Tag: USL Championship

Oakland Roots Eliminated From A Playoff Spot After 2-1 Loss To El Paso Locomotive FC

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Oakland Roots as much as they tuned up and practiced before the game couldn’t wrap up the regular season with a win against the visiting El Paso Locomotive at Cal State Hayward East Bay on Sat Oct 14, 2023 (@oaklandrootssc photo)

Saturday, October 14th, 2023

 By Troy Ewers

Hayward, CA – It’s the final game of the regular season for the Oakland Roots and it’s been a wild ride. This game against the El Paso Locomotive FC is a win and in scenario for Oakland and it’s exactly the scenario that encapsulates this season for the Roots. The last time Oakland faced El Paso it was a 3-1 victory for Oakland and this outcome is what Coach Delgado wants his Roots team to repeat. 

It wasn’t long until someone scored in the first half and unfortunately for Oakland it wasn’t in their favor. Eight minutes into the first half and Emmanuel Sonupe of El Paso scored one through the legs of Paul Blanchette in an effortless attack and just like that it was 1-0 and the packed Pioneer Stadium went from hype to crushed in seconds, because it felt like it was over before it even started at that point.

That became even more evident after a set piece resulted in a header from Noah Dollenmayer scored in the 14th minute, making this game 2-0 El Paso and from here frustration set in as Roots leading scorer Johnny Rodriguez was awarded a yellow card for tripping Dollenmayer a minute after he just scored.

For 30 minutes into the first half, one thing was for sure for Oakland and that was their attack wasn’t breaking the seal of El Paso’s defense and that carried on through the half, even being stopped on a penalty shot in the 41st minute.

The air was deflated in Pioneer Stadium. The whistle blew to signal the end of the first half and it was 2-0 El Paso, and the Oakland fans were stunned as the thought of the playoffs was fading away. 

The Roots weren’t going down lightly, they had heart coming out of halftime as two minutes into the second half Anuar Pelaez scored an amazing butterfly kick for a goal for the Roots and this was the shot of adrenaline to the arm for Oakland that they needed.

It was 2-1 with a lot of time on the clock and the fans were back in. El Paso was fighting for playoff hopes as well if there was a draw, El Paso would be in the playoffs, if El Paso wins they’re in the playoffs, it was up to Oakland to determine the fate of the playoff picture.

As substitutions started to come in, the fear of time came into play for Oakland. Five minutes left in the game before stoppage time and the fans were on the edge of their feet, it felt like it could go either way. The Roots had attempt after attempt, but with four minutes of stoppage time the mountain was too high to climb.

The two goals in the first half for El Paso were all that was needed to stop Oakland in their tracks and in stoppage time, a red card for the Roots was the nail in the coffin, there was no comeback story. El Paso slowed everything down and wasted time all the way until the final whistle sounded. 2-1 El Paso 2-1 and the Roots were eliminated from a chance at the playoffs. 

It was a fun season for the Oakland Roots, but it wasn’t enough to make it to the dance. The Roots had players like Johnny Rodriguez and Paul Blanchette who were league leaders in their respective categories and fought every single game, but not being able to close it out when it mattered resulted in Oakland missing a run in the postseason.

Oakland Roots lose in a crushing 4-2 loss to San Diego Loyal in final away game

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Oakland Roots players tuned up before their match against the San Diego Loyal at Torero Stadium in San Diego on Sat Oct 7, 2023 (@oaklandrootssc photo)

Saturday, October 7th, 2023

 By Troy Ewers

In Oakland’s last away game of the season, the Oakland Roots faced the San Diego Loyal in regular season play at Torero Stadium in San Diego. Oakland currently sits in eighth place in the West, one point clear of the playoff line and they had hoped to keep their spot as they had this game in hand but it got away in a crushing 4-2 loss. The Roots do have one last game at home to close the season. 

The first goal came on a sideline throw and was then headed to Bryan Tamacas who shoots on one touch past the goaltender and in for a nice goal and Oakland goes up 1-0, but that’s not new for them, can it be held? The answer is no as San Diego hit the equalizer three minutes after Oakland’s when Joe Corona hit a header past Paul Blanchette to make it 1-1.

Not even a minute later, San Diego scored their second goal when a beautiful attack led to a goal from Ronaldo Damus and the game felt out of hand early, 2-1 San Diego. The avalanche wasn’t over for San Diego as Damus hit his second goal, this time sneaking a one time shot past Blanchette and the frustration was visible on the Roots.

In the 44th minute, the SD Loyal delivered a fourth goal when Perez scored his first goal of the night and the energy was alive in San Diego, but Oakland’s energy was sucked out. The halftime whistle blew and it was clear who was on top and that was San Diego. Oakland needed to adjust, but momentum wasn’t in their favor. 

The second half was Oakland desperately fighting for scorching opportunities, but no cigar. San Diego knew all they had to do was run this clock out and play the game that got them to this point. Oakland wasn’t going anywhere without a fight as they hit a quick goal to make it 4-2 and the Roots ran the ball to center to not waste any time, but the damage was already done.

