FC Tulsa is an American professional soccer team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma which competes in the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid.
 | |||
| Founded | December 18, 2013 (as Tulsa Roughnecks FC) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Stadium | ONEOK Field Tulsa, Oklahoma | ||
| Capacity | 7,833 | ||
| Owners | Ryan, J.W. and Kyle Craft | ||
| Head Coach | Mario Sanchez | ||
| League | USL Championship | ||
| 2023 | 10th, Eastern Conference Playoffs: DNQ | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
| |||
History edit
The club was founded as Tulsa Roughnecks FC by Jeff and Dale Hubbard, brothers and co-owners of the Tulsa Drillers minor league baseball franchise. The Hubbards were announced as co-owners and co-chairs on December 18, 2013.[1][2] Prodigal, LLC., owner of Oklahoma City Energy FC, another USL club, served as a minority owner.[3][4]
On February 26, 2014, it was announced that the team would be known as Tulsa Roughnecks FC, paying homage to the original Roughnecks which played in the original North American Soccer League from 1978 until the league folded in 1984 (and were best known for winning Soccer Bowl '83).[5] The name received nearly 50% of the votes in a "name the team" contest held in February 2014.
The team logo, colors and uniforms were introduced on September 2, 2014.[6] The oil derrick in the logo, as well as the name of the team, is a reference to Tulsa's "Oil Capitol" heritage; the dictionary definition of a "roughneck" is a worker in an oil-well drilling crew.[7]The team colors are Orange and Navy Blue with all kits supplied by Adidas.[8]
On August 20, 2019, it was announced that the Craft family, composed of Tulsa natives and brothers JW, Ryan, and Kyle Craft, had acquired the club from the Drillers and Prodigal Soccer.[9]
On December 4, 2019, the club announced that it would be renamed as FC Tulsa beginning with the 2020 season.[10] The team's new logo was designed by Matthew Wolff.
Stadium edit
The team plays at ONEOK Field, a 7,833-seat stadium in the Greenwood District of Downtown Tulsa. The field opened in 2010 and was made the FC Tulsa's home in 2015. In order to transform the field from a baseball field to a soccer pitch, real sod is laid down atop the entire infield and the pitch stretches the length of the stadium, with one goal on the East side of the pitch and the other on the West side.[11]
Club culture edit
FC Tulsa's main rivals are Oklahoma City Energy FC in the Black Gold Derby, with both teams being located in Oklahoma. The supporters group of both teams established a trophy, a four-foot wrench painted with the colors of each team on either side, which is awarded to the regular season winner of the derby. 83UNITED are the only supporters group recognized by the club.[12]
FC Tulsa also shares a local derby with Tulsa Athletic, with both teams playing in Tulsa. While the teams have played in preseason, they can only meet in official competition during the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, which has now happened twice:
FC Tulsa win Draw Tulsa Athletic win
Sponsorship edit
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 2015–2016 |  Admiral | Oculto |
| 2017–2018 |  New Balance | Osage Casino |
| 2019 |  Adidas | |
| 2020–2021 | Williams | |
| 2022–present | Puma |
Players and staff edit
Current roster edit
- As of 10 May 2024[14]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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- ^ USL Academy player
Staff edit
- As of 16 January 2024
Mario Sanchez – head coach and technical director- Luke Spencer – first assistant coach
Andy Costin – Director of Performance
Adam Lewis – goalkeeping coach- Johnathon Millwee – head athletic trainer
Year-by-year edit
- As of 23 January 2024
| Season | Record | Position | Playoffs | USOC | Average Attendance | Top Goalscorer | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Div | League | Pld | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PPG | Conf. | Overall | Name | Goals | ||||
| 2015 | 3 | USL | 28 | 11 | 11 | 6 | 49 | 46 | +3 | 39 | 1.39 | 7th | 14th | DNQ | R3 | 4,714 |  Sammy Ochoa | 9 |
| 2016 | USL | 30 | 5 | 21 | 4 | 25 | 64 | −39 | 19 | 0.63 | 15th | 29th | DNQ | R2 | 3,950 | Sammy Ochoa | 11 | |
| 2017 | 2 | USL | 32 | 14 | 14 | 4 | 46 | 49 | −3 | 46 | 1.44 | 7th | 13th | CQF | R4 | 3,851 | Ian Svantesson | 13 |
| 2018 | USL | 34 | 3 | 19 | 12 | 36 | 77 | −41 | 21 | 0.66 | 17th | 22nd | DNQ | R2 | 3,094 |  Joaquin Rivas | 12 | |
| 2019 | USLC | 34 | 8 | 16 | 10 | 45 | 69 | −24 | 34 | 1.00 | 17th | 31st | DNQ | R2 | 2,031 |  Rodrigo da Costa | 9 | |
| 2020 | USLC | 15 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 21 | 16 | +5 | 25 | 1.67 | 7th | 13th | CQF | NH | 2,636 |  Darío Suárez | 8 | |
| 2021 | USLC | 32 | 14 | 13 | 5 | 49 | 48 | +1 | 47 | 1.47 | 8th | 15th | CQF | NH | 3,438 | Rodrigo da Costa | 11 | |
| 2022 | USLC | 34 | 12 | 16 | 6 | 48 | 58 | −10 | 42 | 1.24 | 8th | 16th | DNQ | R3 | 4,044 | JJ Williams Darío Suárez Rodrigo da Costa | 9 | |
| 2023 | USLC | 34 | 10 | 15 | 9 | 43 | 55 | −12 | 39 | 1.15 | 10th | 21st | DNQ | R2 | 4,445 | Phillip Goodrum | 12 | |
| 2024 | USLC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | R16 | TBD | TBD | TBD | |
^ 1. Avg. attendance include statistics from league matches only.
