FC Tulsa was one of the streakiest sides in the USL last season, ultimately landing fourth in the Central as they comfortably qualified for the playoffs. They suffered a huge defeat to Tampa in the first round, but this was an altogether decent campaign for the Oklahoman side.
Tactically, Tulsa usually trotted out a 4-4-2 look, but they'd occasionally use a 4-2-3-1 with that #10 providing a great amount of extra heft in the middle; we'll address that in due time. Still, this team had a few key stylistic signifiers. The central midfielders played deep to support high-flying fullbacks, and there was a massive amount of interchange between the team's top-end attackers. Tulsa ferociously targeted the half-spaces in attack through narrow wingers, but they weren't very aggressive in the press or strong as a counterpressing side going the other way. I love Sean Lewis in goal in general, but the advanced numbers rated him as a below-average shot stopper last season.
Given all that, let's look at some examples of buildup and attack. You can see a lot of the aforementioned principles at work in the ensuing clips. The first half of the video sees overlapping fullback runs supported by central midfield facilitation. There's lots of movement in the half spaces, and the end result is a decent shot from range. In the second half here, a characteristically long goal kick meets one high winger with the other tucked inside; a ferocious burst from the left back sparks a move.
Still, not every attack hewed to this same build pattern. Against Tampa's high press in the playoffs, the fullbacks pinned themselves much deeper down the pitch to try and ease progression. Additionally, forwards like Joaquin Rivas could come deep to create further passing options. When they worked past the Rowdies' first line of defense, you'd often see the wingers move high in attack to replace the missing fullbacks or dropping strikers.
Looking at the other side of the ball, you can see Tulsa's basic defensive approach in the still image below. The dual forwards are marked with the team's lovely teal third color, and the midfielders are denoted by white circles. The 4-4-2 shape is blatant; you see a clear midfield line of four. At right, Marlon presses up a bit to shadow an off-screen fullback, and the two forwards are seen in the top corner pressing the opposing central defenders man-for-man. Still, the pressure isn't overly aggressive, and the focus is on limiting passing options rather than winning the ball.
Here's that defensive shape in action. Light pressure from the forwards sees San Antonio carry the ball left and work up the pitch. Tulsa commits to closing on the wing with fullback aggression, and Lebo Moloto hedges out in support. This leaves the thin center of the 4-4-2 fairly vacant, so SAFC works into the middle and launches a through ball into the space opened by that initial right-sided close-down. In clip number two, minimal pressure from that two-man front is overwhelmed by an SKC midfielder coming deep; the midfielder has the space and time to launch a switch and let his side enter the attacking zone.
One more example here. On over-aggressive commitment to Tampa's ball-carrying defender by the Tulsa right winger leaves Leo Fernandes in space. Tulsa has to slide right as a unit as a result, and Tampa is able to work wide with a clean switch pass. Tulsa is off-balance from there as they adjust to a new point of attack.
For me, the 4-4-2 defensive system lacked the central support to facilitate wide aggression. If you beat your man out wide as an opponent, that two-man Tulsa middle core had to slide over and weaken the defensive shape in response. Having two forwards up the field to loosely shadow foes without closing hard didn't quite shut down passing lanes in the way this side hoped as well. All in all, there was too much vulnerability.
In this context, I think Tulsa would have benefited by playing a full-blown 4-2-3-1 featuring a legitimate number ten attacking midfielder. This kind of central player is distinct from a second striker or other forward because of their defensive responsibilities. You'd be much more likely to see a ten roving to hassle deep-lying opponents or drifting to support a wide teammate. Additionally, dropping an additional man into the midfield would allow the two existing central midfield players to sit deeper and focus on destroying danger in their own third. Below, you can see a basic example of how this kind of style held up an Indy attack this season. The Eleven can't penetrate.
No matter what system Tulsa ends up in, we're already starting to see their roster moves trickle in. Goalkeeper Sean Lewis, left back Jorge Corrales, defensive midfielder Eric Bird, and wide forward Dario Suarez have all been announced at the time of writing, and they represent a strong core for this side in 2022. Lewis underperformed last season by advanced statistics as mentioned, but he's generally well-rated. Corrales is a bonafide international and one of the league's best at his spot, while Bird provides consistent quality in the middle. In the linked clip, you can see how Suarez really commands play from his usual left- or right-wing slot. He's a menace making narrow runs into the box and overloading foes.
When I'm thinking about this team for next season, I still have more questions than answers. I'd like to see a formational shift, but there are plenty of personnel choices left to make too. Last year, the Tulsa strike corps, usually combining a mix of Rivas, Rodrigo Da Costa and Jason Johnson, converted chances at an 80th percentile rate, a full standard deviation above league average. None of those players are retained as of yet, and their returns will be key. Moloto is an obvious man to keep in the middle, and you'd love to see another box-to-box type of player a la Zachary Herivaux or Kevin Partida come into the fold if possible. Center back is the real area where I want to see this team improve. They rated in the bottom-half for defensive interventions by their CBs despite the light-pressure style; give me Alexis Souahy or either of the Osmond/Donovan tandem out of OKC there. At the end of the day, I'm bullish on this team's playoff chances with or without big changes, but I'm left thinking about the vast upside this core provides.