Roots Promote Project 51O's Restani, academy deals for 2 De Anza Force prospects

By -

 By Jonathan Comeaux


The Oakland Roots announced that they have signed three players over the last two days, promoting forward Joseph Restani from Project 51O on July 23 while signing forward Javier Mariona and goal keeper Marco Brougher to USL Academy contracts.

Signing players to academy deals assure they maintain college eligibility. Mariona and Brougher join Danny Flores as the third academy contract on the roster.


The additions of Restani and Mariona add considerable depth to the Roots’ front line after being without Jeremy Bokila, Tyler Blackwood, Johnny Rodriguez, and fellow recent acquisition Brandon Allen.


Brougher, meanwhile, becomes the club’s fourth keeper alongside Zeus de la Paz, Taylor Bailey, and Paul Blanchette.


Restani, 23, is a graduate of St. Mary’s College in Moraga and appeared in 63 matches from 2016-2019, scoring 29 goals for the Gaels. He earned second-team All-WCC honors as a senior.


“We are very excited to add Restani to the squad,” said Yamamoto in the club’s statement. “Joe is a local Northern California product that has come through the college ranks, worked through our Project 51O Reserve Team and has earned a spot in our first team.”


Both Mariona (16-years old) and Brougher (17-years old) are products of De Anza Force Academy, where Roots VP of Soccer Development Eric Yamamoto is the Boys’ Force 03/02 U19 head coach.


Additionally, former Oakland Roots manager Paul Bravo is the Force Boys Elite Program Director—clearly making them sought-after prospects in the Roots’ personnel department.


“Marco is a great example of high potential youth players that we are looking to bring into our First Team. As we identify top young talent, we hope that this direct path to first team football will accelerate their development,” mentioned Yamamoto in Saturday’s statement.


“Mariona is a talented young attacker. We are very excited about his potential,” he added.


Going into Sunday’s meeting with Los Angeles Galaxy II, it will be interesting to see where the forwards fit in after Blackwood made a return to practice this week.


The Roots are currently 1-3-4 and aching for offensive productivity to turn attention away from the stadium issues thus far.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Oakland Roots Song & Chant Tracker

By -
Image
What's a soccer franchise without fans singing (screaming) its songs? Being an Oakland Roots supporter, you find yourself in the unique position of building traditions commonly affiliated with the Beautiful Game. The Roots already have a growing amount of chants in the Mosaic and Deep Roots sections, and as La Brigada Del Pueblo' s founder put it, we're here at the start: "Oakland fan culture is being built week by week, game by game, in the stands, on the streets and in the dang parking lot." Now, we're no songwriters, so we'll do our best to translate songs we receive into lyrics and provide an updating list of Oakland Roots chants.  Scroll down for all the latest updates:  "Let's Go Oakland"   Ah, the chant which is distinctly Oakland A's; it's also become the default song for the Roots. It's taken me a bit to warm up to this one due to its lazy execution compared to the majority of EU football songs, in addition to being a his
Read more

Oakland Roots Player of the Year Fan Vote

By -
Image
Now quickly moving into the offseason with the first batch of official re-signings completed for the Oakland Roots on Thursday, we take some time to reflect on a tremendous first season in the USL Championship that culminated in a playoff berth and first-round 1-0 defeat of El Paso.  Supporters from the Oakland 68s, La Brigada Del Pueblo, and Homegrown Hooligans have come together to create their own award (official name TBD) to honor a player whom they feel accomplished the on-and-off of the field duties to successfully represent the Oakland Roots SC badge.  Provided are seven players in alphabetical order nominated by the supporters' groups for your consideration. Scroll down to the bottom to place your vote.  Paul Blanchette Paul Blanchette, a local of Palo Alto, emerged in the lineup as a late addition on July 6 after former keeper Ben Beaury elected to part ways with the club. He was officially among the players picked up for an extension in 2022 after unseating Zeus de la Paz
Read more

Las Vegas Lights vs. Oakland Roots (July 10, 2021) - Match Preview

By Bloom -
Image
 T he Roots host the Las Vegas Lights at 7:00 p.m. at Las Positas College in <checks notes> Livermore, California.  If you think the Roots playing in Livermore means that we’re going to give the Central Valley and the rest of the non-Bay Western United States less shit, you are 100% wrong.  Our takes are only going to get worse. The Club The Las Vegas Lights Football Club was founded in 2018 and have played all of their seasons in the USL.  Their erstwhile rival Reno 1868 (former employer of familiar faces Emrah Klimenta, Chuy Enriquez, Tucker Bone and Duke Lacroix ) folded last year, leaving them in the market for a new rival.  Lights are the passion project of Brett Lashbrook, owner and General Manager, who served as Special Assistant to the Commissioner’s Office & Legal Counsel for Major League Soccer, and apparently also was COO for Orlando City SC’s transition from USL to MLS.  Lashbrook’s bio states that his extended family has called Las Vegas home for nearly 20 years
Read more