FC Tulsa battles to 1-1 draw against Birmingham Legion, maintains first place in Western Conference

FC Tulsa battled to a 1-1 draw against Birmingham Legion on Saturday night at ONEOK Field. With the 1 point, Tulsa maintains its hold on 1st place in the USL's Western Conference.

The home squad got on the board first in stoppage time in the 1st half. Following a Birmingham handball, forward Taylor Calheira buried the penalty kick into the bottom corner for his 11th goal of the season and gave Tulsa the 1-0 halftime lead.

Birmingham evened the score in the 87th minute, when Jake Rufe headed home a goal on a set piece. The game would end on that 1-1 draw.

Tulsa Remains In 1st Place

Thanks to the 1 point earned on Saturday night, FC Tulsa maintains its 1st place lead in the USL's Western Conference. Tulsa moves to 12-7-4 on the season, with 43 points through 23 matches. Sacramento Republic remains in 2nd place with 37 points through 22 matches. Birmingham Legion sits in 10th place in the Eastern Conference.

ONEOK Field Remains A Fortress

With Saturday night's draw, FC Tulsa extends its home unbeaten streak to eight straight league matches. The last league loss at ONEOK Field was on April 12th, a 2-1 loss to Oakland Roots SC. During the 8-match unbeaten streak at home, FC Tulsa has outscored its opponents 22-12.

Player & Coach Reactions

Head Coach Luke Spencer:

“I think the overall effort was there today. I think they were together; they were committed. First half, they were good, and we got the game to the point that we wanted it — we just didn’t execute the final portion. So a lot of positives to take from it, but ultimately, an overall disappointing result.”

Striker Taylor Calheira:

“We’re going on the road three games in a row, so it’ll be important for us to get three points. We want our fans to be happy — they did an amazing job tonight. I’m sorry we didn’t get the win, but we got a point and now we move on to the next game.”

Defender Lamar Batista:

“I thought for 82 minutes we were very good — dominant even — and now it’s just about putting the last 10 minutes together.”

What's Next?

FC Tulsa now hits the road for a three-match stretch, with starts at New Mexico United on Saturday, September 13th, at 8 pm. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.