Playing the first game of the USL Championship regular season, T2 travel to face Tulsa Roughnecks FC on Saturday, March 9, at ONEOK Field in Tulsa, Okla.; kickoff is set for 5 p.m. (Pacific). The match on Saturday marks the first of two regular-season matches between the two clubs in 2019, as they’ll face each other at Providence Park on Saturday, July 6.
2018 USL season in review
Experiencing a breakthrough season in 2018, T2 set new team highs in wins (17), road wins (8) and points (55). The 2018 club also realized new superlatives in a number of key offensive and defensive categories during the campaign, including goals scored (58), assists (38), shots (427), shots on goal (157) and shutouts (12) on the way to its first postseason appearance after finishing the regular season with a record of 17-13-4 (55pts). Portland’s 58 goals scored finished tied for seventh in the league last season.
Players excelling last year
A number of players excelled for T2 last season. Foster Langsdorf tallied a team-record 14 goals and added four assists in 29 appearances last season on loan from the Timbers. Marvin Loría finished the campaign with six goals and a team-high seven assists in 2018. Renzo Zambrano made a team-high 30 starts last season, finishing with three goals and three assists. Loría and Zambrano signed first-team contracts with the Timbers on Dec. 10, 2018, after helping guide T2 to its first playoff appearance.
2018 road warriors
In 17 road matches last season, T2 finished the regular season with a 8-5-4 record away from home. The eight road wins were tied for the fourth-most in the USL last season. Portland’s 23 away goals were tied for the fourth-most in the Western conference in 2018. Additionally, eight of T2’s 12 shutouts last year came on the road.
Portland against Tulsa Roughnecks FC
In seven all-time matches against Roughnecks FC, T2 lead the series 4-1-2. In the last meeting between the two clubs, T2 defeated Tulsa 4-0 at Providence Park on Sept. 9, 2018. T2 are 2-1-1 in four matches all-time on the road at Tulsa.
T2 2018 Team Leaders
Goals: Foster Langsdorf (14)
Assists: Marvin Loría (7)
Chances Created: Marvin Loría (58)
Shutouts: Alex Mangels (6)
Saves: Kendall McIntosh (61)
Scouting Tulsa Roughnecks FC
Tulsa Roughnecks FC begin their fifth season competing in the USL Championship, after finishing last season in last place in the Western Conference (3-12-19, 21pts), tying for the second-most draws in the conference during the 2018 USL regular season. The club’s 36 goals scored last season tied for the third-fewest in the Western Conference, while their 77 goals allowed finished tied for the second-most allowed in the entire USL. Goalkeeper Fabián Cerda’s 125 saves last season was the second-highest total in league history, dating back to the 2011 regular season.
Tulsa Head coach: Michael Nsien
Tulsa Roughnecks FC 2018 Team Leaders
Goals: Joaquin Rivas (12)
Assists: Paris Gee (6)
Chances Created: Michael Gamble, Nemanja Vukovic (37)
Shutouts: Fabián Cerda (2)
Saves: Fabián Cerda (125)