With five minutes in stoppage time left, San Diego was clearly in control and Oakland fought hard, but not hard enough and when the final whistle was blown the game ended 4-2 San Diego and Oakland looked crushed.

How this affects Oakland’s playoff chances hangs in the balance, but with one more game next week against El Paso, the fate of the Roots is on the line as we close this season October 14th.

Oakland Roots Draw 2-2 Against San Antonio After Being Up 2 At Half

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Oakland Roots couldn’t hold the 2-0 lead and came away with a 2-2 draw against San Antonio FC at CSU East Bay (@oaklandrootssc image)

Saturday, September 30th, 2023

By Troy Ewers

Hayward, CA – Four games remaining in the season and Oakland is still fighting for a final spot in the playoff picture. Tonight the Oakland Roots face San Antonio FC at CSU East Bay in the final game of September. 

The Roots started with an amazing goal to open the game nine minutes in as Guillermo Diaz hit a deep pass to Johnny Rodriguez where he hit a fantastic spin kick to score, 1-0 Oakland. A minute later Anuar Palaez stole the ball from a San Antonio player and immediately followed up with a laser shot to score the second goal for the Roots, 2-0.

The remainder of the first half was San Antonio trying hard to develop an offense and they let some shots go, but none hit the back of the net and when the whistle blew for a halftime, Roots were up 2-0. 

The second half was the make or break half for Oakland. They needed to secure a W and lately they haven’t been able to do that in the second half conceding more goals than they’ve scored. San Antonio wanted to keep that streak going ten minutes into the second half, Santiago Patino scored the first goal for San Antonio off a gorgeous shot past Paul Blanchette making it 2-1.

As we proceeded through the second half, Oakland got more physical to hold off San Antonio and this strategy was successful all the way until stoppage time when a long pass was volleyed to Toni Oluwaseyei who scored off a straight shot past Blanchette for the equalizer. 2-2!!!

Oakland’s struggle to hold off opponents in the second half when they have a lead has been what has kept their playoff chances in limbo. The final whistle blew, but not without a little bit of controversy. On the last shot of the game, San Antonio claimed there was a foul to the point where a San Antonio player got in the ref’s face and was awarded a red card. Red card aside the game ended in a 2-2 draw. 

With only three games left, Oakland is fighting for their playoff spot and the next game on their path to the playoffs is against Orange County Sporting Club in Irvine, CA on October 4th.

Oakland Roots lose 1-0 to FC Tulsa to start home stand

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Oakland Roots pose for a pre game team photo before their match against FC Tulsa on Sat Sep 16, 2023 (@oaklandrootssc photo)

Saturday, September 16th, 2023

By Troy Ewers

Hayward, CA – The Oakland Roots face off against FC Tulsa to start a three game homestand with six games left in the season, four out of those six will be home games for Oakland. The Roots find themselves in 7th place of the West, three points clear of the playoff line. 

Tulsa got on the board first 10 minutes into the game when Phillip Goodrum knocked a header in the net after receiving a short cross pass into the box and this header made it past Blanchette to put Tulsa up 1-0. The game plan for Oakland seemed more scattered than usual and Tulsa’s whole system was to take advantage of this scattered style of play.

The course of the first half was predominantly focused on setting up possible opportunities, but Oakland made the biggest mistake of the half right before stoppage time when Lindo Mfeka delivered a hard tackle that wasn’t just a clear foul, but resulted in a red card and the Roots had to play with ten men for the remainder of the game.

With only two minutes of stoppage time, the halftime whistle blew before anything could develop and Tulsa held the lead at 1-0, but with that red card on Oakland, Tulsa had the advantage. 

The second half was a complete battle of possession, but the odds were evened out when Tulsa got a red card and now both teams were playing with ten guys. From there the rest of the second half played out and Tulsa never conceded.

As the final whistle blew, the game was just like how it started, 1-0 Tulsa and three points secured for Tulsa, which isn’t good for Oakland as they go into these final five games with a huge mountain to climb. The next game will be a home match for Oakland and it will be against Monterey Bay FC and the Roots need a win to secure them in the playoff picture.

Las Vegas Lights FC Rally In The Second Half To Beat The Oakland Roots 3-1

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The Oakland Roots tuned up for a little foot work before their match against the Las Vegas Lights FC at California Hayward UC East Bay on Sat Sep 9, 2023 (@oaklandrootssc photo)

Saturday, September 9th, 2023

By Troy Ewers

It’s another USL Championship week and the Oakland Roots faced Las Vegas Lights FC in the final stretch of the season. The Roots wanted to get back on track in this game but were defeated by the Lights 3-1. The Roots are currently in sixth place in the West.

The game for the first 10 minutes was a  battle of possession, but when Oakland drew a penalty, it set up a penalty shot for the team’s leading scorer Johnny Rodriguez. Rodriguez capitalized on the penalty shot and scored his 11th League goal and 12th overall goal of the season and Oakland is up 1-0.

