SAFC Gets Sweet Revenge, Beats FC Tulsa 2-1 in USL Cup Match

Hamilton Stewart, Staff Writer

June 7, 2026

Victor Lopez

SAFC midfielder Jorge Hernandez challenges FC Tulsa midfielder Grant Robinson in last Saturday’s USL Cup match in Tulsa, Okla.

San Antonio FC bested FC Tulsa 2-1 Saturday night in the third group stage match of the Prinx Tires USL Cup at ONEOK Field in Tulsa, Okla.

Tulsa struck first blood in the 18th minute when forward Rémi Cabral went on a run following a turnover, scooped a timid shot over SAFC goalkeeper Joey Batrouni – who tried desperately to close the space in time – but the ball trickled across the goalline and FC Tulsa went up one-nil.

“We knew before the game it would be a difficult game. This is a team that plays very direct, is very physical and is very good in set pieces,” SAFC head coach Carlos Llamosa said.

SAFC midfielder Lucio Berron battles for position against FC Tulsa defender Alonzo Clarke in last Saturday’s USL Cup match in Tulsa, Okla. (Victor Lopez)

SAFC would answer early in the second half when defender Emil Cuello lofted well-placed service into the box that curled toward the back post and met a header from streaking SAFC midfielder Mikey Maldonado, who found the side net for the equalizer.

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“It reminded me of high school, back when I was a forward. I have a couple of old traits I still got in my bag,” Maldonado said of his first goal of the season.

The match was full of hard tackles and yellow cards. The two sides, playing their third match of the season across all competitions, have a history of multiple bookings on both sides.

SAFC defender Akeem O’Connor-Ward challenges FC Tulsa midfielder Grant Robinson in last Saturday’s USL Cup match in Tulsa, Okla. (Victor Lopez)

In the 80th minute, FC Tulsa defender Ian Carlos Souza Daniel tripped SAFC midfielder Jorge Hernandez. Daniel, who had already been booked in the 49th minute, was issued a red card, ejected from the match and SAFC now had the advantage over a 10-man Tulsa squad for the remainder of the match.

San Antonio would capitalize. Llamosa subbed in Dmitrii Erofeev and Luke Haakenson in the 86th minute. Referee Nabil Bensalah issued three minutes of stoppage time at the end of regulation, and in the 91st minute, off a throw-in, Erofeev chipped the ball to Haakenson, who headed in his first goal of the season and the game-winner for SAFC.

SAFC midfielder Mikey Maldonado in a dust-up with FC Tulsa defender Ian Carlos Souza Daniel in last Saturday’s USL Cup match in Tulsa, Okla. (Victor Lopez)

“Amazing game from the guys. A lot of fight, a lot of heart on the road, especially with a conference rival in the cup, to come here on the road and snake three points and stay at the top of the group, it’s an amazing feeling,” Haakenson said.

With the win over FC Tulsa, SAFC is at the top of Group 3 in the USL Cup with eight points. FC Tulsa ousted SAFC from the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in April, and the two sides battled to a nil-nil draw in league play before that meeting. With the win, SAFC exacted its revenge against its Western Conference rival.

SAFC will return to league play Saturday at 6:00 p.m. against Lexington SC at Lexington SC Stadium in Lexington, Ky.

About the Contributor

Hamilton Stewart, Multimedia Journalist

Hamilton is a multimedia journalist at the Sundial. He graduated from the University of Tennessee in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science in Communications. He is completing an Associate of Applied Science in Court Reporting Computer-Aided Transcription at SAC, as well as a Level II Certificate in Multimedia Journalism.

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