiums. The last time OC won at a baseball-specific stadium came at Las Vegas in 2021. A number of negative streaks could end today.

WHAT TO KNOW

Game - @ FC Tulsa (USL Championship)

When - June 17, 5:00 PM PST (was previously 6:00 PM PST)

Where - ONEOK Field (Tulsa, OK)

OCSC Form - LWDLW

TUL Form - LDWLD

All-Time Matchup - 5-4-1

TV - ESPN+