Another Wednesday night in the USL Championship with Central Division in action means another edition of What to What For from your friends at FC Tulsa. With four of the eight clubs from the Division taking each other on, here are the possible outcomes and what each result would mean for FC Tulsa.
At 6:30 p.m. CT, Atlanta United 2 plays host to Louisville City FC. Louisville currently sits nine points ahead of FC Tulsa at the top of the division, so regardless of the result, FC Tulsa is not influenced much by Louisville gaining or dropping points, although there is a small chance FC Tulsa could still catch Louisville before the seasons ends. However, Birmingham lurks just two points behind Louisville for first place. LouCity has a match in hand over Birmingham, but if LouCity drops points and Birmingham beats Sporting KC II on Friday night, there could be a new leader in the Central.
Similarly, any Atlanta United 2 result does not affect FC Tulsa much either. Atlanta currently sits in sixth place, five points under the playoff line and ten points behind FC Tulsa. Atlanta likely will not be catching FC Tulsa but is fighting off OKC, Memphis, and Indy for the fourth spot. What goes against Atlanta are the games in hand the other clubs have over Atlanta. All four of those clubs are within five points of each other, but Atlanta is the only one that has already played 27 matches – OKC and Indy have played 26, Memphis has only played 24. This combination of factors has yielded just a 2% chance Atlanta makes the Playoffs according to data site FiveThirtyEight.
Ultimately, FC Tulsa fans should not worry too much about the result of the LouCity v Atlanta United Match 2 tonight. However, if you had to pick, root against Louisville City. There is a chance, albeit a small one, that FC Tulsa could still catch Louisville this season, whether LouCity stays in first or ends up being passed by Birmingham on Friday night.
At 7:30 p.m. CT, a more important match kicks off when Indy Eleven travels to Oklahoma City to take on Energy FC. No matter the result, FC Tulsa will remain in third place, but OKC has a chance to narrow the gap between the two clubs to just two points. At least temporarily.
Indy comes into the match in seventh place with 29 points, five points behind OKC for the final Playoffs spot. A win over OKC tonight would put Indy in striking distance and could put the club as high as fifth if Atlanta drops points and FC Tulsa beats Memphis on Saturday night. However, a loss would just about put Indy’s postseason dreams out of reach. According to FanThreeSixty, it already has only a 9% chance to make the Playoffs, and needing to make up eight points in five matches would not be easy. Indy is duking it out with OKC, Memphis, and Atlanta for fourth, not FC Tulsa for third.
Now we get to OKC, FC Tulsa’s baby brother who is hoping to eat at the grown-up’s table come November. A win tonight would not only leave Indy out in the cold but would narrow the gap between OKC and FC Tulsa to just two points. FC Tulsa does have the advantage when it comes to matches played. Following tonight’s match, FC Tulsa will have two matches in hand over OKC, meaning that even if OKC does narrow the gap to two points, FC Tulsa has two more matches to gain ground that OKC does not get. The only way OKC can move in the standings this week would be if it beats Indy tonight and Memphis beats FC Tulsa on Saturday night.
In this one, of course, you will be rooting against OKC Energy FC. Not because we’re scared that they could catch FC Tulsa, but because they’re OKC. Always root against OKC.
FC Tulsa's Magic Number currently sits at 14, meaning FC Tulsa needs to make up 14 points to officially clinch a Playoffs birth. With an Indy win over OKC tonight and its own win on Saturday night, FC Tulsa's magic number would shrink down to 8. With an Indy draw at OKC and an FC Tulsa win on Saturday night, the Magic Number lowers to 9 instead. If OKC comes out on top tonight, then FC Tulsa has the opportunity to lower its own Magic Number on Saturday with its own result – a win decreases it by three, a draw decreases it by one.
After watching the matches tonight, be sure to come out to ONEOK Field on Saturday night for Breast Cancer Awareness Night as FC Tulsa hosts Memphis 901 FC. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. CT.
