The Oakland Roots won their first back-to-back opening games in club history and now find themselves in a most unfamiliar position: atop the Western Conference.
Breaking their March Malaise
March has historically been a rough month for the Roots since joining the USL Championship in 2021. In 14 March games prior to this season they had won one, with nine losses and three draws. But this dark cloud was not in sight on a balmy Oakland evening.
The tailgaters in Parking Lot A were optimistic after last Saturday’s gritty 1-0 win over Monterey Bay.
The ultras groups Los Roots and Homegrown Hooligans were loud and proud, their percussion and chanting setting a festive tone.
A True Community
Roots games are more akin to block parties, particularly in the pre-game. Oakland rapper Ian Kelly performed songs from his upcoming LP “Concrete Ocean” to head-bobbing crowds queued up for the food trucks. Other local musical icons P-Lo, G-Easy and E-40 were in the crowd; no doubt Billie Joe Armstrong from Green Day was somewhere as well. All four, along with Oakland native Marshawn Lynch, are part of the expansive and community-based ownership of the club. Among the vehicles, barbeques and ball-kicking kids you could see many supporters rocking an “owner” t-shirt which is given to community investors.
First Half
At the opening whistle, both teams stayed still. The silent protest exercised by teams last week was continued tonight; the ultras led a lusty chart of “We are with you!” as the seconds counted down. At one minute, the Roots responded to all that positivity and energy the crowd fed them. They exploded from the blocks, vigorously pressing the New Mexico backline. Taking control of the possession, they pushed into the attacking third. Those efforts were rewarded after Mark Fisher drove down the right side, delivering a delicious cross into the box. Wolfgang Prentice seemed to defy gravity as he floated up and headed the ball back across the goal and into the side netting.
From there, the game settled after a pause to break the Ramadan fast. New Mexico took more control and steadily gained more momentum, ultimately completing 302 passes in the half. Outside of a dangerous through-ball that should have been buried by striker Greg Hurst, the Roots were more dangerous, taking four shots and forcing a fine save from Kristopher Shakes from a Peter Wilson effort.
At halftime, the legendary E-40 would take the stage as over 14,000 enthusiastic fans swung their rally towels and danced along to a selection of his greatest hits.
Second Half
The second half was a more cagey affair, as New Mexico executed their ball control gameplan. United’s possession increased from 60% to 69%, and they earned seven corner kicks to add to the pair from the first 45 minutes. New Mexico tried myriad ways to break down the Roots’ stubborn defending. A pair of deadly outside shots were well parried by Raphael Spiegel, and the tall Swiss keeper punched away at least four dangerous crosses.
As the game entered the last ten minutes, Roots found a second goal in an unlikely fashion. Danny Trejo made a dangerous run along the goal line, delivering a pass to Peter Wilson. The striker’s rocket shot was stopped by Shakes’ firm hand. That resulting parry then struck Wilson’s head and deflected off defender Arturo Astorga before drifting over the line. Although Shakes quickly cleared it out, the assistant referee raised his flag and signaled a goal by sprinting up the line.
New Mexico would answer less than two minutes later. Winger Jake La Cava, who subbed on after the Roots goal, beat Julian Bravo in a footrace to the ball, and found himself all alone on the left side. His resulting cross drifted above Roots’ retreating backline and midfielder Justin Rennicks’ sliding shot found the net. The goal took advantage of a rare breakdown in Oakland’s defensive cohesion and shape. Thankfully it didn’t happen a second time and the hosts were able to celebrate a rare second consecutive win.
Post-Match Analysis
Coach Ryan Martin, who led the team in a victory lap around the field after the match, had this to say: “I was in awe, really, of what I saw. I’ve seen a lot of crowded stadiums in my journey, but I don’t think I’ve seen one with the passion, the collective energy, and the collective belief and passion for the city and the club. And I think it was just really a big kind of celebration around what Oakland is.”
Captain Tommy McCabe echoed those sentiments. “The crowd was really special. Really happy we could get a win for them.” He also applauded his team’s ability to “embrace the suffering, embrace the challenge” that New Mexico provided.
Unlike last weekend’s win over Monterey, in which the Roots were the one’s controlling the ball, this win showed the flip side of the coin.
Digging in and stubbornly defending the box shows that the Roots are capable of adapting.
That flexibility should be valuable in the many weeks to come. Next week, the Roots travel to Arizona to take on Phoenix Rising. And maybe set a new record with a third straight win.
