Category: Oakland Roots

Oakland Roots Score A Brace Against New Mexico United 2-1 To Regain The Third Place Spot

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Lots of congratulations to go around as the Oakland Roots defeated the New Mexico United at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque NM on Wed Aug 23, 2023 (@oaklandrootssc photo)

Wednesday. August 23rd, 2023

By Troy Ewers

In Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, NM, it’s a weekday edition of the USL Championship and the Oakland Roots faced New Mexico United. Oakland entered this game fourth place in the West and hoped to control their destiny to make a run in the playoffs. Last time these two battled it out was April 1st and Roots leading scorer Johnny Rodriguez won Oakland the game, 1-0.

Defense was the name of the game in the first half and Oakland fought even a sliver of a chance during the half. One of Oakland’s biggest chances came from Neveal Hackshaw with a header that almost passed the New Mexico goalkeeper who was on the ground, but still gotta hand on the ball for the save.

The Oakland Roots silenced the crowd with their pacing throughout the first half, only time they made any noise was when they booed the ref for awarding a yellow card New Mexico which set up an Oakland set piece that Oakalnd couldn’t capitalize on.

The Roots would finally take advantage of the momentum they had built up all half as Anuar Palaez would score in the 42nd minute, after receiving a pass from Daniel Barbir and hitting a roller shot past the goalkeeper to take the lead, 1-0 Roots.

Before the halftime whistle blew, New Mexico witnessed why Paul Blanchette was the League leader in saves as Moreno attempted to even up the score with what looked like a clear goal, but Blanchette made the save and Oakland was able to clear it to end the half and the Roots maintained their goal lead.

The second half, Oakland had one goal, hold the lead, so they can take back third place in the West and in the beginning of the half the Roots used their slow pace strategy to generate offense and in the 51st minute, Trayvon Reid scored a goal from that style of offense and even though there was an appeal from New Mexico over a hand ball, but there was a no call from the ref and the score was upheld, 2-0 Oakland. This was the second assist from Barbir as he is used as the conductor of this offense this game.

The rest of the second half was Oakland keeping New Mexico at arm’s reach and not with many real scoring chances. With five minutes of stoppage time, New Mexico showed that they weren’t giving up even with the rain starting to pour.

A corner set piece for New Mexico was scored on when Sergio Rivas found the ball amongst the madness and shot it past Blanchette to make the score 2-1. New Mexico was quick to try to get the equalizer, but when Hackshaw was fouled the time was ticking down as he stayed on the ground with an injury, which led to the final whistle to blow and the game ended with Noah Delgado’s Oakland Roots securing the three points with a victory against New Mexico United and momentum towards this last stretch of the season.

Oakland’s next game will be in three days on Saturday, August 26th in Louisville, Kentucky against Louisville City FC.

Oakland Roots Lose 3-2 To Colorado Springs Switchbacks After Two Weeks Off

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Saturday, August 19th 2023

By Troy Ewers 

Hayward, Ca – After a two week break the Oakland Roots face the Colorado Springs Switchbacks in a league match up. The Roots came into this game in third place and wanted to keep their spot in the table with only 56 days left in the regular season.

In the last six games the Roots are unbeaten after a stretch of wins and losses and coach Noah Delgado gave the team five straight days off, because the team was banged up after the consecutive games they played before the two week break.

Colorado came into the game with a lot of energy hoping to stop Oakland’s hot streak and that energy translated to a fifth minute goal by Maalique Foster with an assist from Devon Williams. 1-0 Colorado and this woke up the Roots, but when you’re facing the Roots you need insurance goals and you need them fast to really keep them out of the mix.

In the 25th minute, Memo Diaz hit a big time goal past the goalkeeper Joe Kuzminsky and celebrated with an even more beautiful backflip to even up the score at 1-1. In the 30th minute, Roots player Joseph Nane signaled for a sub, but before getting a dead ball to sub off he made two stops that denied the Switchbacks attack that possibly could have given them the lead and seconds after his valiant effort, Nane was subbed out.

