FC Tulsa
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 | Michael Nsien | ||
League | USL Championship | ||
2020 | 7th, Western Conference Playoffs: Quarterfinals | ||
Website | https://www.fctulsa.com/ | ||
| |||
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.
History
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]
Stadium
The team plays at ONEOK Field, a 7,833 seat stadium that is also home to the Drillers. ONEOK Field is located in the Greenwood District of Downtown Tulsa. The baseball field opened in 2010 to the Tulsa Drillers but was made the Roughnecks' home in 2015. In order to transform the field from a baseball field to a soccer field, sod is laid down to cover the first and second base while using the rest of the baseball field's outfield for the soccer field, with one goal on the East side of the pitch and the other on the West side.[11]
Club culture
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 main supporters group. The Lunatics, a sub-group of 83UNITED, just want to be able to buy $1 hot dogs. [12]
Sponsorship
Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
---|---|---|
2015–2016 | Admiral | Oculto |
2017–2018 | New Balance | Osage Casino |
2019 | Adidas | |
2020–present | Williams |
Year-by-year
Year | Division | League | Regular Season | Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup | Avg. Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | 3 | USL | 7th, Western | did not qualify | Third Round | 4,714 |
2016 | 3 | USL | 15th, Western | did not qualify | Second Round | 3,950 |
2017 | 2 | USL | 7th, Western | Conference Quarterfinals | Fourth Round | 3,851 |
2018 | 2 | USL | 17th, Western | did not qualify | Second Round | 3,094 |
2019 | 2 | USLC | 16th, Western | did not qualify | Second Round | 2,031 |
2020 | 2 | USLC | 2nd, Group D | Conference Quarterfinals | Cancelled | 2,636 |
Players and staff
Current roster
- As of February 2, 2020[13]
No. | Position | Player | Nation |
---|---|---|---|
1 | GK | Sean Lewis | United States |
8 | MF | Eric Bird | United States |
10 | FW | Marlon | Brazil |
13 | DF | Matt Sheldon | United States |
15 | DF | Kevin Garcia | United States |
16 | MF | Rodrigo da Costa | Brazil |
18 | DF | Solomon Kwambe | Nigeria |
22 | DF | Bradley Bourgeois | United States |
29 | MF | Ciaran Winters | United States |
30 | MF | Lebo Moloto | South Africa |
92 | FW | Darío Suárez | Cuba |
— | DF | Jorge Corrales | Cuba |
— | MF | Lucas Coutinho | Brazil |
— | DF | Leo Folla | United States |
— | GK | Daniel Gagliardi | United States |
— | DF | Modou Jadama | Gambia |
— | FW | Jerome Kiesewetter | United States |
— | FW | Joaquín Rivas | El Salvador |
Staff
- James Cannon – president
- Michael Nsien – head coach
- Donovan Ricketts – first assistant and goalkeeping coach
- Nemanja Vuković – assistant coach
Head coaching history
- David Irving (2015–2016)
- David Vaudreuil (2017–2018) [14]
- Michael Nsien (interim) (2018) [15]
- Michael Nsien (2018–present) [16]
Affiliations
During the 2017 and 2018 seasons, Tulsa Roughnecks had an MLS affiliation with the Chicago Fire. 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, which Wigan responded to.[19]
References
- ^ "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. 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.
- ^ "2020 Roster". fctulsa.com. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
- ^ "David Vaudreuil Named Roughnecks Head Coach". Tulsa Roughnecks FC. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
- ^ "Roughnecks Appoint Tulsan Michael Nsien as Head Coach". Tulsa Roughnecks FC. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
- ^ "Roughnecks Introduce Nsien as Head Coach". USL Championship. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
- ^ 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.
- ^ https://twitter.com/laticsofficial/status/1235969600686350336?s=21.
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