After extending the unbeaten streak to seven matches, Energy FC (13th, 22 pts, 6-10-4) will feel confident they can make it nine by the end of Matchweek 20 in what could be a pivotal week for the Greens. With only five of the remaining fourteen fixtures being at home, two of them this week, picking up all six points against fellow playoff contenders Fresno FC (9th, 28 pts, 7-7-7) and San Antonio FC (10th, 25 pts, 6-5-7) will go a long way to making it into the top eight.

Two wins on the bounce will be no easy feat, however. Not only will these matches be the second and third over the span of eight days, but the Greens haven’t been able to beat either of these sides yet in 2018. OKC travelled to Fresno and were defeated 2-1 way back on March 31. Juan Pablo Caffa opened the scoring with a stellar free kick, before Jaime Siaj hit back with a well-worked equalizer. Unfortunately, a costly mistake helped Rony Argueta find a late winner for Fresno. It was a match OKC certainly didn’t deserve to lose, having only allowed three shots on target. It also came at a time in the campaign when the attack wasn’t exactly firing on all cylinders. No one with Energy FC is expecting the same outcome on Wednesday.

Fresno FC are coming off their biggest result of the season, a 4-0 thrashing at home against Phoenix Rising FC. The Foxes will surely arrive in town with a bit of swagger, having won their last three matches and scoring ten goals over that period.

Against Phoenix, Christian Chaney put Fresno ahead in the first half, before a 43rd-minute sending off for PHX midfielder Kevon Lambert altered the match. After the break, Fresno took advantage and put three past Rising FC, with goals coming from Pedro Ribeiro, Caffa and Jemal Johnson. The only blemish on the night for the Foxes came in the 84th minute when right back Zachary Ellis-Hayden picked up a second yellow card and was sent off. Ellis-Hayden, the team leader in assists (4), will miss Wednesday’s match through suspension.

Johnson and Caffa are the ones to watch out for on the attacking end, leading the team with eight and seven goals, respectively. Caffa has been on a tear lately, scoring four and assisting two during the current win streak. The Foxes feature a couple of former Energy FC players, with Jose “Chiva” Cuevas coming on as a second-half substitute against Phoenix and Mickey Daly being a mainstay in the backline. CJ Cochran made five appearances for Fresno in June and July, while on loan from Nashville SC, but his parent club recently recalled the goalkeeper.

Not much has changed for San Antonio since class goals from Jose Barril and Alex Bruce earned each side a point in our first encounter on Independence Day. SAFC are still fighting for the playoffs and Omar Gordon is still their leading scorer. After losing 3-0 away to Orange County SC on July 14, SAFC rebounded in a big way by beating league-leading Real Monarchs SLC in week 19. An own goal in the first minute set the tone for night, as Gordon, Ever Guzman and USL Team of the Week’s Charlie Ward all got in on the scoring action in the 4-2 victory.

A win like that will have SAFC feeling like they can kick on and possibly be in a playoff spot by the end of the weekend. San Antonio trails 8th place Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC by just three points, and the two clubs meet Wednesday night in San Antonio in the USL Game of the Week.

For Energy FC, the club announced a new signing on loan today: Adam Jahn. Jahn joins OKC from Columbus Crew SC, making 41 appearances and scoring 6 goals in his time there. The 27-year-old is an opposing figure at 6’3” and will give the Greens another attacking option on top of the plethora that Head Coach Steve Cooke has at his disposal.

OKC will be without Christian Ibeagha against Fresno, after the defender picked up his eight yellow card of the season against Sacramento and will serve a one-match suspension.

Elsewhere in the league this week, there are several big matches involving the playoff-chasing pack. The aforementioned fixture between San Antonio (10th, 25 pts) and Colorado Springs (8th, 28pts) is a huge one, while Seattle Sounders FC 2 (17th, 11 pts) are at home against Las Vegas Lights FC (11th, 23 pts). LA Galaxy II (14th, 19 pts) host the skidding Portland Timbers 2 (7th, 29 pts). The Switchbacks have to travel to RGV (15th, 17 pts) on Saturday, who, despite their poor record, have only lost once at home this season. In addition, Tulsa Roughnecks FC (16th, 12 pts) host Fresno (9th, 28 pts), and Reno 1868 FC (4th, 37 pts) take on Saint Louis FC (12th, 23 pts).

Wednesday’s match against Fresno FC and Saturday’s against San Antonio FC both kick off at 7:30 p.m. from Taft Stadium. In addition to being streamed on espn+, you can watch live and in person by purchasing tickets at energyfc.com or by calling 405-235-KICK(5425).