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Week 22 Preview: Defend the Wrench

By Tyler Vaughn, 08/01/19, 4:00PM CDT

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Energy FC v Tulsa Roughnecks FC

USL Championship – Match 23
Saturday, August 3 – 8 p.m. CDT
Taft Stadium – Oklahoma City

Where to Watch

Live and in person (the best way)
ESPN+
Follow along on Twitter

Week 21 Recap

Energy FC return home after taking care of business in Tacoma with a 2-0 win over the Defiance. Kyle Hyland earned a spot on the USL Championship’s Team of the Week after scoring the match-winning goal, his first of the season. Atiba Harris added a second goal off a free kick from Rafa Garcia just before second-half stoppage time to seal the points.

Week 22 Preview

Next up is one of the most anticipated matches of the year, the second Black Gold Derby of 2019. After a draw in the first meeting, the Wrench is completely up for grabs in this one. The average Energy FC fan would expect the Greens to be able to put Tulsa to the sword and pick up a comfortable win, but as Head Coach Steve Cooke said, "It's a derby game, so all form goes out the window."

Tulsa Roughnecks will have to do something different if they stand a chance in this one. Tulsa comes to Taft Stadium in 17th place, second from the bottom of the Western Conference. They’ve also fallen to 36th in the USL Championship Power Rankings (that’s dead last).

After a promising start to the season which saw Roughnecks FC competing for the top spot in the conference, they’ve failed to pick up a win in their last 13 matches, drawing only four of those fixtures. They've also  been outscored 29-9 in that span.

A huge part of the struggles have been down to defending. Tulsa has conceded 43 times, tied for fourth worst in the league. They’ve also had little success on the road, winning one, losing six and drawing four. Let's hope that continues Saturday night.

Tulsa will be without Fredrin Mompremier after the striker was sent off in a 1-0 loss to Phoenix Rising FC last Saturday at ONEOK Field. Head Coach Michael Nsien was also sent off in the aftermath of the referee’s decision to give Mompremier a red card, so he will be suspended for the derby as well.

OKC and Tulsa have met once already this season with the sides drawing 1-1 at ONEOK Field on April 27. Omar Gordon canceled out Janu Silva’s opener to earn a point on the road for the Greens.

All time, Energy FC has a significant head-to-head advantage with nine wins, three losses and three draws.

Since the Black Gold Derby's inception, Energy FC have hoisted the Wrench three of the four seasons, including last season, after winning two and drawing one of the fixtures. The Wrench was reclaimed in 2018 after a resounding 3-0 win at ONEOK Field.

Deshorn Brown still leads the way with nine goals for Energy FC, while Omar Gordon has the most assists with six. Cody Laurendi leads the USL Championship with 72 saves.

Luca Lobo and Rodrigo da Costa lead Tulsa with seven goals, and da Costa also has the most assists on the team with seven.

Saturday’s match kicks off from Taft Stadium at 8 p.m. CDT. Tickets can be found at energyfc.com/august or by calling 235-KICK.