House Falls In PKs
Protagonist Soccer - Adnan Bašić
December 09, 2024 - It was Tulsa Athletic who won the battle of the amateur heavyweights on Sunday afternoon, as they defeated Chicago House on penalty kicks to qualify for the U.S. Open Cup. A tight and tense affair throughout, both teams had major opportunities over the course of the contest. Neither could find the crucial goal, though, which meant that things had to be decided on penalty kicks. All but one of the spot-kicks were scored, and unfortunately for the House it was one of theirs that was saved, which meant that Tulsa picked up the dramatic victory.
Story of the match
The away side had the first big opening, as Jonathan Harris ended up through on goal. House goalkeeper Ryan Grady did well, flying out and taking the ball away from him. Chicago responded well, and they started to take control of proceedings. Following an initial shot a loose ball bounced around the box, where Jhon Alzate nearly poked home. However, it was blocked away. Bukola Abdulwahab-Omotose then had a highlight reel moment. He hit a nasty turn to get past a defender before curling a low shot toward the corner, but it was brilliantly saved by Bryson Reed. Reed was called upon again moments later. A nice move led to Austin Montejano sneaking in from the fullback position, but his effort was also saved. Tulsa fought back, and Mimy Schinieder made a superb run down the sideline. The angle was a bit too tight, though, so his near-post attempt was blocked
One of the biggest moments of the contest came at the half-hour mark. Abdulwahab-Omotose flew past the entire backline but fluffed his lines, only hitting a weak shot that was easily denied. The ball came back to him, and he did go down following a challenge from a defender, but the referee deemed it not to be a foul. Alejandro Mentasti found space on the edge of the area, but his strike deflected to a very thankful goalkeeper. There was one more chance before the half, and it fell to Tulsa. A set-piece was flicked back towards goal, but no one was there to head home from close range.
Things slowed down in the second half. The House had another huge opportunity when Ricardo Avalos was found by a cross on the break. His touch inside was clever, but it was a bit too heavy, which allowed the goalie to come out and claim it. Tulsa ripped a shot from the shot edge of the area, and it lead to a pretty juicy rebound, but no one was on hand to pounce on tjhe ball. It looked like Chicago was going to jump in front when they forced a defensive turnover. Gilberto Angeles was played into space, but he went for an audacious chip that went wide.
There was a grandstand finish to proceedings. First Ruben Torres dinked the post with a low drive from distance, and then Ugochukwu Achara blasted the crossbar from a similar distance. It was a stunning end to regulation, and that magic wasn’t really reproduced in overtime. Both teams opted to be cautious, and even though the House were more dangerous, neither really came too close to finding a winner. That meant penalties. The first four kicks were all converted, but then Tulsa keeper’s Bryson Reed made a big-time save. That proved to be enough, as the rest of his teammates converted to send their side to the U.S. Open Cup.
Notes and takeaways
Elmhurst University is a nice set up for soccer at this level. It’s a lovely stadium with good stands, with a pro-level press box that has working wifi. I’m not sure how hard it is to get to Elmhurst from the city, but getting there from the suburbs is a breeze. Tulsa’s kits deserve a shoutout. It’s a bold design with tiny checkerboard boxes, half of them black and half being that weird color between red and pink that St. Louis City uses. The jersey is a beauty, and more teams at this level should have fun with their designs.
Bukola Abdulwahab-Omotose is a pacey and powerful winger. He also wears the number #4 kit. That’s a disgrace.
What’s even worse is that Ryan Grady, the House’s goalkeeper, wore the number #3 jersey.
Chicago prides themselves on their “next man up” mantra, but they did miss having AR Smith out there. He’s their X-factor and their closer. While the midfield was solid and the attacking names created chances, there was just a bit extra missing. Maybe one of those openings is converted by Smith.
Tulsa deserves loads of credit for putting up a fight for two hours. Remarkably enough they had played a game the day prior, and only flew into Chicago on Sunday morning. They didn’t have many subs, but every player that was on the field made sure to try and try and keep trying until the 120th minute. That’s the kind of effort needed to survive and advance.
What it means
As stated prior, this win sends Tulsa Athletic to the 2025 U.S. Open Cup.
Man of the match - Bryson Reed
A clean sheet and a match-winning penalty save in the shootout? It doesn’t get much better than that for goalkeepers.
That was the day Bryson Reed had. He was huge for Tulsa, making a number of key saves in regulation to keep the scores at 0-0. His reactions were quick, and his decision-making was spot on throughout.
The number #1 then stepped up when his team needed him the most, making the one save that proved to be the difference on penalties.
If Tulsa are to go on any sort of cup run when the tournament comes around next year, they’ll be happy to know they can trust Reed to deliver in the biggest moments.
Let’s hear from him now.
Key quotes
Bryson Reed - Tulsa Athletic goalkeeper:
“It feels really good. We always knew if we went to PK’s, we’d win. It’s one of those things where it's nothing really new. Honestly, the atmosphere here was great, that's probably the most challenging part about it. I couldn't give you straight answer on how I saved that penalty. Penalties are just such a fluke, it's either you guess the right way or you don't. I had a little bit of luck for that one.”
“It means a lot to be in the Open Cup, especially after a couple of years ago when we played an MLS club like Kansas City. We just wanted to get back to that point, and hopefully we’ll create a really big story for ourselves again.”
John Woodhead - Tulsa Athletic head coach:
“We’re over the moon. We did it the hard way and it paid dividends in the end. Obviously things happened to the club that we couldn't control, but to finish the year on a high and overcome everything is awesome for the club, especially for the fans.”
“Some of these guys have played two games in less than 24 hours, they're an incredible team and I'm proud of the boys. I'm proud to be a part of it. It's a big family mindset, I mean look at the celebrations over there. It's awesome.”