TULSA, Okla. – FC Tulsa announced on Tuesday then club had exercised its contract option on midfielder Rodrigo da Costa for the 2023 USL Championship season, bringing back the club’s all-time leader in goals, assists, appearances, starts, and minutes for the new campaign. The transaction is pending league and federation approval.

The playmaker from Rio de Janeiro has become the most prolific attacking player in club history. Da Costa’s 33 goals are the most scored by any player in their Tulsa career and his assist total sits at 25, 15 more than the next-best tally in the record book.

“Rodrigo is a special talent and someone whose ability to open up the game is different than most,” said FC Tulsa Head Coach Blair Gavin. “He can score goals and create assists out of nothing and having that kind of ability is very important to a team. When you need a touch of magic, Rodrigo delivers.”

A perennial ironman, Da Costa has logged more than 2,500 minutes in three of his first four seasons with FC Tulsa. The only season in which he failed to do so was in 2020, the 16-match campaign that was shortened due to the global COVID-19 outbreak. In total, the 28-year-old has amassed 9,492 minutes across 115 appearances for Tulsa and has seen his name in the starting lineup on 110 occasions. When he was voted to to the 2019 USL Championship All-League Second Team, it marked the second postseason award for an FC Tulsa player in club history.

Da Costa is fresh off a 2022 season in which he tied for the club lead in goals (9) and ranked second with four assists in his 33 appearances. The Brazilian also created 60 scoring chances for his teammates, 11th-most in the USL Championship.

“I’m excited to be back in the city that my family and I have called home for the last four years,” said da Costa. “I can’t wait to get back to work and meet the new coaching staff and players. We have an exciting season ahead of us.”