Week 5 Recap

Energy FC (9th, 7 points) looked set to earn three points last week until a second-half comeback from Portland Timbers 2 flipped the script, and the visitors left Taft Stadium with the win. Mike da Fonte and Cordell Cato gave OKC the lead heading into the break after a dominant first half, but three goals at the wrong end in the second 45 undid all that good work.

There’s no time to dwell on what happened last week, so let's just move right along. As Christian Ibeagha said in this week’s Pre-Match Report, “It’s good that it happened now so we can learn from it and not repeat it going forward.” And he’s right. It’s much better to learn that lesson early rather than five or six months from now.

Week 6 Opposition

The Greens will look to bounce back in Week 6, as they head south to take on Rio Grande Valley FC Toros (18th, 2 points). While RGV has started off slowly, don’t let their record lead you to believe this will be an easy three points for the good guys. After beginning the campaign with two losses, the Toros have drawn two out of their last three fixtures – one away to El Paso Locomotive FC and the other at home to New Mexico United. In between those two results, they lost 2-1 away to Tulsa Roughnecks FC who currently sit top of the table.

The biggest issue for RGV FC appears to be their finishing. While they’ve created a decent amount of chances so far, they’ve only found the back of the net on three occasions, amounting to a conversion rate of just 5.9 percent. OKC, on the other hand, has taken its chances well, converting 26.8 percent of them.

If RGV is able to find a breakthrough Saturday, it’ll likely come through Isidro Martinez. The midfielder has two assists and has created 10 chances in five appearances.

Since 2016, RGV and OKC have met four times in Edinburgh in league play. The only win for Energy FC came last August as the Greens put on an offensive clinic to run out 4-2 winners and do the double over RGV.  The Toros have only scored three times this year, so hopefully the OKC defense can do the job and earn their first clean sheet of the year. If not, it doesn’t appear Energy FC’s attack will have any problems finding the back of the net with 11 goals in five games.

Energy FC Updates

Despite the absence of Deshorn Brown, the Greens’ attack hasn’t skipped a beat with five goals in the last two outings. A big part of that is due to Alexy Bosetti, who scored his first goal two weeks ago and produced an assist last week while pulling the strings and dictating play among the front four. It’s no coincidence that we are starting to see more out of the Frenchman, as he adapts to the style of play and gets closer to full match fitness.

As Bosetti continues to grow in confidence on the pitch, his attitude off it is already there, as he looks ahead to this weekend.

“It’s simple. We need to win. Not draw, not lose. Just win. We need the three points.”

On the defensive side of things, Energy FC haven’t been at the level most expected. In five matches, OKC has conceded 12 goals and has yet to keep a clean sheet. The main reason for this seems to be the lack of a consistent backline. Injury problems, international call-ups and tactical decisions have meant that not once this season has the combination of back four and goalkeeper been the same. That trend could continue Saturday night, as new signing Alvin Jones traveled with the team and could be in contention for a starting spot. As new additions take time to settle and chemistry takes time to form, the best of this experienced backline is very much yet to come.

Saturday’s match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. CDT at H-E-B Park in Edinburg, Texas, and as always, you can watch live on espn+.