On one of those perfect Bay Area evenings, when the temperature is in that sweet spot and the onshore breeze not too strong, Oakland Roots hosted their second-to-last home game at the storied Oakland-Alameda Stadium.
The venerable venue, long in the tooth but steeped in atmosphere, hasn’t been the most welcoming of homes for the Roots. Entering this match they hadn’t secured a victory at home since May 9, 2026, a winless streak lasting 4 months and 17 days, and ten matches.
And the Roots were in desperate need of some momentum. Their collapse against Lexington two weeks ago, when they conceded three unanswered goals in the final eight minutes, was a classic six-pointer – with Roots on the bad end. It put them five points below Las Vegas Lights, and seven points off the final playoff spot. They weren’t eliminated from the playoffs, but that road would be a tough one.
Happily, Oakland native and club owner Marshawn Lynch was in attendance celebrating the launch of his graphic novel “Beast Mode 510”. Would the Roots be able to channel Marshawn’s legendary Beast Mode on this evening?
A Strong First Half
Once the whistle blew, it was clear Oakland would be aggressive, applying steady pressure onto the Phoenix defense. This was a pattern oft witnessed in previous games: Roots with strong starts, but wasteful with the chances. That didn’t happen today.
They drew first blood early after a sequence of lovely passes found Jesus De Vicente on the left. He split two Rising defenders with a surgical pass onto the onrushing Bruno Lapa, who made no mistake with a first time left-footed shot. Phoenix keeper Patrick Rakovsky would get a touch, but couldn’t stop the shot from rolling in.
Fourteen minutes later, Roots would strike again, and once again from the left side. This time it was Bertin Jacquesson who provided the spark, capping a strong, slithering drive towards the box with a last-second pass to Danny Trejo, who slotted it home. This was a rare goal from Trejo, who earned the start over Peter Wilson who was recovering from injury.
Déjà Vu All Over Again?
Roots fans will of course remember that 2-0 was the scoreline in the reverse fixture between these two back in Matchweek 3. Phoenix would bounce back and equalize with a heartbreaking stoppage time goal seconds before the final whistle. Or perhaps the game would follow the pattern of Matchweek 16, in which a 0-0 halftime yielded a seven-goal shootout in the second half?
As it turns out, neither scenario came into play. Oakland, putting on one their most complete performances from whistle to whistle, locked down their defensive third in the second half. They stood firm in the face of some steady Phoenix attacking pressure, the backline holding firm and keeper Kendall Macintosh making two critical saves.
Then in the 71st minute Oakland produced the fatal blow. De Vicente found himself with some time on the left. Spying Jacquesson with some space in the middle, he delivered a long lobbing pass that beat the leading defender and allowed the Frenchman to stretch out his right leg and direct the ball into the lower corner. It was a well-worked goal that broke Rising’s spirit. Indeed, the Roots’ lead was never in doubt after that, and the team entered the locker room with a deserved 3-0 shutout.
The Playoff Road
Despite two consecutive wins, the playoff road isn’t going to be an easy one. Roots are currently in 10th place, and still five points off the final playoff spot. Obviously, winning out their remaining games would be good, but they’re going to need teams above to start losing. Fast.
Only one of their four remaining ties is at home, which is an additional challenge. Still, a win as strong as this one shows the Roots have all the right pieces in place, even without their leading goalscorer. With Wilson back next week, they simply need to lock in and continue riding the momentum.
