OPPONENT WATCH: Oklahoma City Energy FC

  • OKC (1W 0D 7L) are in a poor run of form, losing 7 games on the bounce, starting with a 4-1 defeat by Rising on March 24.  Currently sitting in 16th position in the USL Western Conference, OKC are 12 points and 12 places behind Rising in 4th position.
  • OKC have struggled to find the net this season, scoring a mere 3 goals in 8 games.  Their last goal was scored by Jaime Siaj on March 31 in a 2-1 defeat away to Fresno.  Madrid-born Siaj had previously played for Charlotte Independence in the USL Eastern Conference, scoring 4 goals in 19 appearances.
  • Their two other goalscorers this season are forward Francis Atuahene and defender Christian Ibeagha.  Ghana-born Atuahene is on loan from FC Dallas.  Ibeagha previously played for Colorado Springs Switchbacks in 2016 (29 appearances, 0 goals) and North Carolina FC in 2017 (28 appearances, 2 goals).
  • Forward Jonathan Brown once played alongside Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey, and Joe Allen for Wales at U17, U19, and U21 level, but is still awaiting his first USL goal.  He was signed from Bangladesh Premier League side Abahani Limited Dhaka.
  • OKC’s goal drought is all the more disappointing given that 3 of their last 4 games were played at home in Taft Stadium.
  • To address their lack of prowess up front, OKC completed a trade with Saint Louis yesterday, signing 25 year-old former FC Tucson forward Christian Volesky in exchange for an international roster spot.  Volesky has scored 1 goal in 7 appearances for Saint Louis this season, plus 8 goals in 30 appearances in 2017.  He previously scored 20 goals in two seasons for Rochester Rhinos (2015-16).

OKC TC All

  • Six of the 14 goals conceded by OKC have been scored in the last 15 minutes of their games.
  • Three OKC players have clocked up all 720 minutes game time this season: goalkeeper Matt Van Oekel, defender Christian Ibeagha, and the Jamaican defender/midfielder Richard Dixon.
  • Two OKC players have been sent off in 2018: hometown boy Justin Chavez and midfielder Miguel Gonzalez.  Chavez previously played in midfield for Tampa Bay Rowdies (2015-17), scoring 1 goal and contributing 4 assists in 54 matches for the Florida club.  Gonzalez joined OKC from Colorado Springs Switchbacks in 2017.  He scored 8 USL goals last season.
  • OKC have also collected a further 16 cautions, including 4 yellow cards in their game last Saturday against Swope.
  • OKC’s preferred starting formation is 4-2-3-1.  However, against Swope last Saturday, their English head coach, Steve Cooke, opted for a 4-4-2 formation.

From The Ashes Prediction: Another win on the road for Rising