After opening the season with two matches at Cheney Stadium the Tacoma Defiance are in Tulsa for their inaugural road match. The players returning from 2018 will have good memories of their last trip to Oklahoma where S2 had their best match of the season, beating the Tulsa Roughnecks 4-1 to get their first road win on the last day of the season. Besides that victory the Defiance (then S2) have struggled to get results against the Roughnecks with just one draw among five losses.

The Defiance will be hoping to get this young season back on track after losing last Saturday 3-0 to perennial bottom-feeders LA Galaxy II. They struggled in all phases of the game but especially at passing and transitioning out of the back. Thus the offense that showed flashes in the match against RGV was never able to get going. This young team’s struggle with the new system is likely to continue today but hopefully there will be improvements and the Defiance can get a bit more attacking in.

The Roughnecks will be the best team, possibly by quite a bit, that Tacoma has played this season, though they have also had mixed results (1-1-1) so far. They play in a conventional 4-4-2 (sometimes 4-4-1-1) and are fairly aggressive once they get possession sending 40% of their passes forward. They look to get the strikers in behind so Tacoma’s communication and line will need to be solid. One of their fullbacks pushes high throughout while the other stays deep. Their leading scorer is Brazilian right back Luca Lobo so Tacoma will need to be aware of him possibly making trailing runs. The Defiance’s best chance to score will probably come through their press where, if they press quick enough, they should be able turn Tulsa over in Tulsa’s half.

nos audietis in somniis | nos audietis in altum
you will hear us in your sleep | you will hear us from the deep
this is our Sound

Keys to the Game:

• Press quickly and together.
• Back-four need to keep a level line.
• Finish chances.

Lineups

Academy Keeper Sam Fowler starts his first match of the season with Trey Muse with the US U20s. The 7th best USL U20 player from 2018, Denso Ulysse, also gets his first start of the season.

How to Watch

Match date/time: 1:00 PM PT, Saturday, March 22, 2019.

Venue: ONEOK Field, Tulsa, Bird Creek Watershed, Ouachita Province.

Streaming: ESPN+

How I'm watching

Outfit: Something warmish since it got cold again for some reason.

Where: In front of a TV, with a notebook and computer, where the White River once flowed.