Tulsa FC vs New Mexico United
Photography by: Matias Cerisola
Best in the West. ONEOK Field erupted once again. Shoulder to shoulder in the stands, chants booming louder than thunder, and every goal celebrated as if it could be the last—exactly what a Conference Final demands. On the field, it was the Taylor Calheira show, with an opportune brace for the ages. One goal to fire Tulsa ahead, and a second to put the game to sleep. Hit us with a celly that’ll live on forever, inviting the crowd to dream with him and his mates on this spectacular playoff run. Ultimate glory is within touching distance. One last opponent to down. The Scissortails are flying high going into next Saturday’s USL Championship Final against the Riverhounds. What a battle that’ll be…
On a night built for history, FC Tulsa delivered with the authority of a team that looks nowhere near done. In front of a record sellout crowd of 9,180 at ONEOK Field, the Scissortails rolled past New Mexico United, 3–0, to claim the first silverware in their 10-year existence and book a place in the 2025 USL Championship Final on home turf.
If there were any nerves about the moment, they evaporated quickly. Tulsa’s front line — Taylor Calheira, Kalil ElMedkhar, and Alex Dalou — came out flying, swarming New Mexico’s back line with relentless pressure that forced turnover after turnover deep in United’s half. By the 15-minute mark, goalkeeper Kristopher Shakes had already been called into multiple acrobatic stops, including a full-stretch denial on a Dalou header.
The breakthrough felt inevitable, and it arrived in the 39th minute. Dalou picked off an errant pass, slipped the ball into Jamie Webber, and the midfielder coolly squared for Calheira, who buried a right-footed strike for his 16th goal of the season. It was a reward for a half in which Tulsa outshot United 12–0 and controlled every inch of the pitch.
New Mexico finally found a foothold after halftime, but Tulsa’s pressure — the defining feature of their postseason run — snuffed out any hope of a comeback. The key moment came in the 57th minute, when a long throw created panic in the box, ElMedkhar’s initial effort was blocked, and Calheira pounced from close range to make it 2–0. The goal pushed the 23-year-old to 17 goals across the regular season and playoffs — and cemented him as the night’s standout performer.
Even New Mexico’s best chance — a curling effort from Dayonn Harris that rattled the crossbar — wasn’t enough to tilt momentum. Tulsa simply had too much. In the 76th minute, Dalou threaded a perfectly weighted pass into the right side of the box, and Webber tucked home calmly to ice the match and spark celebrations already simmering in the stands.
By the end, Tulsa’s dominance was reflected in every metric: 19 shots to New Mexico’s handful, 3.17 expected goals, and eight forced turnovers in United’s defensive third. The Scissortails also protected two remarkable streaks — remaining unbeaten when scoring first (now 17-0-3) and extending their home winning run to six.
“We wanted to be a team that could beat anyone,” head coach Luke Spencer said afterward. “Staying consistent week by week is what’s gotten us here.”
For Calheira, the night was simpler: “We’ve worked so hard for this season, and today it paid off. One more to go.”
That final step — the USL Championship Final — comes next Saturday, when Tulsa hosts Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC in what promises to be another sold-out, historic chapter for a club suddenly writing its biggest story yet.
