This year, it wasn’t close. Friday of last week, I checked the voting results and it was clear who would win, even with multiple days of voting remaining. Tulsa Athletic, the little club from Tulsa, was going to win the 2023 Protagonist Soccer Club of the Year.

If you need justification for the award, you need only look at the highest finish by an amateur club in the US Open Cup and the NPSL National Championship title. Sonny Dalesandro, club co-founder, certainly started with those two big successes when talking about the club’s year - “The final whistle being blown after our second round USOC game vs. FC Tulsa was pretty surreal. Watching our captain Vini Oliveira lifting the national championship, a trophy we’d been chasing for a decade, was beyond words.” But Tulsa Athletic is so much more than its on-field success and this year was so much more than just a title for the Tulsa club. I’d suggest reading their nomination article for more of that information.

The club’s success in the Open Cup reflects how many lower league teams see the competition. Sonny highlights the importance of it to his club. “Nothing in this sport in our country has as much history and prestige behind it. We’ve been very fortunate just to participate in it several times. Getting to play the role of David/Cinderella was an absolute honor. We always pull for the smaller clubs in the competition.” Certainly a different view of the competition than its Division One counterparts.

The success of Tulsa Athletic’s 2023 is now last year’s success and no matter how great the year was, Sonny is focused on how to take it to the next level this year: “I think about this a lot. Increased community impact is something we always strive towards. On the field, I think it’s simple…there are always little areas that can be improved. Our technical staff recognizes it, accepts it, and is active and committed to that perpetual improvement. We’ve always been a ‘one game at a time’ type of club. That won’t change.”

That’s why Tulsa Athletic is a model of lower league success, the club continues to push itself to do better each year. But that success doesn’t come without a host of people dedicated to the cause. So I asked Sonny to recognize the people who made his club 2023’s Club of the Year. And his response is the perfect way to put a bow on last year.

“So many people believe in this club and what it represents in our community. I don’t want to leave anyone out! Thank you for the opportunity to recognize our people though. Dr. Kern and myself would like to thank the players. They bled for the club. They left all of themselves on the field every game. Champions. Our technical staff Jason Rogers and John Woodhead. We didn’t have a coach until February! They worked tirelessly to meet extremely high expectations and managed to somehow exceed them. The members of the Tulsa Athletic Soccer Foundation. Lisa Boullt, Kathy Shannon, Julie Selby, and Tami Foust. They epitomize the the spirit of our club by making Tulsa a better place for the young people in the community through the this beautiful game. Our GM Daniel DeVore is an absolute monster. He not only does the difficult and intricate things that give us our professional appearance, he does them well. Eric Connell (graphics), Harry Willis (community outreach and partnerships), Tim Hanson (communications director), Toby Moore (commentator), Phillip Sumner (video production, Lori Scholl (photographer), Clutch and Suzie DeVore (concession stand), Candy Dalesandro (tickets), Joey Ryan, and Lucas Dreizen. Team quality aside, our supporters group and fans continually make Tulsa a very difficult place to play. Our sponsors are paramount in enabling us to chase our dream of making Tulsa better through the platform of soccer.”

Congratulations to 2023 Protagonist Soccer Club of the Year - Tulsa Athletic.