A frustrating night for the Three Sparks saw them leave ONEOK Field empty handed.
TULSA, OK (March 19, 2022) — Birmingham Legion FC fell 3-1 to FC Tulsa on the road, despite controlling the tempo of the match and outshooting the hosts 20 to 8. It was a frustrating night for the Three Sparks, as missed chances, heroic saves from FC Tulsa goalkeeper Sean Lewis, and a Prosper Kasim shot rattling off the woodwork all made their first loss of the season sting that much more.
Tulsa threatened early on, with forward Brian Brown coming inches within opening the night’s scoring. The chance would spur the hosts on, culminating in a well-finished half-volley from midfielder Rodrigo Da Costa to give them the lead. It was fellow midfielder Petar Cuic with the assist, delivering a cross in toward the front post to create the chance for Da Costa.
Head Coach Tommy Soehn’s men responded to the early goal well, however, peppering Tulsa ‘keeper Sean Lewis with chance after chance until finally, in the 42’, the visitors got their equalizing goal. The goal came after Legion FC #19 Enzo Martinez’s blocked shot ended up at #10 Prosper Kasim’s feet. Kasim, on his weaker foot, smashed it past Lewis to bring his side level.
The goal came at a great time for Birmingham, as it would give them all the momentum going into the half. FC Tulsa, however, would retake the lead on the stroke of halftime via a penalty. It was #11 Joaquin Rivas to bury the spot kick, beginning what would become a frustrating night for the visitors.
The second half saw Legion FC continue to press for an equalizer. Chances from goalscorer Prosper Kasim, #8 Bruno Lapa (who joined the fray in the second half), and Marlon all seemed as if they would be the breakthrough. Despite the pressure, Tulsa’s Lewis stood firm in goal, as well as got some help from the post.
It’s definitely a frustrating result,” said Legion FC midfielder Bruno Lapa “We feel like we could have come out with something better here tonight in Tulsa. Unfortunately, it didn’t go our way with the calls and the chances we created, but there’s positives to look at. We’ve got to continue to build and improve the things that didn’t work.”
A red card to Birmingham defender Alex Crognale made the prospect of a comeback even more difficult, reducing the visitors to 10-men. They continued to push on, however, showcasing the squad’s ability to fight back after going down, a positive for BHM players and fans alike to consider going forward.
Unfortunately, the continued pressure would create an opportunity for Tulsa on the counter, with Machuca scoring in stoppage time to secure the win for his side.
I think the disappointing thing is we made some crucial mistakes that they punished us for,” said Legion FC Head Coach Tommy Soehn. “Today was a clear case of us probably deserving more, but they punished us for our mistakes.”
Box Score:
| 1st Half | 2nd Half | |
| TUL | 2 | 1 |
| BHM | 1 | 0 |
Goals:
TUL – 12’ – #10 Rodrigo Da Costa (Assisted by #8 Peter Cuic)
BHM – 42’ – #10 Prosper Kasim
TUL – 45’ – #11 Joaquin Rivas (Penalty)
TUL – 90’ – #23 Machuca (Assisted by #92 Dario Suarez)
BHM – 3-5-2 – #1 Matt VanOekel; #3 Phanuel Kavita ©, #4 Freddy Kleemann (Subbed out in the 38’ by #27 Thomas Vancaeyezeele), #21 Alex Crognale (Red Card in 78’); #6 Anderson Asiedu (Subbed out in the 59’ by #8 Bruno Lapa, #20 Zach Herivaux, #5 Mikey Lopez (Subbed out in the 75’ by #12 Eli Crognale) , #10 Prosper Kasim, #24 Jonny Dean; #19 Enzo Martinez, #11 Marlon Santos (Subbed out in the 75’ by #77 Macky Diop)
TUL – 3-4-3 – #1 Sean Lewis; #16 Gabi Torres, #4 Ronald Rodriguez, #15 Adrian Diz Pe (Subbed out in the 75’ by #5 Johnny Fenwick), #22 Bradley Bourgeois ©; #8 Petar Cuic, #30 Lebo Moloto (Subbed out in the 75’ by #44 Eric Bird), #92 Dario Suarez, #10 Rodrigo Da Costa (Subbed out in the 81’ by #21 Kembo Kibato), #11 Joaquin Rivas (Subbed out in the 81’ by #23 Machuca); #9 Brian Brown (Subbed out in the 81’ by #7 JJ Williams)
The Black and Gold are back at Protective Stadium on Saturday, March 26 at 6:30pm CT for its first ever match against the Colorado Springs Switchbacks. Get your tickets today!
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