Postgame quotes from Jordan Ferrell & Quincy Amarikwa

Saturday's postgame discussions featured The Blog's first with an Oakland Roots player, Quincy Amarikwa, and our usual meeting with technical director and interim head coach Jordan Ferrell. 

It was good energy throughout Laney Football Stadium after the team's third consecutive 3-1 win, this time over Tacoma Defiance. The atmosphere was raucous, and on the postgame field were players and coaches feeling the love. 

Ferrell marched along the Mosiac section with his son in tow and daughter along his shoulders; Matias Fissore brought his daughter onto the track for a photo; Jeremy Bokila handed off a jersey to a little girl, and Amarikwa's son cartwheeled his dad toward our interview, while his younger boy begged to get pushed higher up in his arms.  

It truly brought emphasis to Roots SC's mission of uniting these players to the passionate community of the Town. 

Here's a full transcript of Saturday's interviews: 

Photo courtesy of Oakland Roots SC

How the Oakland Roots have improved lately?

Quincy Amarikwa: "They believe in themselves, they know they're capable of it, it was just a matter of getting all on the same page and getting a little more experience. Once the ball gets rolling, the confidence rolls with more confidence. Guys are curious, they're asking questions, they want to learn and get better. 

That shows in results on the field, I think people can feel that and can see it and it gets people more invested into what's going on."

What have you brought to the younger players on the roster? 

Amarikwa: "Meeting all the guys where they are at. Johnny [Rodriguez] got his first assist after having his first appearance in the USL two games ago. It's having conversations with players like him, getting in the game and noticing it might be a little overwhelming, telling him: 'Hey, make your first pass; let's get connected.' Then his first cross, he gets an assist to Bokila. It makes things easy on your teammates

"Mbumbi [Ariel Mbumba] is working hard and is always ready to go. Lindo [Mfeka], last week made an 80-yard run, to play me the ball to get it to Chuy [Enriquez], then Chuy beating the line. That comes from us working every single day at training building trust with each other and realizing we're not coming in here to tell them it's all one way and we know everything. We can lay it on each other and trust each other." 

Your interpretation of what the club represents:

Amarikwa: "I went to school out in Davis, so I'm a bit familiar with the Bay Area. My formable years were during the Hyphy Movement, right, so this is right up my alley; I know what Oakland's about. I think the world looks at Oakland and wants to understand and be a part of it. The club has done a great job at creating a space where people want to learn and contribute.

"Being open, inclusive, and diverse is a strength but it also comes with its challenges. You have to be open to this thing, and not everyone will see it the way you or I do. But they will see that we're in this together.

"My time here has already been very productive. We've gotten to work, corrected mistakes and we're looking at it long-term; we're not just making short-term decisions but minding the long-term because equity is something that builds over time." 

Regarding the importance of veteran leadership and guidance [while his son begs "Higher Dad!"]:

Amarikwa: "I think everyone individual at a club has a wealth of experience because everyone's unique. You must be willing to meet people where they are at and first understand who they define themselves to be before making any suggestions or giving advice. It's active listening, like listening to my son. 

[Amarikwa's son laughs hysterically in his arms, perhaps close to his bedtime]

"Results are only seen as time plays out, it's been great to get this run of games and this win streak because it showcases that we can get the job done. We can go down a goal, and that's okay; it's not the end of the world. We can also go up a goal, and it doesn't mean we've won the game. 

"Those are very valuable experiences, you look at each mistake along the way as a teaching and learnable moment, but it's only learnable when guys are open to listening when things get difficult. For instance, I got frustrated in the 65th minute and Bokila recognized it and told me to take a deep breath; that means he sees where I am. 

"Those are things that people may not see or hear out there, that only comes because guys trust each other and there's chemistry. We're on board; we win together, we lose together."

Photo courtesy of Oakland Roots SC

Reasons for the Roots' sudden success?

Jordan Ferrell: "It's been a long time coming, number one; number two, there was a lot of factors in the early stages of the season that we not allowing us to gain a rhythm. You can point your finger at a bunch of different things but now we're in a stretch where we've been able to play games consistently and form some consistency to the lineup despite having a couple of changes in the game

"Tonight the first night of the season where I haven't had to make a sub in midfield. Now we're at that stage of having the heart and core of our team consistent game-to-game. 

"We didn't start the season that way, but it's not how you start; it's how you finish."

What do the experienced players do for the lineup? 

"The experience makes a big difference. Earlier in the season, we relied on Mbumba and Danny [Flores] as starters in central midfield. Now we have our captain Wal Fall and Jose Hernandez, who is a really important player for us. I think that makes a big difference and settles everyone around them. 

"We created chances, which was great, I'd rather have that than possession. I certainly think the experience is making a difference at this point in the season, and also the experience for the younger players is also paying off.

Roots conceded a goal and pulled out the win. What does that say? 

Ferrell: "I think there;s sometimes a fear in football that you're going to concede. The reality is, you’re going to concede a goal at some point, but a big difference is we’re scoring first. I think that’s a really important thing psychologically because it’s just a new game at the start of the second half. That experience knowing that at 1-1, we know what mistakes not to make in the second half and to just follow the game plan."

Tacoma had heavy possession but Roots outshot them. How'd the game plan progress? 

Ferrell: "Well, I thought we'd have more of the ball, that's for sure. That wasn't a design, but I thought we did a really good job of pressing them and forcing them to make decisions. I care about the initiative... I thought we got our trap right a lot of times... At halftime, we were able to iron out some different things and that's what led to the goals in the second half.

"We knew Tacoma was one of the best teams at playing in tight space and combining in triangles around, so we knew we had to play really compact. I think we showed that in the first half and then in stages of the second half, where we were a little bit deeper and had to keep a low-block but kept our compactness and did well with it."

Regarding the midfield trio of Wal Fall, Jose Hernandez, and Matias Fissore:

Ferrell: "Jose is the youngest of the bunch but he doesn't look it on the field. He wants the ball in tight space and wants to put his foot on the ball. We saw the quality Wal brings, and I've repeated over and over that Mati is one of the most underrated players on the team. He covers acres of ground, breaks up plays, and organizes the team around him. He does a great job of balancing us in midfield and controlling the game on both sides of the ball.

"To not make a change in the midfield and have everyone get their first 90 minutes together, I think you saw a big difference in the way that we played the game with confidence having the heart of our team be players we brought here to carry the weight of the season.

"Now we just have to make sure they stay healthy and we can keep seeing them the three of them together game-in and game-out. And obviously, there are other people putting their hands up, its a challenge for me as a manager to try and get all our best players on the field together." 

"I told Jose during the game that he needs to ask for and demand the ball more in order for us to have more possession. When he does that, people will give it to him. You saw that in the second half, those couple of moments where he demanded the ball, and then we could play out. In a game like this, he has to gain it even more."