Energy continues to struggle at home, lose to San Antonio
The Energy's lone win this season came on the road.
The Greens waltzed into Bold Stadium in Austin, Texas, recently and delivered a knockout punch to the Austin Bold. Three different players finished with a goal, and the defense allowed just one to the opposition in what was their most balanced match by far.
At home however, it' s been a different story.
The Energy are 0- 3- 2 in Ta ft Stadium this season. They began a f our- game home stand in late July, and their last two games have both been 3-0 losses. They finished deadlocked at 1 - 1 with Rio Grande Valley to start it off.
“We do want to get points here for sure .” Energy coach John Pas car ella said after Oklahoma City's loss to San Antonio on Saturday at Taft. “We've lost a few at home and we need to gain those back on the road.”
Taft Stadium is notorious in the United Soccer League for its weathered turf and nonregulation-sized field. Its conditions make it hard on visitors, and sometimes even the home team.
“It's a different game.” EnergyFC defender Kyle Hyland said. “The field's narrower, the turf makes it harder, but both teams have to play on it. You can't play as beautifully as you can — we have to figure out a way toge tit done out here just like anybody else does.”
Pas car ella said when he arrived in Oklahoma City he was told the team traditionally prefers to play on the road, but right now that' s irrelevant.
“We have to do both and we have to be successful enough at both.” he said. “I want to create a team mentality strong enough to do both. So we certainly don' t want to use that as an excuse.”
The Greens are currently in fourth place in Group Do ft he USL championship. San Antonio leads with 13 points, followed byFC Tulsa with eight and Austin Bold with six. Rio Grande Valley trails Oklahoma City with just two.
Time is also running out f or Oklahoma City to earn a win on its home turf. OKC only has three home matches left. It will face Austin Bold FC two more times at home, and Rio Grande Valley once.
The final match of the home stand is Saturday versus Rio Grande Valley. After that, seven of the last nine matches are away.
“In some ways yes, it's a race to get there because the number of games are limited .” Pas car ella said .“But still, when you look at the way the competition is setup, we're still battling with two or three teams for that spot. That's what matters to us right now.”