FC Tulsa returns home, faces Phoenix on Saturday: 'There's been some success, but always pushing for more'

FC Tulsa returns home to ONEOK Field on Saturday night to host Phoenix Rising. This will be the third time this season the two teams have faced off. Tulsa opened the 2025 season with a 1-0 road win at Phoenix, while Phoenix knocked Tulsa out of the 3rd round of the U.S. Open Cup on penalty kicks in April.

FC Tulsa is 6-3-2 on the season and currently sits tied for 2nd place in the West standings. Tulsa has 22 points on the season, just 2 points behind West leader New Mexico. Phoenix is right behind with 19 points. 

FC Tulsa comes into Saturday's match coming off a 1-0 win at Sacramento, one of the biggest wins in club history. It was FC Tulsa's first ever win in Sacramento and ended their unbeaten streak at home. Rising enters the weekend on a four-match winning streak in USL play.

FC Tulsa will also celebrate Military Appreciation Night on Saturday. The club will honor two Folds of Honor recipient families, as well as the Booker T Washington boys soccer state title winning team.

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. On June 14th at ONEOK Field.

News On 6 caught up with head coach Luke Spencer to get his thoughts ahead of Saturday's match:

Do you like where your team is right now?

"We're coming back from a good result against Sacramento. I think there's momentum. There's been some success, but always pushing for more. Always want to improve, and I think that's been the mentality."

How much momentum has the win at Sacramento given your club?

"In some ways it gives you momentum, it gives you belief. We just want to make sure we don't get complacent, not looking in the past and always looking forward."

What have you learned from the first 2 meetings with Phoenix?

"They've been different games. The first game, it's the first game of the season, so there's a lot of nervous energy, lot of questions to be answered, a lot of feeling each other out in that game. I think that was more of a tighter game. The 2nd game in the Open Cup, I think was more transitional, lot of space to be exploited by both teams. This game will be its own game, but we're looking forward to it."

Your club is in 2nd place right now. How important is this good start?

"I think it's been really important to have early wins, early success. It validates what you're doing. It makes things easier. It provides belief in what we're doing and makes it easier to follow the process."