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Black Gold Derby

The Black Gold Derby is an American soccer rivalry between the two USL Championship (USLC) clubs based in Oklahoma: OKC Energy FC and FC Tulsa. The winner of the regular season series is awarded a four-foot wrench.[2]

History

The Oklahoma City Energy formed in late 2013, and FC Tulsa, previously known as "Tulsa Roughnecks FC", formed in mid-2014. Both clubs began their series ahead of the 2015 USL season.[3]

The Energy's formation came through local businessman, Bob Funk, Jr., who pursued a bid for a club in the USLC (then known as the United Soccer League) in early 2013. Funk was awarded a franchise on July 2, 2013 with an intended launch date in 2014. Ahead of the 2014 season the Energy FC announced an affiliation agreement with Major League Soccer side, Sporting Kansas City. Former Kansas City goalkeeper, Jimmy Nielsen, was named head coach.[4][5]

In March 2014, OKC Pro Soccer owner and founder of Oklahoma City's Fields & Futures program Tim McLaughlin joined the club as an ownership partner, bringing a secured lease to Taft Stadium, where Energy FC began play in 2015. The club's 2014 home schedule was played at Pribil Stadium on the campus of Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School.[6]

The origins of FC Tulsa date back to 1978, when the original Tulsa Roughnecks formed. The original Roughnecks formed as a relocation of Team Hawaii ahead of the 1978 North American Soccer League season. The original Roughnecks won Soccer Bowl '83 against the Toronto Blizzard.[7] The second iteration of the Roughnecks came in 1993, which joined the United States Interregional Soccer League (USISL), the body that evolved into the operator of today's USLC, the United Soccer League. The best season results for this version of the Roughnecks came in 1993 and 1994 where they reached the divisional finals in the playoffs. The club folded following the 1999–2000 USISL I-League season.[8]

The series is temporarily on hold as OKC Energy FC has announced a hiatus during the 2022 USL Championship season, planning to return to play by 2026.[9][10]

Format

The trophy is awarded based on points earned for wins (3 points each) and draws (1 point each) during the USL Championship regular season and U.S. Open Cup fixtures, should the teams meet during the tournament. In case of a tie in both points and goal differential, the team with the higher number of away goals scored will be the winner. Finally, in case of a tie on points, goal differential, and away goals, the trophy will be given to the team with the highest final placement in the USLC rankings.

Winners by year

Statistics

Results

Home team is listed on the left, away team is listed on the right. Home team's score is listed first.

  Oklahoma City win  Draw    Tulsa win

References

  1. ^ Cooper, Mark (May 28, 2015). "The Oklahoma Derby: How Tulsa Roughnecks FC and OKC Energy FC's rivalry was heated from the beginning". Tulsa World. Berkshire Hathaway. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  2. ^ Czubinski, Grant (June 6, 2016). "Black Gold Derby Brings Added Heat in Oklahoma". United Soccer League. uslsoccer.com. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  3. ^ Brannick, Chris (July 24, 2016). "Energy FC drills Tulsa Roughnecks in Black Gold Derby". Tulsa World. newsok.com. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  4. ^ "Energy FC Partners With Sporting KC". United Soccer Leagues (USL). December 20, 2013. Archived from the original on December 21, 2013. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  5. ^ "JIMMY NIELSEN NAMED HEAD COACH OF OKLAHOMA CITY ENERGY FC". December 20, 2013. Archived from the original on December 20, 2013. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  6. ^ "Oklahoma City Businessman Tim McLaughlin Joins Oklahoma City Energy FC as Partner". The Oklahoman (NewsOK). March 25, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  7. ^ Yannis, Alex (September 30, 1983). "2 Surprises in Soccer Bowl 83". The New York Times. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  8. ^ "History of Pro Soccer in Tulsa". fctulsa.com. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  9. ^ FC, Energy (December 3, 2021). "Energy FC to suspend play in 2022, resume in 2023". OKC Energy FC. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  10. ^ Energy FC (November 18, 2022). "CLUB STATEMENT FROM ENERGY FC". OKC Energy. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  11. ^ USLChampionship com Staff (December 3, 2021). "OKC Energy FC Takes One-Year Hiatus from USL Championship Play Due to Stadium Renovations". USL Championship. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  12. ^ Energy FC (November 18, 2022). "CLUB STATEMENT FROM ENERGY FC". OKC Energy. Retrieved December 22, 2022.

External links