Know Your 2026 Playoff Opponent: FC Tulsa

The playoffs are finally here! After a grueling regular season, the Republic claimed the second seed in the Western Conference and have earned the right to play in front of their fans for at least the first two rounds. But before we even get to that, the Republic will have to get past their first-round opponent, FC Tulsa.

Tulsa started the season as a contender hovering around the top seeds of the Western Conference. But as the season hit the home stretch, the Scissortails slowly slid down the table. 2 wins in their last 10. 0 wins in their last 4. Tulsa entered the postseason losing their last two matches. In contrast, the Republic entered with a 13-game unbeaten streak.

Here is my preview for FC Tulsa.

Tale of the Tape:

All-time record: 10W-6D-3L vs. Tulsa

Republic 2026 Home Record: 9W-4D-2L. 27GF-14GA.

Tulsa 2026 Away Record: 4W-6D-5L. 18GF-19GA. 

Previous matchups this season:

3/7/26: 2-0 win vs. Tulsa.

8/5/26: 0-1 loss at Tulsa.

10/3/26: 1-1 draw at Tulsa.

FC Tulsa

Manager: Luke Spencer

Formation: 541

Regular Season W-L-D: 11-9-10

Last 5 Games: WDDLL

Players to Watch: Jamie Webber, Dane Jacomen

Top Goalscorers: Arquimedes Ordonez - 7 goals

Top Assists: Jamie Webber and Jeorgio Kocevski - 4 assists each

Top Yellow Cards: Lamar Batista - 10 yellow cards

Top Red Cards: N/A

Does Form Matter?: Well, it depends on who you ask. Looking at the past five seasons of data, there is an advantage to being in form. If you win your last match of the regular season, you have a 44.1% chance of winning your first match of the playoffs, as opposed to losing or going to a shootout. In comparison, if you lose your last match of the regular season, the win percentage drops to 26.1%. The Republic has given themselves momentum heading into this postseason with their 13-game unbeaten run and winning their last match against Oakland. Tulsa hasn't won since the end of September and lost its last two regular-season matches to Oakland and Colorado Springs. That said, the Republic doesn't have to look far back in the history books to find a team that got ousted in the first round after entering with an unbeaten streak. Last year's Players' Shield-winning Louisville City side entered the playoffs with a 16-game unbeaten streak, but Detroit knocked them out. It is a numbers game, but it's not only a numbers game.

Golden Playmakers: This isn't the same FC Tulsa side that won the Western Conference a season ago. Their attack looks different. Last season Tulsa revolved around the exploits of their talismanic striker Taylor Calheira. Calheira accounted for 17 of Tulsa's 55 goals last season, giving him a goal share of 30.9%. But he has since moved to Sporting Kansas City. This season, their scoring output has dropped to 34 goals. They dropped from 3rd in the league in goal scoring to tied for 19th. Their overall shooting totals have also dropped, from leading the league with 478 shots taken to settling into the midpack at 18th with 342. Tulsa has taken a score-by-committee approach this season, with Arquimedes Ordonez, Logan Dorsey, and Rémi Cabral taking over as the leads with seven, six, and five goals. Look for Tulsa to build play down the wings and send in overlapping runners to overload matchups.

This team has also lost a lot of creativity. 42 of Tulsa's 55 goals were assisted last season. This year, 23 of Tulsa's 34 goals came off assists. The 2025 roster had 11 players that ended the season with more than 1 assist. Of that group of 11, 6 departed the club. Of the 5 players retained, only 2 recorded multiple assists this season, and both regressed. Owen Damm went from 4 assists in 2025 to just 2 this season. Jamie Webber went from 5 assists in 2025 to 4 this season. A lot of Tulsa's play goes through Webber. This blow in creativity has been softened as Webber has been paired with new signing Jeorgio Kocevski, who has matched Jamie Webber's assist total. And then you add in Ian Carlo notching three assists from the backline, which will help make up that gulf.

For the Republic, you have to look at Memo Rodriguez and how he is the engine that keeps things moving. Excluding games where Memo Rodriguez wasn't in the lineup, the Republic have a record of 5W-6D-3L when Memo fails to get a goal or an assist. But when Memo does get a goal contribution, the record goes to 6-3-0. The Republic hasn't lost a game when Memo gets on the scoresheet. In the Republic's 13-game unbeaten streak, the team scored 18 goals with 14 assists. Of those totals, Memo recorded 6 goals and 5 assists. That accounts for 34.3% of all of the Republic's 32 total goal contributions over this stretch. Just over 1 in 3 goals over that stretch were either scored or assisted by Memo. Now add in the numbers for Kyle Edwards, who recorded 5 goals and 1 assist over that same stretch, and that would bring that share percentage up to 53.1%. That means every 1 in 2 goals came from either Memo Rodriguez or Kyle Edwards. The final six games of the regular season had a goal scored by either Memo Rodriguez or Kyle Edwards. For the Republic to progress into the latter rounds, the game changers will be Kyle Edwards and Memo Rodriguez. But some help from the supporting cast would be appreciated to make the path a bit calmer if either Edwards or Memo can't get going.

Jamie Webber's third goal of the season comes at a crucial time to propel the Scissortails into the lead! #TULvSAC https://t.co/dgexjkiKNu

— FC Tulsa (@FCTulsa) August 6, 2026

Defenders and Keepers: These are two of the staunchest defenses in the league, as both are near the bottom in goals conceded. Tulsa gave up 31 goals to rank 20th in the league. The Republic had 28 goals scored against them, ranking 23rd. Tulsa is also tied for third in the league with 12 clean sheets. Sacramento follows closely behind, tied for 5th with 10 clean sheets. We are also talking about two teams that don't allow many shots to begin with. Per American Soccer Analysis, both teams rank in the top 10 for lowest expected goals against (xGA). And they're within the top three for the Western Conference, behind Colorado Springs. Tulsa is 7th at 37.63 xGA. And Sacramento is 8th, facing 37.81 xGA. 

Tulsa's defense is set up with three center-backs and two wing-backs. This allows players like Owen Damm and Lucas Stauffer to move up and get involved in the attack. So there will be space left behind them that the Republic can take advantage of if they can get on the break. That would leave Dane Jacomen in goal. He hasn't faced many challenges this season, with only 51 saves as he's split the keeping duties with Alex Tambakis. Jacomen is a solid shot-stopper, ranking 4th among keepers in goals conceded-xGA. Jacomen has conceded 18 goals from an xGA of 23.94. For comparison, league leader Kristopher Shakes sits at -12.43. Danny Vitiello sits at -1.43, conceding 28 goals from an xGA of -29.43.

Off to the races! 🏁 Sam Williams drills the shorthanded goal for @SwitchbacksFC! ⚡️ https://t.co/Taf0J9v3nb

— USL Championship (@USLChampionship) October 25, 2026

Republic's Way to Victory: Make full use of the home advantage. Like the Republic, Tulsa has struggled to win on the road. Their last road win came in August against Orange County. Tactically, the Republic needs to shut down the middle of the park and isolate the midfield tandem of Jeorgio Kocevski and Jamie Webber. Much of Tulsa's play goes through the central duo, so cutting them off and crowding the midfield will be key. Keep track of the runners coming through the wide channels and do not let late runs go unmarked into the box. With that being said, the Republic should take advantage of the space left by their wingbacks. The likes of Jack Gurr and Michel Benitez should have some opportunity to create chances. If the Republic can do that, they will set themselves up for victory. 

What do you think of the matchup? Sound off in the comments below!

(Photos thanks to Sacramento Republic FC).