FC Tulsa earned a 1-0 victory against Sacramento Republic FC on Saturday night at Heart Health Park, earning the visitors a season sweep of the series between the clubs as Kalil ElMedkhar’s early goal proved the difference.

Tulsa struck on the first shot of the contest as ElMedkhar connected with Jamie Webber before receiving a return pass as he entered the penalty area and finishing sharply into the right corner for his second goal of the season. From there, Tulsa was able to see out the contest, even while ending the game down to 10 players as Owen Damm was sent off with four minutes to go for his second cautionable offense.

Here are three things we took away from the contest.

1. Tulsa’s Fast Start Set Up the Overall Performance

FC Tulsa hasn’t been a prolific early starter this season – Saturday night marked only its second goal in the opening 15 minutes in the Championship campaign – but the energy the visitors brought and quality in the execution of Kalil ElMedkhar’s 10th-minute finish set up an impressive opening half display.

It was also almost imperative for the Scissortails if they were going to come away with a result. Going up against a Republic FC side that was previously undefeated at home this season and had gone undefeated in the Championship and USL Jägermeister Cup in May, Tulsa put its imprint on the game, almost adding a second goal late in the first half when Delentz Pierre’s header hit the right post, and then let its defensive structure and willingness to frustrate Sacramento as it tries to rally take over. Head Coach Luke Spencer’s side is now 6-0-0 when scoring first this season, putting it alongside Loudoun United as the only teams yet to drop points from a winning position in the 2025 campaign.

2. Republic FC struggled to break down Tulsa’s low block

Republic FC dominated possession over the 90 minutes – including posting a 73.5 percent possession mark in the second half – but was unable to turn its possession into opportunity on a consistent basis as Tulsa’s three-center back formation and low defensive block provided little space for the hosts to maneuver through. Sacramento recorded its second-highest total of final-third entries (88) over the contest, but was below its season average with only 20 touches in the opposition penalty area and five shots in the box, one of which was saved by Tulsa goalkeeper Johan Peñaranda.

The trio of Pierre, AB Cissoko and Arthur Rogers combined for 21 clearances while Cissoko recorded a game-high five interceptions while winning 8 of 12 duels. That left Republic FC to try and rely on set pieces to find a breakthrough, and while Aaron Edwards’ long throw-ins almost delivered – Timmer’s shot wide of the right post in stoppage time was arguably as close as the hosts came to an equalizer – it was a tough night for an attack that had scored nine goals in its prior two outings.

“We know what Tulsa is like,” said Republic FC defender Lee Desmond. “We’ve done our homework, I’m not criticizing them at all. There's different ways of playing. They're good at it. They have three big center backs who win their battles. And we struggled with it all over the pitch in the first half. First balls, second balls we struggled, and that’s what gives you a platform in the game, and we didn't do it tonight.

3. Tulsa’s desire for victory was more important than spectacle

Featuring the two sides that led the USL Championship’s Western Conference in Expected Goals/90 minutes this season, there was the hope Saturday night would show us the best both attacks had to offer. Instead, we got the message that Tulsa certainly can entertain, but it’s more important to get the three points, especially on the road at a venue it had never won at previously.

Tulsa’s 0.57xG mark for the game was its lowest in a single game this season, while Republic FC’s 0.47xG mark was its second-lowest to its 1-1 draw against Louisville City FC in April. Ironically, the Scissortails’ previous low also came against Sacramento, when the side took a 1-0 victory at ONEOK Field earlier this season. Having taken its first win in club history against Republic FC then, Tulsa completed the season sweep in similar fashion on Saturday, indicating there’s a blueprint the side felt it had to employ to get the result.

After a three-season absence from the playoffs this season for Tulsa has been about changing mentalities around the club to turn it into a contender. That didn’t give us the spectacle we were hoping for on Saturday, but it moved the Scissortails within range of top spot in the West, which at the end of the night mattered most to the visitors.