A late finish by Taylor Calheira gave FC Tulsa a 1-0 victory against Sacramento Republic FC on Friday night at ONEOK Field, giving Tulsa its third win in four games to start the 2025 USL Championship season and marking its first win against Republic FC in club history in the 15th meeting between the two sides.

Here are three things we took away from the game.

1. TULSA’S INVESTMENT IN TAYLOR CALHEIRA IS PAYING OFF

Taylor Calheira was one of Tulsa’s key pickups this offseason, with the club paying a transfer fee to acquire him from New York City FC II of MLS NEXT Pro to add the 22-year-old forward to their ranks. That investment is already paying off, with Calheira having shown himself a strong leader in the front line before bagging his first league goal for the side off Arthur Rogers’ corner kick with three minutes to go on Friday night.

“I think Taylor is the complete package. He can score goals, has great vision and he’s strong,” said Tulsa Head Coach Luke Spencer. “But what really stands out about Taylor is his mentality and work rate.

“He chases everything down, competes for every ball, and is constantly running in behind and pressing the opponent. He’s relentless to play against.”

Calheira took a game-high five shots on Friday night, and was unlucky not to have opened the scoring earlier in the second half when his close-range chance off another corner was deflected over. While Calheira’s pressure on the ball didn’t see him turn over possession consistently – he contested a game-high 28 duels, but won only nine – it helped set the tone for another sterling defensive display.

2. TULSA TIGHTENED UP AFTER THE BREAK

FC Tulsa has been one of the best defensive sides in the USL Championship so far this season, and while the side had to call on Bryan Dowd to step in between the sticks on Friday night in place of regular starter Johan Peñaranda, it recorded its third shutout in four games after riding some good fortune in the first half, when Sacramento recorded the best of its chances on the night.

After allowing seven shots inside the penalty area during the first half, Tulsa allowed Sacramento only six overall after the break, with three coming inside the box, but none of which could be described as great opportunities. The Scissortails have looked to build a new identity since Spencer took the reins this offseason, and it’s already paying off in terms of results.  

“In the middle of the first half, momentum shifted their way a bit, but we were able to regroup at halftime, talk through a few things, and come out strong in the second half,” said Spencer. “We really put them under pressure after the break. I thought it was a complete team performance – Marcos [Cerato] came on and contributed, adding to the group.

“Obviously, we missed Johan in goal tonight, but Bryan stepped up in a big way, got the shutout, and that’s what we always talk about – being a complete team, not just a collection of individuals.”  

3. REPUBLIC FC LEFT TO RUE ITS MISSED CHANCES

Sacramento Republic FC had comfortably the better of the first half and was able to apply pressure consistently in the final 15 minutes of the first half when 48.1 percent of the action played out in FC Tulsa’s defensive third. The challenge for the visitors was a lack of precision on the chances they created, with the side forcing Tulsa goalkeeper Bryan Dowd into only one save on the night as Cristian Parano was off with his finishing, ending with three shots off target and Russell Cicerone notching the side’s lone effort on target.

With four points from the club’s opening three games, Republic FC was left to feel it had left points on the table in each of its past two outings. With Louisville City FC set to visit Heart Health Park next Saturday, sharpening up in the final third is going to be a priority.

“We emphasized, over the last couple of days that the last two games have been decided by set pieces,” said Republic FC Head Coach Neill Collins. “I think for large parts of the game we looked like the better team, apart from maybe a 10-minute spell in the second half where they put us under pressure on a couple of set pieces, but we should have capitalized long before that and we didn't, and we paid the ultimate price for not taking one of our chances.

“We defended a set piece poorly, and we ended up coming away with nothing, so I'm totally disappointed.”