TOP 5 MUST-WATCH MATCHES IN RED RIVER CONFERENCE THIS SEASON

Written By:  Thomas Costello | WPSL Correspondent

With WPSL realignment in 2023, the Red River Conference now consists of a smaller, centralized group of teams, whereas previous seasons saw the conference split into two different divisions pitting teams from all around Texas against sides from Oklahoma.

As Southern Texas teams moved into the Texas Triangle Conference, the Red River Conference now features a group of five teams. All of which have a chance to lift the conference title. With 18 matches remaining in the conference’s WPSL season, here are the five can’t miss match-ups, in order of scheduling.

June 7 Oklahoma City FC at Tulsa Soccer Club

There are rivalries and then there’s Tulsa vs. Oklahoma. Last season, the two sides started the season with shocking results as teams who normally compete near the top of the conference.

Tulsa began the season scoring two goals in the first three games combined and losing all three before winning its last five with a combined goal differential of 18 goals scored to five allowed. Oklahoma City lost its first four games before winning three of its final four.

What hurt Oklahoma City the most was its in-state rivals, Tulsa, sweeping both head-to-head meetings. Those wins gave Tulsa a three-match winning streak – the longest in the four-season WPSL history between the clubs.

This season, the two sides don’t waste time getting on the schedule and are set to play each other in their second games of the season. Look for a motivated Oklahoma side hoping to stop the momentum pushing against it from Tulsa. 

June 7 – FC Dallas at DKSC BADTOP

The WPSL has three returning teams inside the Dallas-Ft. Worth area this year. Last season, the 2022 expansion club DKSC BADTOP joined the league and shocked the teams in the North Division of the conference.

BADTOP went 6-1-1 and made it to the championship game before falling to AHFC Royals in a narrow 2-1 final. During the regular season, DKSC had impressive showings with 4-0 and 3-0 victories, but one side that gave it tough battles twice in the season was FC Dallas.

Across two matches, FC Dallas lost by just a goal in each defeat. Also, both matches were strong offensive displays with DKSC coming out on top in 3-2 and 2-1 matches.

This season, DKSC BADTOP can’t surprise teams as it did last season. FC Dallas has eight seasons of WPSL experience and started last season 4-1 before dropping its final three matches. Keep that momentum this year and FC Dallas could potentially make a run as the best team in the Dallas area, but it’ll have to go through BADTOP first.

June 10 – SouthStar FC at DKSC BADTOP

Although SouthStar FC struggled in its past two seasons, winning three matches overall, the club returns a team of multiple returning players. Also, despite logging only one victory in the 2022 s, three of its defeats were one-goal matches.

That could be due to familiarity with DKSC BADTOP and SouthStar FC holding joint tryouts to prepare for the 2023 WPSL season. SouthStar will benefit from the increased chemistry in its returning side and knowing the BADTOP roster.

This match against the fellow Dallas-area club is the second time these two teams faceoff this season. In their first match on May 31, SouthStar FC matched its 2022 win total to beat BADTOP 2-1 in a surprising start to the 2023 season.

SouthStar could surprise teams in the Red River Conference this year, and this match could be a sign that competition isn’t in short supply in North Texas and Oklahoma.

June 21 – Tulsa Soccer Club at Oklahoma City FC

This isn’t only the return match, but a battle that ushers in the final match days of the regular season. The two teams that have a combined seven conference titles have one final shot against each other to not only increase bragging rights but stay in the fight at the top of the conference.

A win for either side gives them momentum going into Tulsa’s final match and Oklahoma’s final two following this late June battle.

June 24 – DKSC BADTOP at Tulsa Soccer Club

At the end of the 2022 season, only three points separated BADTOP and Tulsa at the top of the North Division. In two matches last season, the top teams in the conference were separated by just a single goal. DKSC BADTOP’s 2-1 victory over Tulsa, early in the season, was the three points needed to win a spot in the conference title game with a three-point margin.
 

This season, there is no championship game, with the side at the top of the table earning the conference title.

If last year’s matches between DKSC and Tulsa are any indication of how the standings play out this season, this late-season match-up, on the second to last match-day of the season, could decide who gets hardware at the end of the season and who has to wait until 2024.