Tulsa, Okla. (Saturday, June 4) – The Miami Football Club and FC Tulsa drew 0-0 at ONEOK Field on Saturday night. The clash marked the first time the two clubs meet in a match. Miami FC wore orange kits to highlight the need to end gun violence.
Starting XI vs. FC Tulsa
Miami FC will be without defensive midfielder Devon “Speedy” Williams until Tuesday, June 14, as he represents Jamaica in the CONCACAF Nations League. In the meantime, midfielder Bolu Akinyode will fill in for the Reggae Boy.
Head coach Anthony Pulis did not make any other changes to the formation or starting lineup. Frenchman Florian Valot wore the captain’s armband for the second time this year.
Center-back Callum Chapman-Page returned to the squad after suffering from leg injuries at the start of the season.
Goalkeeper Noah Abrams made his first competitive appearance of the season in a USL League 1 fixture between Charlotte Independence and Greenville Triumph. The 24-year-old notched seven saves in the 2-0 away loss. Abrams was loaned out to Charlotte for one game to relieve its ongoing goalkeeper injury problems.
First Half Breakdown
Goalkeeper Connor Sparrow denied FC Tulsa’s Brian Brown of a goal in the opening minute of the game. The 28-year-old got down low to his left to parry a powerful header away for a corner kick.
Striker Romeo Parkes and forward Adonijah Reid combined for MFC’s first chance of the game in the seventh minute. The Jamaican lobbed a ball over Tulsa’s backline, and Reid brought the ball down and tried tucking it past goalkeeper Austin Wormell. However, Wormell made a save and a second simultaneously, blocking a rebound kicked by wing-back Mark Segbers.
Miami FC had three chances coming from three different players. Winger Josh Pérez saw a right-footed attempt blocked in the 29th minute, wing-back Othello Bah’s left-footed shot in the 34th minute ricocheted out for a corner and center-back Benjamin Ofeimu followed up with a header that sailed over the bar.
Sparrow helped Miami again in the closing minutes of the first half, producing a couple of saves. The first one was in the 36th minute and the second in the 43rd minute with his right foot.
Tulsa dominated possession in the first 45 minutes, owning 61 percent of it. The Roughnecks also created three more shots than Miami – ten – and three on target.
Second Half Breakdown
The two sides pushed one another in the opening 15 minutes of the second half. It was not until the 61st minute that Tulsa’s J.J. Williams unleashed a powerful shot wide. Miami FC’s first substitute Kyle Murphy lobbed a chipped volley over the bar in the 64th minute.
Chapman-Page, who made nine appearances for FC Tulsa in 2020, returned to ONEOK Field as a substitute in the 70th minute. The 26-year-old came in for Bah, pushing left-center-back Aedan Stanley further up the pitch.
Sparrow made a diving save in the 75th minute of the match, denying a long-range effort from forward Darío Suárez.
Murphy struck a headed attempt against the post in added time, but the ball bounced into Wormell’s hands.
FC Tulsa 0-0 Miami FC: Match Notes
- The draw is Miami’s fifth of the season and third ending in a goalless game. The previous two were against Loudoun United and Birmingham Legion FC.
- Miami FC’s seven clean sheets rank second in the USL Championship. Sparrow notched six out of the seven shutouts in just 11 matches.
- Pérez and Segbers are Miami’s only players to have started all 13 regular-season games this season.
- Chapman-Page made his first league appearance this season against his former club. The English international played 20 minutes in MFC’s backline.
Up Next for Miami FC
The Orange and Blue return to Miami for back-to-back home games at Riccardo Silva Stadium.
Miami takes on Indy Eleven on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET and Florida rivals Tampa Bay Rowdies on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. Buy tickets for both games here.