The Roots continued their press style defense that gave them the win against Vegas and this rattled the Switchbacks in the first half, but they weren’t rattled enough to stop their attack and get a goal past Roots goalie Paul Blanchette.

The goal came in the 40th minute when Tyreek Magee hit a shot that Blanchette didn’t even dive for, because he knew it was too late and Colorado took the lead 2-1. For the first half of the game Colorado had three shots and they were all on goal with two that found the back of the net.

The Roots had a big chance to take the lead that missed the post by Jeciel Cedeno before stoppage time, but kept the pressure on Colorado. Two minutes into stoppage time that pressure Cedeno kept on Colorado drew a penalty and resulted in a penalty shot that was taken by Anuar Palaez and capitalized on to even the score. 2-2.

The whistle blew signaling halftime and Oakland was pleased with an even score going into the next half, but with plenty of soccer to be played they knew if they didn’t keep up the pace and pressure they had in the first, they would be lucky to walk away with a draw.

The second half started at a slower pace and that was initiated by Colorado as a way to counter the press that Oakland started with and this strategy worked for Colorado in the 58th minute when Magee went past the Oakland back line and shot a bullet past Blanchette to take the lead, 3-2 Colorado Springs.

This game went similar to the way these two had two months ago, only difference is more goals actually scored unlike the last game where Oakland won 1-0.

No major scoring chances came for the majority of the second half,but in stoppage time Oakland had various chances at an equalizer, but Kuzminksky and the Switchbacks held off the Roots all the way to the final whistle and secured the three points.

Not the outcome Oakland was looking for, but there’s no two week break to get some rest as their next game four days later August 23rd in New Mexico against New Mexico United.

Oakland Roots Shut Out Charleston Battery 1-0 To Secure Three Points In The Table

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The Oakland Roots used their heads in this one as they got by the Charleston Battery at Patriots Point Soccer Complex in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina on Fri Aug 4, 2023 (@oaklandrootssc photo)

Friday, August 4th, 2023

By Troy Ewers

Oakland Roots face the Charleston Battery as the Roots try to hold on to their third place standing in the Western Conference at Mount Pleasant, South Carolina -. This is the first time either team has ever played each other in their team histories and the game started with Charleston playing an aggressive style of defense with hard tackles and pressure on the ball the moment it touches a Roots player.

Oakland goaltender Paul Blanchette had the spotlight on him, because he comes into this game top of the league in saves and second in shutouts heading into the weekend.

In the 40th minute, the scoring chances opened up for Oakland off a set piece that developed into a pass from outside the box to Daniel Barbir for a header that hit the back of the net and put the Roots over 1-0.

As the final minutes of the first half wind down the tempers started flaring and a yellow was given to leading scorer Johnny Rodriguez and the final whistle blew with Oakland up 1-0. The second half of this started off slow with both teams taking their time and picking their spots.

Charleston had attacks that scared the Oakland defense, but no one was able to find the net in that first 20 minutes, because Oakland jumped on every chance they had. Players keep getting knocked down by Charleston defenders. It almost feels like a hockey game with how many times Roots players are getting checked.

The duration of the second half was not only a stalemate amongst both offenses, but a test of endurance where a rush would go the distance, but once challenged would be shut down  and possession would change hands.

With nine minutes of stoppage time Johnny Rodriguez goes down with what looked like an ankle injury, but this injury took a lot of time away from Charleston to try to equalize the score. As the final minutes ran off, you can see frustration on the face of Charleston players and that’s due to never capitalizing on the scoring opportunities they had, but Oakland kept them at bay the whole match and then the final whistle blew and Oakland walked away with the win.

Paul Blanchette awarded another shutout and the Roots can exhale knowing that their third place was secure headed into the weekend. The next game for the Roots will be at home against the Colorado Springs Switchbacks and this game will be the only home game of the month for Oakland.

