Oakland Roots Draw San Antonio in Final Coliseum Match

The crowds showed up for Oakland Roots’ final home game of the season, which also happened to be their final match at the venerable Oakland-Alameda Coliseum. Attendance was just shy of 10,000 and the atmosphere was electric. Parking lot A was jam-packed ahead of the kickoff. Tailgating was in full effect, barbeques smoking and children running about kicking soccer balls.

Farewell to Sports’ Last Dive Bar

The club’s lease with the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum expired this month, and next season they plan on playing in a small venue located on their practice facility nearby. The relationship with the Coliseum has been a fraught one, complete with public hearings over accusations of non-payment and plenty of finger-pointing on both sides. Still, you have to give the Roots credit for trying to make it work, and their commitment to being “Oakland First, Always”. 

The Stakes

A win would jump them up to ninth, and put them one point behind SAFC with two games remaining in the season. A loss would effectively eliminate them. Truth be told, plenty of other factors have to go Oakland’s way before they can lock in a playoff berth, but winning out the final games goes a long way to controlling your own fate.

The First Half

It was a mostly tactical affair for the initial 45 minutes. After a long pause in the 5th minute to attend to Roots defender David Garcia, who went down with a head knock, the match finally got underway for real. Both sides were cautious, battling it out in the midfield and clearly not wanting to commit a fatal error that would cost a precious goal. Roots warmed into the match, and had the best chance with a low piledriver of a shot from Wolfgang Prentice that was well parried by San Antonio keeper Joseph Batrouni.

The Second Half

It was more of the same after the second whistle, with both sides making tentative forays into the attacking third. Roots had a close chance in the 64th but Peter Wilson’s slide was just short of connecting to the dangerous cross. After that moment, San Antonio puffed out their chest and began shifting the momentum. 

This pivot culminated with an Akeem Ward (a former Oakland player from the 2021/22) dribble into the penalty box. Bertin Jacquesson put the slightest touch onto the diminutive wingback, who tumbled down. The referee pointed to the spot.

Michael Maldonado stepped up, sizing up the Roots goalkeeper Kendall McIntosh who was making his movements along the line. From a modest run-up he struck to his right, the ball climbing to hip height. McIntosh picked the right side and punched the ball away. The stadium erupted; quite possibly the largest decibel shift in years for that storied venue. And once again, Oakland-born McIntosh took it upon himself to keep the Roots alive in a match with a spectacular save.

After that the Roots took to the offensive and brought pressure on the opposite end, but San Antonio’s defensive line held firm. Right on the 90th minute mark, Prentice was exiting the penalty area in pursuit of the ball with Akeem Ward behind him. He was perhaps too close, as glancing contact caused Prentice to fall and referee Corbyn May gave Roots a penalty.

Officiating Questions

Upon review, both penalties were soft. Many officials would have declined to consider either a candidate for a spot-kick, but the call is the call. As Peter Wilson moved to the spot, San Antonio’s Mitchell Taintor suddenly collapsed in the box, stricken by what appeared to be severe cramping. After three minutes of treatment, which the official did little to hurry along, he limped dramatically over the goal line on the shoulder of the trainer only to miraculously recover and resume walking normally seconds later. I applaud the gamesmanship, but Taitor should have received a yellow card for simulation, as that was nothing more than a cynical ploy to waste time.

Wilson stepped up to the kick six minutes after the penalty had been awarded. He moved up, stuttered, then struck it left. Batrouni picked correctly and parried it forward. Jesus De Vicente was right then and smashed it into the net, causing the crowd to roar.

However, the referee blew his whistle and waved his arms furiously, calling off the goal. De Vicente had moved into the box prior to Wilson’s kick. May’s ruling was a free kick to San Antonio. But here’s the thing… his assistant was standing with his flag up, indicating that Batrouni had stepped off his line. Not just a little, the keeper was a good yard off.

May never approached his assistant to discuss the situation. Perhaps they discussed it over their communication system, but the end result of the match was a 0-0 draw.

Takeaway

Roots coach Ryan Martin was sanguine in the post-match conference. “I was pretty pleased with the performance overall. I was disappointed that we didn’t score before we got the penalty kick, but thought we created enough. We had some good looks, got into some good places, and just needed to be a little bit more clinical with our final action, which, as everybody in this room knows, has been kind of a story of the year.”

Asked about the officiating, he smiled broadly and offered: “I don’t think it was his best night.” He then made a case for implementing VAR, arguing that if the NCAA can do it, why not the USL?

And the Roots did set a new club record, recording their fourth straight clean sheet.

Not Dead Yet

With other results around the Western Conference falling favorably, the Oakland Roots are still alive in the playoff race. They are still four points off, and must win their next two ties against FC Tulsa and Sacramento Republic to even have a shot. And they’ll need help. But as Miracle Max said famously in The Princess Bride: “Turns out your friend here is only mostly dead.” And Wesley recovered, stormed the castle and won the girl. Why can’t Oakland?