OKLAHOMA CITY – For the third consecutive season OKC Energy FC qualified for the USL Cup Playoffs, and after gaining momentum over the final month of the regular season could be looking to surpass its best playoff run in club history when it reached the Western Conference Final two years ago. Energy FC comes into the playoffs on a four-game winning streak, and after recording a road upset in the Western Conference Quarterfinals a season ago could be more than capable of the same this year.

2017 USL Cup Playoffs: Quarterfinal matchup:
No. 3 Reno 1868 FC vs. No. 6 OKC Energy FC – Saturday, Oct. 21, 8:45 p.m. ET, Greater Nevada Field

2017 USL regular season:
Records:
Overall: 14-11-7 (49 points) | Home: 11-2-3 (36 points) | Road: 3-9-4 (13 points)

Goals For: 46 | Goals Against: 41

Leaders:
Goals: 1. Jose Angulo 15; 2. Miguel Gonzalez 8; 3. Alex Dixon 7; 4. Andy Craven 35

Assists: 1. Jose Angulo 7; 2. Miguel Gonzalez 5; 3. (tie) Jose Barril, Kyle Hyland 3

Saves: 1. Cody Laurendi 62; 2. CJ Cochran 13

Clinched its postseason … Oct. 8, with a 4-1 win against the Swope Park Rangers

Clinched the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference … Oct. 15, with a 3-1 win against Seattle Sounders FC 2

Defining moment: After struggling against its in-state rival Tulsa Roughnecks FC over the first two meetings between the sides in 2017, OKC Energy FC managed a 2-0 win on September 17th which not only earned it a modicum of revenge, but also pushed the side firmly back into the race for the playoffs. Energy FC set the tempo early as first Miguel Gonzalez and the Jose Barril scored in the opening 15 minutes, and OKC controlled the game on their home turf at Taft Stadium the rest of the way. The victory provided a path forward to the playoffs that Energy FC seized upon as it claimed five wins in its last six games of the season to move ahead of the Roughnecks in the Western Conference standings and set up a chance at a postseason run.

Three keys to a championship run:
1. Jose Angulo Leads the Line: After coming in on loan from Saint Louis FC in July, Colombian forward Jose Angulo has been a clear leader for Energy FC up front. The 2013 USL Most Valuable Player caught fire late in the season with six goals and three assists in the month of October alone. With 11 of his 15 goals this season coming for Energy FC, Angulo has returned to the sort of form that saw him share the USL Golden Boot with current Orlando City SC standout Dom Dwyer in 2013. It wasn’t just about scoring goals for Angulo either, as he also leads Energy FC with seven assists, making him part of 22 goals of OKC's 46 regular-season goals, an impressive return rate for a player who created 24 chances.

2. On The Spot: Penalty kicks have been a double-edged sword for Energy FC this season. Scoring on eight occasions from the penalty spot in the regular season, the side led the Western Conference and say just one behind league leaders Bethlehem Steel FC. The flipside of that number, however, was that Energy FC had been awarded 13 penalty kicks over the course of the regular season, only a 62 percent conversion rate from the spot. That could be significant coming into the playoffs, where the chance for penalty shootouts to determine a team's fate could arrive, especially since opponents went 4-for-4 from the penalty spot in the regular season against Energy FC's goalkeepers.

3. Crosses and Corners: No club has had more successful crosses and corner kicks than Energy FC in the 2017 regular season, with the side connecting 179 deliveries, an average of 5.6 per game. Energy FC's ability to delivery from wide areas has been fueled mainly by playmaker Jose Barril, who sits ninth in the league with 31 successful crosses at a 34.83 percent accuracy rate. That Barril's individual number is so low reflects the variety of players who can delivery accurately into the penalty area, with the likes of Anthony Wallace (27 / 39/.13 percent) and Alex Dixon (26 / 35.14 percent) also playing a role as set-up men for Energy FC's front-runners. It is an impressive rate from OKC, which has only been awarded 145 corners this season, but has made the most of those opportunities. 

QUOTABLE:
“We are executing now, I believe the whole season we still created the chances, the difference is now the ball is going back in the net.” OKC Energy FC Head Coach Jimmy Nielsen to the Oklahoman on October 14th.