The one thing that’s been non-negotiable for teams looking for success against San Antonio FC this season has been a willingness to match the aggression of the defending USL Championship title holders.

On Sunday night, FC Tulsa accomplished not only that, but through the midfield trio of Eric Bird, Nathan Worth and Blaine Ferri produced the right level of quality on the ball to deliver one of the results of the season.

Notching a goal and assist apiece, Bird and Marcus Epps led the way for the hosts at their first league game in club history at the Hurricane Soccer & Track Stadium on the campus of the University of Tulsa, but it was the smooth passing into transitional moments that provided the platform for a 2-1 victory that reshaped the race around the Eastern Conference playoff line and at the top of the Western Conference once again.

“We knew that these guys are super intense, and they want to press us high up the field,” said Bird. “We knew we had a little bit of quality, if we broke their first line of pressure, that we could find spaces. Marcus [Epps] found a couple good spaces, Milo [Yosef] and Phil [Goodrum] found some good spaces, Blaine [Ferri] in the first half as well. We had a couple chances, and we were able to take them.”

In the middle of it all, Bird delivered arguably his best performance of the season, popping up all over the field to not only connect play but put out potential fires relentlessly. The 30-year-old won 6 of 6 tackles in addition to completing 70 percent of his passes while also providing the opening goal with a rasping shot that proved too difficult for SAFC goalkeeper Jordan Farr to handle cleanly, the ball spinning away and into the right corner of the net for a crucial opening goal just 14 minutes in.

The manner of the goal – a well measured move that retained possession before slipping Bird in behind a napping SAFC Trova Boni, who was quickly substitute off on his debut for SAFC minutes later by San Antonio Head Coach Alen Marcina – was instructive to how Tulsa looked for success against the visiting defense, which entered on a run of three consecutive shutouts. Finding spaces in the channels for angled passes from the flanks, Tulsa didn’t create a lot of chances, but those they did were high quality.

Ferri could have added to Tulsa’s lead in first-half stoppage time when Patrick Seagrist’s pass into the left side of the penalty area was cleverly flicked back into the center of the penalty area by Goodrum as he drew defenders away, only for Ferri’s finish from 11 yards to go wide of the left post. Midway through the second half, however, Epps made no mistake against his former club with first-time finish from Bird’s low cross after he had been played into space on the right by second-half substitute Collin Fernandez.

“I still have a lot of love for San Antonio – they treated me nice,” said Epps. “But I’m an FC Tulsa guy, I enjoy scoring, and I’m happy I could do it tonight.”

That incisiveness in the final third was matched by the intensity and defensive solidity needed against San Antonio. Overall, Tulsa won 19 of 20 tackles as Keegan Hughes almost matched Bird’s production, winning 5 of 5 tackles individually, but the hosts were also more than happy to disrupt and agitate, reflected in the five yellow cards they received among 19 fouls.

And then there was the defensive work on a bombardment of 33 crosses by San Antonio on the night, of which only 11 found the mark. Hughes, Ruxi and Rashid Tetteh helped ward off danger, while goalkeeper Michael Nelson equaled his season-high with six saves to help close out the game.

“They’re relentless in the amount of balls they put into the box,” said Tulsa Head Coach Blair Gavin. “I thought our defenders were exceptional, Michael in goal made some big saves for us, and then the guys up front made some really nice plays. And then the midfield – the amount of balls that they picked up to get us possession and get us some breathing on the ball was great.

“I thought overall, it was a really good game, from each and every person.”

The result not only ended a six-game winless run for the hosts, it also moved Tulsa back above the playoff line with six games to go in the regular season. After a precipitous fall in the side’s playoff odds, the road ahead is still a difficult one. Tulsa’s next four contests include visits to Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC and the Charleston Battery, both in the top three in the Eastern standings, as well as interconference clashes with playoff contenders Phoenix Rising FC and Oakland Roots SC.

If there’s anything Gavin hopes his side will take from a defining win on Sunday night, it’s that at their best, his players can be a match for any opponent the schedule throws at them.

“When we play a team like the defending champions, we keep them busy, and we can take them to the end of the game,” said Gavin. “When we execute, we can beat them. I hope that we carry that momentum into the next games – it won’t be easy, we’re playing a lot of really good teams – but I hope the guys know that we’re a really good team.

“When we put it all together it’s nice to see.”