Roots Can’t Get Fourth Win In A Row for First Time In History As They Draw 1-1 With Detroit City FC

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The Oakland Roots get tuned up for their match with Detroit FC at Cal State University Hayward on Sat Jul 29, 2023

Saturday, July 29th, 2023

By Troy Ewers

Hayward, CA – The third place in the Western Conference Oakland Roots aimed for their longest streak in team history as they looked to get their fourth win in a row against Detroit City FC. The match immediately started with a spark plug of a goal from Oakland. In the first 40 seconds, the opening attack was successful as Johnny Rodriguez scored a goal from outside the box to find the back of the net.

This is Rodriguez’s ninth League goal and tenth overall goal this season and Roots took the lead 1-0. The equalizer was scored very soon after in the fifth minute a header was scored by Stephen Carroll on a corner piece. 1-1!

The rest of the first half was slowed to a taxing pace as both teams tried to find an advantage over the defense. Oakland relies on more pressure on the offense and Detroit relies more on trying to play a tactical game plan. The first half ended even at 1-1 with four shots on goal for Oakland and five shots on goal for Detroit City, all five shots total for Detroit were on goal.

The second half was a back and forth defensive battle. A defensive mishap from the Roots on was almost capitalized by Detroit, but the ball hit the post and was recovered by Paul Blanchette. Blanchette leads the league in saves and this game was no different, other than the one header in the fifth minute, Blanchette stopped everything that came his way.

On the offensive side of the ball, Oakland couldn’t seem to get past the back line of Detroit and the same seemed to be happening for Detroit with Oakland. The final seconds ran off, the final whistle blew, and the game ended in a draw.

Oakland players looked frustrated when the whistle blew, almost like they were mad at the missed opportunities. The Roots maintained their third place position going into the next game against Charleston in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina on August 4th.

Troy Ewers is Oakland Roots beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland Roots Move Into Third Place With Third Win A Row Beat Las Vegas 1-0

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Wednesday, July 26 2023

By Troy Ewers

Hayward, California – The Oakland Roots played the Las Vegas Lights for weekday game as the Roots look to extend their winning streak to three games which would match their current longest winning streak of this season.

The match started and it was a sleepy first half as there were only two shots on goal between both teams and both shots were from Oakland. One of those shots came from Roots leading scorer Johnny Rodriguez when he tried to capitalize on a lackadaisical mistake from the Las Vegas center back Zali, who even though he made the mistake, Zali came back and got the save, preventing Rodriguez from getting his 9th league goal this season.

In the first 26 minutes Vegas earned three fouls and their sloppy play almost led to an early goal from Oakland as they missed a free kick and even claimed there was a hand ball, but a no call from the referee. After that missed call it looked like it was getting chippy out there from both teams, but with all that the first half ended scoreless.

In the second half the chances increased for both teams, one of the best chances for the Lights coming in the 50th minute, but the ball would miss wide. Another big chance for Las Vegas came from Andrew Carlton who took a risky shot from the mid line and it looked on par for a goal, but one of the league leader in saves, Paul Blanchette saved that ball from being the go ahead goal for Vegas.

After a Lights open field shot is missed, Oakland takes advantage of the missed opportunity when a deep pass from Bryan Tamacas finds Anuar Pelaez, who beats the back line and sinks a shot to the net for the advantage goal,1-0 Oakland.

A last minute equalizer opportunity for Vegas saw the back of the goal in a set piece, but an offside was called and no goal. The final whistle blew and Roots won, securing their third straight win and third place in the west.

This game not only saw another strong outing from Blanchette, but also the combo of Cireno and Tamacas on the seemed to lead the attack for Oakland as majority of their offense developed from their side.

Next game for the Roots is July 29th in CSU East Bay in Hayward against Detroit City FC as Oakland looks to continue this streak and with 13 games left, they hope to secure a home playoff game when the postseason arrives.

Oakland Roots Win 3-1 Against El Paso

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The Oakland Roots got through to the El Paso Locomotive SC at Southwest University Park in El Paso on Sat Jul 22, 2023 (@oaklandrootssc photo)

The Oakland Roots took on the El Paso Locomotive FC in El Paso TX. The Roots came into this game in sixth place and needed a victory to move them up the table and that’s exactly what they did with a 3-1 road victory.