Another Wednesday night in the USL Championship with Central Division in action means another edition of What to What For from your friends at FC Tulsa. With four of the eight clubs from the Division taking each other on, here are the possible outcomes and what each result would mean for FC Tulsa.
At 6:30 p.m. CT, Atlanta United 2 plays host to Louisville City FC. Louisville currently sits nine points ahead of FC Tulsa at the top of the division, so regardless of the result, FC Tulsa is not influenced much by Louisville gaining or dropping points, although there is a small chance FC Tulsa could still catch Louisville before the seasons ends. However, Birmingham lurks just two points behind Louisville for first place. LouCity has a match in hand over Birmingham, but if LouCity drops points and Birmingham beats Sporting KC II on Friday night, there could be a new leader in the Central.
Similarly, any Atlanta United 2 result does not affect FC Tulsa much either. Atlanta currently sits in sixth place, five points under the playoff line and ten points behind FC Tulsa. Atlanta likely will not be catching FC Tulsa but is fighting off OKC, Memphis, and Indy for the fourth spot. What goes against Atlanta are the games in hand the other clubs have over Atlanta. All four of those clubs are within five points of each other, but Atlanta is the only one that has already played 27 matches – OKC and Indy have played 26, Memphis has only played 24. This combination of factors has yielded just a 2% chance Atlanta makes the Playoffs according to data site FiveThirtyEight.
Ultimately, FC Tulsa fans should not worry too much about the result of the LouCity v Atlanta United Match 2 tonight. However, if you had to pick, root against Louisville City. There is a chance, albeit a small one, that FC Tulsa could still catch Louisville this season, whether LouCity stays in first or ends up being passed by Birmingham on Friday night.
At 7:30 p.m. CT, a more important match kicks off when Indy Eleven travels to Oklahoma City to take on Energy FC. No matter the result, FC Tulsa will remain in third place, but OKC has a chance to narrow the gap between the two clubs to just two points. At least temporarily.
Indy comes into the match in seventh place with 29 points, five points behind OKC for the final Playoffs spot. A win over OKC tonight would put Indy in striking distance and could put the club as high as fifth if Atlanta drops points and FC Tulsa beats Memphis on Saturday night. However, a loss would just about put Indy’s postseason dreams out of reach. According to FanThreeSixty, it already has only a 9% chance to make the Playoffs, and needing to make up eight points in five matches would not be easy. Indy is duking it out with OKC, Memphis, and Atlanta for fourth, not FC Tulsa for third.
Now we get to OKC, FC Tulsa’s baby brother who is hoping to eat at the grown-up’s table come November. A win tonight would not only leave Indy out in the cold but would narrow the gap between OKC and FC Tulsa to just two points. FC Tulsa does have the advantage when it comes to matches played. Following tonight’s match, FC Tulsa will have two matches in hand over OKC, meaning that even if OKC does narrow the gap to two points, FC Tulsa has two more matches to gain ground that OKC does not get. The only way OKC can move in the standings this week would be if it beats Indy tonight and Memphis beats FC Tulsa on Saturday night.
In this one, of course, you will be rooting against OKC Energy FC. Not because we’re scared that they could catch FC Tulsa, but because they’re OKC. Always root against OKC.
FC Tulsa’s Magic Number currently sits at 14, meaning FC Tulsa needs to make up 14 points to officially clinch a Playoffs birth. With an Indy win over OKC tonight and its own win on Saturday night, FC Tulsa’s magic number would shrink down to 8. With an Indy draw at OKC and an FC Tulsa win on Saturday night, the Magic Number lowers to 9 instead. If OKC comes out on top tonight, then FC Tulsa has the opportunity to lower its own Magic Number on Saturday with its own result – a win decreases it by three, a draw decreases it by one.
After watching the matches tonight, be sure to come out to ONEOK Field on Saturday night for Breast Cancer Awareness Night as FC Tulsa hosts Memphis 901 FC. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. CT.
