Preview: FC Tulsa at Atlanta United 2 – September 3 – Kennesaw, Georgia 6:30 p.m. CT
September 2, 2022 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – FC Tulsa News Release
TULSA – Only seven matches remain on the schedule for FC Tulsa, and it’s crunch time. Needing to make up eight points on Detroit City FC, who still has a difficult schedule ahead of it, every match is a must-win for Tulsa. Donovan Ricketts’ squad hits the road to Kennesaw, Georgia to take on a struggling Atlanta United 2 tomorrow night in need of all three points.
The last three meetings between the two sides have finished in favor of FC Tulsa by way of 2-1, 4-0, and 3-1 scorelines. The back continues to improve for FC Tulsa as it has limited its opponents to 16 goals over its last 15 matches played. The big difference for Tulsa is the renaissance of its attack with 13 goals over its last nine outings, orchestrated by its wingbacks and punctuated by Machuca and Darío Suárez who have accounted for six goals over that stretch.
Tulsa has also shown signs of massive improvement on the road with wins in two of its most recent three away matches after its well-documented lack of travel success to begin the season. Ricketts has also tinkered with his club’s formation, reverting to four in the back in FC Tulsa’s most recent match, an alteration that yielded three points for his group.
Every point matters as we enter into September, and FC Tulsa appears to be hitting its stride. The club is scoring goals, preventing them from being scored, and has seen its 2022 win total double over the last month-and-a-half.
Kickoff from Fifth Third Bank Stadium is set for 6:30 p.m. CT.
SCOUTING ATLANTA UNITED 2
With only one point picked up over its last nine outings, Atlanta United 2 has struggled this season to both score and stop its opposition from piling on the goals. Atlanta has tallied 31 goals in 28 matches but has surrendered a whopping 73 goals, 16 more than New York Red Bulls II and the Charleston Battery who are tied for the second-most concessions. Atlanta has the worst goal differential in the USL Championship at -42 and has come up with only two clean sheets this season.
The 20-year-old forward Jackson Conway, who has made three appearances for Atlanta’s MLS squad, leads the side with eight goals while the Brazilian left-back Raimar leads the club with four assists.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW
1) Recent Form
FC Tulsa has won four of its last six matches, earning more than a third of its season point total in the past five-and-a-half weeks. Forwards Darío Suárez and Machuca have combined to score five of Tulsa’s last six goals. The defense has also been tremendous over FC Tulsa’s last six contests, limiting its opponents to only five goals in that span.
2) Torres Returns
Gabi Torres’ contributions to FC Tulsa cannot be understated. Before suffering a nagging injury back in early July, Torres had logged two assists for Tulsa early in the season and was relied on heavily by his club to both defend on the left side and provide excellent service into the box at the attacking end. The Brazilian came on as a sub in Tulsa’s matches on August 10, 20, and 24 and logged another assist, but only totaled 14 minutes as he was eased back into the lineup. Torres got his first start since July 3 last time out vs. Loudoun United FC in which he earned his club-leading fourth assist and created two scoring chances.
3) Still Best in Class
FC Tulsa goalkeeper Austin Wormell continues his fantastic 2022 campaign for his hometown club. Wormell was named the Week 24 Player of the Week by the USL Championship and currently boasts a 79.2% save pct, the highest mark in the league by nearly 2.5 percentage points. Wormell’s 4.1 saves per 90 minutes is also the best in the USL Championship and his 61 saves puts him in the top-10 in that statistic as well, all in the keeper’s second professional season.
HOW TO WATCH
FC Tulsa fans tune in to the match locally to My41 Tulsa or stream all the action nationally on ESPN+. Be sure to follow @FCTulsa on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for match updates, highlights, polls, and more!
About FC Tulsa
FC Tulsa is Tulsa’s premier professional sports franchise, playing soccer in the USL Championship at ONEOK Field in downtown Tulsa. The club motto is #ForTulsa and aims to represent the renaissance and rebirth of our beautiful city by putting the Tulsa community at the heart of everything FC Tulsa does. On the pitch, the club has made the USL Championship Playoffs in back-to-back seasons. Tickets including Seasons, Mini Plans and Single Match Tickets for the 2022 season are on sale now at FCTulsa.com/tickets.
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