The first half ended with a 1-0 score and Oakland in the lead, but if the Roots know one thing it’s that if they want to secure a W, they can’t take their foot off the gas. When the second half started, the Roots immediately went on the defensive, but that didn’t matter as in the 56th minute Vegas forward Azriel Gonzalez scored one past Blanchette and tied the game up.

The Lights quickly took advantage of the momentum they got off the last goal a minute later Tyler Bagley received a headed pass and slammed it in the net even while smoke from a fan’s flare was in his face. 2-1 Las Vegas Lights FC.

Both goals were assisted by Daniel Rios and it felt like the Roots were now silenced, but there was still time on the clock. Substitutes and fouls slowed the game to halting pace, but that didn’t shake up Vegas as Tyler Bagley scored his second goal of the game from outside the box in the 89th minute and put the nail in the coffin on the Roots as the game entered six minutes of stoppage time, 3-1 Vegas.

When the final whistle blew, the game was already sealed, but the whistle just made it official and the Roots are still on the down trend as we wind down the season.

The next game for Oakland is September 16th at home against FC Tulsa and the next four out of six games will be at home to end the season. The Roots have to string together some wins to secure themselves a good spot in the playoffs and make a run at a USL title.

Oakland Roots Lose 1-0 To Sacramento Republic FC From A Penalty Shot

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Defenseman Memo Diaz of the Oakland Roots and the defense tried as hard as they did couldn’t stop the Sacramento Republic FC getting shutout at CSU East Bay in Hayward on Sat Sep 2, 2023 (@oaklandrootssc photo)

Saturday, September 2nd, 2023

By Troy Ewers 

Hayward, CA – In CSU East Bay, the Oakland Roots take on NorCal rival Sacramento Republic FCin their first game of September as we approach the final stretch of games this regular season. Oakland Roots looked to rebound from their heartbreaking loss last week, August 26th. Oakland currently sits in fourth place in the West and the battle for a playoff run continues.

The game started with Sacramento immediately getting on the board after Juan Herrera converted a penalty shot with a shot off the right foot to the bottom left of the net, 1-0 Sacramento. The rest of the first half was a slow half due to many penalties, 17 in total (10 for Sacramento and 7 for Oakland). The teams went even on shots on goal with two, but Oakland was still behind as the first half whistle blew.

The second half was a match with no change of pace, but there were more shots for both sides, a total of 22 for both squads and after an even possession match up this game ended with the same score we started with three minutes in.

This certainly wasn’t the result Oakland sought out for, but it’s something they have to recover from going into their next match. That next match for the Roots will be in Las Vegas against Las Vegas FC, September 9th. Hopefully the Roots can shake off the last two losses and regain their momentum.

Heartbreaking Loss In Louisville; Louisville City FC Defeats Oakland Roots 2-1

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Practice makes perfect as the Oakland Roots go through some pre game drills before they battled Louisville City FC at Lynn Family Stadium in Louisville on Sat Aug 26, 2023 (@oaklandrootssc photo)

Saturday, August 26th, 2023

By Troy Ewers

In the Lynn Family Stadium, the Oakland Roots faced Louisville City FC for the first time in club history and Oakland didn’t get their their third win out of the four they played this month losing in Louisville 2-1. The game started with a stalemate between both teams going back and forth with shots and saves.

We thought the stalemate was over when Louisville hits a cross to set up a header that goalie Paul Blanchette went to stop the pass and bobbled the ball into the net, but after the refs reviewed the play, no goal due to a interference that went unseen at first, because of all the fray in front of the net.

The score remained blank and the Louisville fans made their displeasure heard. That displeasure would grow louder as a minute after the goal that ended up being a no goal was called, Roots lead scorer Johnny Rodriguez grabbed his tenth league goal (11th overall) of the season when he capitalized on the lackadaisical defense of Louisville City, who were still voicing their grievances about the no goal that just happened.

1-0 Roots and Rodriguez even taunted the upset Louisville crowd as the seconds kept ticking and the whistle that signals halftime blew. The two teams went back to the locker room with two separate feelings. The Roots headed in their locker room high energy and motivated to deliver a clean sheet. Louisville City headed in their locker room deflated and on the bad side of the coin.

The second half started and wasn’t necessarily slow, but it was paced out to avoid mistakes and that was from both teams. Louisville finally got on the board in the 71st minute when Brian Ownby hit a header to the bottom left corner of the goal from an assist by Wilson Harris, 1-1.

The Roots had a major chance in stoppage time when Anuar Palaez took a confident shot, but the ball was tipped away with a beautiful save by Oliver Semmie. In the last seconds of stoppage time, Oakland stops a free kick by Louisville, but unable to clear the ball so the final whistle can sound and Louisville capitalized on this mistake.

Following a corner, Tyler Gibson got the assist with a pass to Oscar Jimenez who scored off a left footed shot for a heartbreaking end to a wild game.

Louisville wins 2-1. Louisville City had control the majority of the game and the final score reflected it. As for Oakland, they now have their sights set on Sacramento Republic FC as the Roots go back home to the east bay September 2nd.

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.