Within the first 15 minutes of the Western Conference Final of the 2025 USL Championship Playoffs presented by Terminix, it was clear what sort of game we were about to experience.

By that point, 47.1 percent of the game had been played in New Mexico United’s defensive third as hosts FC Tulsa hassled and harried their visitors at ONEOK Field, creating havoc that led to opportunities that could easily have seen the game get out of hand.

As it was, it took until six minutes before halftime for the dam to finally burst, but once Taylor Calheira was the beneficiary of another New Mexico turnover in its own half, there was little question as to the direction of the contest. By the time the final whistle blew, the Scissortails had swept to a 3-0 victory and the first piece of silverware in club history.

“Hats off to Tulsa,” United Head Coach Dennis Sanchez told the Albuquerque Journal. “We knew we were going to have to be strong on the ball, but we couldn’t break their press consistently. That allowed them to build momentum and really just take control of the game.”

• MIDNIGHT MARAUDERS: If you want a gauge of how tilted the game was in Tulsa’s favor over the opening 45 minutes, consider these numbers; the Scissortails outshot United 12-0, recorded 24 touches in the New Mexico penalty area compared to four for the visitors at the other end, and attempted almost half of their passes in the attacking third. Overall, 51.6 of the first half ended up being played in New Mexico’s defensive third, where Tulsa pinned its visitors down and gave them little room to maneuver.

• DYNAMIC DUO: Leading the way was Tulsa’s front two of Calheira and Jamie Webber, who left their fingerprints all over Saturday’s contest. Not only did the duo combine for five of the side’s eight instances of winning possession in the final third, but Calheira also bagged a pair of goals to move to 17 tallies this season and Webber a goal and assist to power the Scissortails to victory, continuing the impressive impact each has made since their arrival this year.

• SOMETHING TO SHOUT ABOUT: With their relentless pressure and energy, the team gave another club-record crowd even more reason to believe that this could be their year. An FC Tulsa-record 9,180 fans packed into ONEOK Field – including some hardy New Mexico support – and delivered the sort of atmosphere players can feed off, resulting in delirious scenes at the final whistle.

“We talked about providing experiences for the fans and the community, bringing more people out to these games, and the past three matches you’ve seen the crowd buzzing,” said FC Tulsa Head Coach Luke Spencer. “These guys deserve that kind of support.”

For a side that had to grind through its first two postseason games in extra time, Saturday night was simply one where it bore through its opponent in remarkable fashion. While by the end of the second half the numbers looked a little more respectable for United, the lack of a shot on target – caused by one piece of hit woodwork by Dayonn Harris and a Tulsa defense that was more than prepared to put its body on the line to block shots – spoke to the upper hand the hosts maintained.

“The focus all week was really being aggressive and really trusting each other,” said defender Lamar Batista. “The next man is going to do his job.”

Now, there’s one more job to do, and a home crowd to do it in front of.

When FC Tulsa hosts the 2025 USL Championship Final, it’s going to bring everything it’s got.

“From day one, we wanted to be a team that could beat anyone,” said Spencer. “Staying consistent, week by week, is what’s gotten us to where we want to go.”