The first half saw even possession amongst both teams with big scoring opportunities each way. One major scoring chance came when Matsoso for the Roots missed a shot of the crossbar that was scooped up by El Paso’s goalkeeper in the 38th minute.

Two minutes later Petrovic of El Paso took a shot that look like the shot to put El Paso over but Roots goalie Paul Blanchette stopped it in its tracks. The first half ended in a scoreless stalemate but the second half would move in a very different direction.

Two minutes into the second half Petrovic shot the ball and it deflected off Roots defender Klimenta in the goal and 1-0 El Paso. Oakland would get the equalizer when Lindo Mfeka would hit a gorgeous chip in the goal to make score 1-1 in minute 65.

In the 68th minute Roots leading scorer Johnny Rodriguez would hit his eighth league goal off a header that was assisted by El Paso raised Memo Diaz on a corner set piece, 2-1 Oakland. The game looked in the Roots grasp, but they still got an insurance goal in the 85th minute with an easy shot by Pelaez and ten minutes later the final whistle blew and Oakland locked in their second win in a row after what seemed like a grueling losing streak.

Next game for the Roots will be on Wed July 26th against the Las Vegas Lights SC and the Roots will be back in the Bay Area looking for their third straight victory. Kick off is 7:00pm PT.

Oakland Snaps 6 game Winless Streak; Roots Beat Monterey Bay 3-1

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An Oakland Roots player was doing a backflip over the Roots victory over Monterey Bay FC to end their six game winless streak on Sat Jul 15, 2023 (@oaklandrootssc photo)

By Troy Ewers

In a foggy Monterey Bay, the Oakland Roots took on Monterey Bay FC in their third matchup of the season. Both teams have got their wins on the road in this rivalry and this game showed nothing different. What was different was the Roots ended their losing streak with two goal 3-1 win at Cardinale Stadium in Seaside Calif.

The Roots started this game with a goal from Lindo Mfeka that was called back for offsides, but the pressure didn’t stop for Oakland as they earned a penalty shot which was easily converted by Johnny Rodriguez and the score in the 15th minute was 1-0 Roots.

Later in the half in the 29th minute, Monterey Bay would gain the equalizer as Alex Dixon hit a shot from the top of the box to the back of the net and it was now 1-1, but Rodriguez would regain the lead for the Roots quickly with his second goal to obtain a 2-1 lead for Oakland and when the first half ended that was the score.

The second half started with intense pressure from both squads and no one letting their foot off the gas, continuing the pace from the first half. This pressure was taken advantage of by the Roots in the 78th minute as Daniel Gomez scored with an assist from Memo Diaz for the third and final goal for Oakland.

When the final whistle blew the game ended 3-1 Oakland and they got their first win in a month. The Roots hope to continue this feeling of victory as they head to Texas next game and face El Paso on July 22nd.

Roots Avoid Third Loss In A Row With 1-1 Draw Against Memphis

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@oaklandrootssc photo

By Troy Ewers

HAYWARD–At CSU East Bay, the Oakland Roots played their match against Memphis 901 that was rescheduled from earlier in the season and this was an important game for Oakland as they have only scored once in the last four games and were coming off back to back losses where they were unable to score. They were able to score in this match that ended up in a draw on Wednesday night 1-1.

In the first half, the Roots had the sense of urgency to score, with a score by Johnny Rodriguez past the Memphis goalie Bill Hamid, but it was called offside and no goal. The attack didn’t stop for Oakland as they were the first on the board with a goal from a difficult shot by Jeciel Cedeno, assisted by Daniel Barbir in minute 33 putting Oakland up 1-0 and despite this first strike by the Roots, Memphis wasn’t going to let that happen to them again.

In the 61st minute Memphis took advantage of the Roots defensive mistake as 901 forward Laurent Kissiedou scored the equalizer to make the match 1-1. From that point on the Roots went on a flurry of scoring opportunities, but each opportunity was halted and by the final whistle the desperation to score for Oakland was visible and resulted in no change of the score.