^ 2. Top goalscorer(s) includes all goals scored in league, league playoffs, U.S. Open Cup, CONCACAF Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, and other competitive continental matches.
Head coaches edit
As of April 27, 2024
| Coach | Nationality | Start | End | Games | Win | Draw | Loss | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Irving | England | November 18, 2014 | December 6, 2016 | 61 | 17 | 10 | 34 | 27.87 |
| David Vaudreuil |  United States | December 6, 2016 | June 25, 2018 | 52 | 15 | 12 | 25 | 28.85 |
| Michael Nsien |  Nigeria | June 25, 2018 | June 17, 2022 | 114 | 36 | 28 | 50 | 31.58 |
| Donovan Ricketts (interim) |  Jamaica | June 17, 2022 | December 31, 2022 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 54.55 |
| Blair Gavin[15] | United States | January 1, 2023 | January 8, 2024 | 35 | 10 | 9 | 16 | 28.57 |
| Mario Sanchez[16] | United States | January 16, 2024 | present | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 42.86 |
| Total | 268 | 83 | 60 | 125 | 30.97 | |||
- Includes USL regular season, USL playoffs, and U.S. Open Cup
Affiliations edit
During the 2017 and 2018 seasons, Tulsa Roughnecks had an MLS affiliation with the Chicago Fire FC. The Roughnecks' head coach at the time, David Vaudreuil, had made 26 appearances for Chicago during the 2001–2002 MLS season.[17] The Roughnecks' affiliation with the Chicago Fire was dissolved as of January 2019.[18]
On February 11, 2020, Tulsa formed a partnership with EFL Championship side Wigan Athletic after tweeting about a possible friendship with a Championship side, to which Wigan responded.[19]
On January 18, 2024, FC Tulsa announced a strategic partnership with Serie C team US Triestina Calcio 1918 covering all areas of technical squad management including scouting, data analysis, player development and operational best practices.[20]
References edit
- ^ "Tulsa to Join USL PRO in 2015" (Press release). United Soccer Leagues. December 18, 2013. Archived from the original on January 21, 2014. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
- ^ "Tulsa USL PRO soccer franchise holds contest to name team". Tulsa World. January 26, 2014. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
- ^ Moss, John (December 18, 2013). "Professional Soccer Is Returning To Tulsa". Tulsa, Oklahoma: KTUL-TV. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
- ^ Brown, Mike (December 19, 2013). "Pro soccer headed to ONEOK Field in 2015". Tulsa World. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
- ^ Bailey, Eric (February 26, 2014). "Fans vote to resurrect Roughnecks name for new Tulsa pro soccer team". Tulsa World. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
- ^ "Roughnecks Unveil Logo, Uniforms" (Press release). United Soccer Leagues. September 2, 2014. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ^ "Roughneck". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
- ^ Eckert, T. J. (March 3, 2019). "Tulsa Roughnecks Announce Two New Changes". KTUL. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
- ^ "Tulsa Roughnecks Enter New Era Under Craft Family Ownership". Tulsa Roughnecks FC. August 20, 2019. Archived from the original on August 20, 2019. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
- ^ "FC Tulsa Unveils New Name, Colors and Crest". USL Championship. December 4, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
- ^ "ONEOK Field". MiLB.com. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
- ^ "83UNITED". 83united.org. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
- ^ Staff Reports (March 24, 2022). "Tulsa Athletic wins U.S. Open Cup opener, sets up showdown with FC Tulsa". Tulsa World. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
- ^ "2021 Roster". fctulsa.com. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ Galbreath, Nolan (October 25, 2022). "Blair Gavin Named the Next Head Coach of FC Tulsa". fctulsa.com. FC Tulsa. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
- ^ "FC Tulsa announces first-ever Head Coach and Technical Director, Mario Sanchez". fctulsa.com. FC Tulsa. January 16, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ Gordon, Bridget (March 16, 2018). "5 Things You Should Know About The Tulsa Roughnecks". Hot Time In Old Town. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
- ^ Apostol, Ruel (January 16, 2019). "A Look At The Fire's New Affiliate Teams". Hot Time in Old Town. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
- ^ "🤔 We've had a few people ask what on earth is going on with @FCTulsa, so let us explain a little bit..." Twitter.com (@laticsofficial).
- ^ FC Tulsa (January 18, 2024). "FC Tulsa Announces Transformational Partnership with Italian Professional Club Triestina". FC Tulsa.