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The Oakland Roots opened up their regular season at Toyota Field in San Antonio on Sat Mar 11, 2023

The Defending Champions Dominate Oakland’s Season Opener

Written By Troy Ewers

The Oakland Roots’ season opener started against last year’s USL Championship trophy winners, San Antonio FC in Toyota Field in San Antonio, Texas and it was a game to hopefully learn from. Learn what not to do. The game ended 3-1 with San Antonio visibly outplaying Oakland.

Between sloppy penalties and San Antonio’s Lamar Batista scoring two highlight reel goals, the game from opening whistle to the final, the game was all San Antonio FC. The first 18 minutes Oakland didn’t develop offense and on top of that Joseph Nane and Elgardo Rito got yellow cards in the first 16 minutes, so it was clear Oakland couldn’t get their footing.

In minute 12, Niko Hansen of San Antonio FC scored the first goal of the game off an attack starting at midfield and the momentum at this point felt lopsided. Last year when San Antonio scored the first goal of the game, they didn’t lose and this stayed true.

In stoppage time on a corner kick, Lamar Batista bicycle kicked a goal which silenced the Roots’ chance of a Cinderella moment. In the second half of the game it was a slow and sloppy game from both sides, because it was hot and humid, reported to be 88 degrees at 8pm in San Antonio, and both teams at this point had little in the gas tank, but in the 57th minute Oakland’s Guillermo Diaz gets a beautiful pass and cleans it up scoring the only goal of the night for Oakland and even after this brilliant display of offense, the Roots never built anymore steam.

After a stalemate in minute 74, Lamar Batista accidentally had an amazing goal where he lobbed the ball all the way from midfield and Oakland’s goalkeeper Blanchette couldn’t get a grasp on the ball and Batista scored. The final whistle would sound after seven minutes of stoppage and San Antonio FC would win 3-1.

The takeaways from this game are that Oakland couldn’t keep up with the defending USL champions. Oakland on paper had a better game. 66% possession time, even shots on goal with San Antonio, and more corner kicks, but visibly Oakland never had an advantage.

The thing that they can learn from this game is to stay more disciplined, because the categories they didn’t win at were yellow cards. This season will be interesting for the Oakland Roots, but if there’s more discipline, their defense can help them develop more of an offense. The two Batista goals for San Antonio weren’t flukes but don’t happen again if these two play again, so Oakland’s defense is a highlight and with less yellows, you can see a different outcome. Oakland’s next game will be against Rio Grande.

By: Joe Lami

SAN FRANCISCO–Calif.

The San Jose Earthquakes started their U.S. Open Cup run with a 2-1 victory over Sacramento Republic FC on Wednesday Night in front of 3,788 fans at Kezar Stadium. The Quakes automatically earned a trip into the fourth round by playing in MLS, and hosted their USL affiliate in their first game of the U.S. Open Cup.

Republic FC got on the board first in the 42nd minute when a Justin Braun header from the 6-yard box found the back of the net to get past Quakes Keeper, David Bingham.

Just minutes later, San Jose was able to answer right back on a penalty kick from Kari Stephenson in the 45^th minute. San Jose earned the penalty kick on a weird situation, as Clarence Goodson found the net from a corner kick, however the goal was waived off and San Jose was granted the penalty kick. “It was weird, usually the referee give advantage, but once he waived it off and gave us the corner, we had to take advantage, and we did,” Earthquakes’ Head Coach Mark Watson commented after the game.

Republic FC dominated much of the second half, but San Jose was able to find the game winner off of a counter attack in the 73^rd minute. Cordell Cato found a ball just inside the 18-yard box and hit it low to find its way into the net for the game winner.

Sacramento forced Bingham to come up big at the end of the game, as he made a couple of amazing saves to keep the win and preventing the game go into extra time.

Sacramento was a lot hungrier and proved it by outshooting San Jose 14-9. “They were motivated and they came out and pressed us right from the start. After a slow start, we were able to get back into the game,” Watson added.

San Jose continues their U.S. Open Cup Run on June 24, and will take on the winner of Seattle Sounder and Elite PSA. If Seattle wins, San Jose will travel to Seattle and if Elite PSA wins, San Jose will host the Round of 16 match.