A win for Oakland would put them in a position to compete for a playoff spot, but the 1-1 draw leaves them at a complete even record. Next game for the Roots will be on July 15th against Monterey Bay in an away game.

Roots lose to Tampa Bay 3-0

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Try as hard as they did the Oakland Roots couldn’t get the futbol in the back end of the net getting shutout by the Tampa Bay Rowdies at Al Lang Stadium in St Petersburg Fl on Sat Jul 8, 2023 (@oaklandrootssc photo)

By Troy Ewers

In St Petersburg, Florida, the Tampa Bay Rowdies face the the Oakland Roots in a regular season match and this game from front to back to side to side was a dominating performance from Tampa Bay as they got 3-0 victory at home locking down three points.

Cal Jennings score the first goal of the game in the eighth minute in a brilliant set up that gave the Rowdies the 1-0 lead. The first half was primarily the Roots on the defensive side of the ball trying to stop an offense that wouldn’t let up and that meant depending on a hardworking performance from Roots goaltender Paul Blanchette, but that wasn’t enough as Cal Jennings scored his second goal of the game in the 41st minute giving Tampa Bay a 2-0 lead when the half ended.

In the second half it was no different than the first as the Rowdies didn’t take their foot off the gas and in the 57th minute of the game, Cal Jennings secured a hat trick after a cross comes from the right side across the pitch and is received from Jennings and goes past Blanchette for a 3-0 deficit.

The pressure applied by Oakland in the second half fell on deaf ears as it resulted in no goals and couldn’t close the gap that Cal Jennings and Tampa Bay opened up from the opening whistle. When the final whistle blew the Rowdies took the three points and the three goals for a victory.

Next game for Oakland comes right around the corner as they play Memphis 901 on July 12th at CSU East Bay in Hayward and Coach Delgado hopes for a different result.

Oakland Roots Lose 2-0 To The Rio Grande Valley Toros Off Of A Wilmer Cabrera Brace

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The Oakland Roots prayers were answered with a 2-0 shutout over the Grande Valley Toros at CSU East Bay in Hayward on Wed Jun 28, 2023 (@oaklandrootssc photo)

A rare weekday game for the Oakland Roots in Hayward, California at CSU East Bay, this game against the Rio Grande Valley Toros. This game was a standout game for goaltender Paul Blanchette of Oakland, but for the defensive back line it was something they wanted to forget immediately.

The first half showed promise as both teams each had good scoring chances that the goaltenders had to make highlight reel stops. The difference between both teams is how they approach their first moves, the Roots’ first move being more timid than RGV and in this game it was about who was more aggressive.

In the second half that point was proven masterfully by RGV. Even though at the beginning of the second half Lindo Mfeka had a huge scoring opportunity for the Roots, Oakland would only end up with five shots on goal total and compared to RGV’s 12 shots on goal that would be a deciding factor for this game.

Two of those 12 shots would go past a tired Paul Blanchette. First goal came from a breakout pass by RGV that would be stopped Oakland’s Joseph Nane, but when Nane tries to clear the ball, RGV gets it right back and Frank Lopez would sneak a pass past Barbir of the Roots to Wilmer Cabrera for a shot that finds the back of the net, 1-0 RGV.

The second goal coming eight minutes later and it would be a smoother play for the Toros as an offensive rush leads to Frank Lopez again getting an assist and again Wilmer Cabrera scorches it in the goal, 2-0 RGV and that was all that was needed to give RGV a W, but it wasn’t the only damage done before this game was over. Within two minutes, Guillermo Diaz got two yellow cards resulting in a red card and five minutes later the final whistle blew.

The next game for Oakland is July 8th against Tampa Bay and this is the time of year where teams at the top of the table start to separate from the rest and Oakland finds itself in the middle of the pack and they need to start winning and stop with the draws and losses before they look up and it’s October and they’re out of the race completely.