FC Tulsa fell short of taking home the USL Championship trophy on Saturday, losing 5-3 in penalty shootouts against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.
Neither Tulsa or Pittsburgh conceded a goal throughout their respective playoff runs. Despite a number of chances from each team throughout the 120 minutes, the game remained scoreless heading into the shootout. Ultimately, a penalty save by Pittsburgh goalkeeper Eric Dick decided the match.
“Very proud of the season we had,” said head coach Luke Spencer. “It’s just disappointing having this result be the end of it.”
As players exited the pitch, many fans consoled players as they left the field — underscoring the connection players have built with supporters over the past season.
Despite Saturday’s loss, FC Tulsa’s performance throughout the season has been widely regarded as one of the greatest turnarounds in the league. The club’s appearance in the USL Championship final comes just a year after it placed 10th in the Western Conference and missed the playoffs.
FC Tulsa’s fans took notice of the club’s improving performance as the season continued. FC Tulsa’s championship loss came in front of another record-breaking home crowd of 9,507. The club broke attendance records in each of its four playoff games, calling back to its days as a soccer city when the stakes were highest.
FC Tulsa’s supporters are hopeful this year’s reversal of fortune is a sign of what’s to come.
“Seeing the turnaround this year has just been incredible,” said Aaron Moss, an FC Tulsa fan. “Going into next year, I hope they can just keep this momentum. I mean, nobody saw us coming this year, but now people will be aware.”
‘We’re back next year, and we’ll do the same thing’
Caleb Sewell, FC Tulsa’s sporting director and general manager, said he hopes this season helps revive Tulsa’s soccer roots. The Tulsa Roughnecks championship win in 1983 marks the last time a Tulsa-based professional sports team won a championship.
“As we move forward as a club, we want our new stadium. We want the backing there. We want to be able to fill that up just the same,” said Sewell. “But as we go into next year, hopefully this is a huge stepping stone for people to come out and support us.”
When he joined the club in January, Sewell said the club needed an overhaul.
“When I analyzed the club, it was for me, a place that needed a whole redo — a new start,” Sewell said. “In some ways, that was the allure of coming here. The crowds were okay. The team hadn’t really performed, but the city was quite cool and younger and vibrant. Why are they not connecting?”
Despite its growing success as the season carried on, Sewell said the team’s underdog mentality continued to fuel the team’s product on the pitch.
“Nobody believed in us all year, and that’s fine. We’ve come up short today in what was a cruel way to lose, but we’re back next year, and we’ll do the same thing,” Sewell said.
Heading into both Sewell and Spencer’s second years at the helm of the club in 2026, they expect to build upon what they have established.
“The culture is a reflection of the people that are in it,” Spencer said. “I’m lucky to be able to coach the players that we have and to be a part of this. It was a very enjoyable experience for me in my first year as a head coach. We definitely laid a good foundation, and we’ll look to build on that next season.”
Sewell is proud of what Tulsa’s done for soccer in his first year.
“Say what you want, Tulsa is a great city. The fans have now shown that they can come out and connect. Next year, we’ll be in the community more, and we’ll do more with the kids,” Sewell said. “It goes into the mission of what the owners want — to leave an entertainment legacy here in this city and grow the game of soccer. No one thought we’re going to do that this year, so I’m proud of that.”
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