This Friday, Whitecaps FC 2 welcome Tulsa Roughnecks FC to Thunderbird Stadium for the first meeting between the two USL teams. But this won’t be the first time a team by that name comes to Vancouver.
In 1983, Vancouver was the host city for the NASL Soccer Bowl. The match pitted the original Tulsa Roughnecks against Toronto Blizzard.
60,051 fans packed BC Place and cheered Tulsa to a 2-0 victory. Because, well, we don’t much care for Toronto.
It was the biggest achievement in Tulsa’s professional soccer history, and it happened right here in Vancouver.
So welcome back Roughnecks. Just don’t expect our fans to cheer for you this time.
