Game Notes: Roots claim a point in draw with Loyal

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Photo courtesy of Oakland Roots SC

The Oakland Roots claimed a point after a 0-0 draw with San Diego Loyal under the lights at Laney Stadium on Saturday, September 11. It marks the club's second consecutive clean sheet, but Roots' players and coaches couldn't help but feel a win was left on the field. 

The squad is now holds a 6-6-9 record, six points short of Tacoma Defiant for fourth in the Pacific Division and two shy of overtaking Sacramento Republic in fifth. Republic, notably, lost 2-nil to El Paso Locamotive on Saturday night. 

"The last time we played them I thought it was one of the worst games we played. This time, I thought we were good. Obviously, we're still missing some players but I think the result bodes well. This is one of the best teams in the West. This showed we can hold strong defensively and I would say we had the better of the chances," said technical director and interim head coach Jordan Ferrell. 

Oakland's goalkeeper Paul Blanchette shared similar sentiments after the match, describing that they were prepared for Loyal's attack. 

"Honestly, I feel we could've done better in the second half... We watch them play, and a lot of what they do is send crosses to the back or middle with a lot of bodies crashing. We were ready for it... I thought we could've taken the three points toward the end," said Blanchette. 

It's worth mentioning that the Roots were without Jeremy Bokila for the third consecutive match, while Quincy Amarikwa was also not included for the second straight game. Ferrell didn't voice concern about either player, noting that roster rotation is important for the final stretch of matches. 

"We've had a ton of games in very short succession, so there's always going to be some rotation. Especially with our older guys, we've got to make sure they freshen up and we saw some of the young guys do really well tonight... Having the young guys contribute is really important for us," said Ferrell. 

Ferrell came with a backline of three center backs--Emrah Klimenta, Max Ornstil, and Kai Greene. It was a strategy that Ferrell believes San Diego and manager Landon Donovan didn't expect. 

"We haven't started with three in a while so I think that may have been a bit shocking to them and maybe they weren't necessarily prepared for," said Ferrell. 

Blanchette was up to his usual standard; FotMob.com gave him a team-leading 8.1 rating with five saves, three diving. His save in the 30th minute was perhaps the most acrobatic save for a Roots' keeper this season--it kept the score deadlocked, but was the best opportunity for Loyal all night. 

Regarding the save, Blanchette said he knew the cross was coming but was perhaps a bit surprised by his far reaching dive.

"It's something I worked on this week in training; watching crosses, getting set, and changing direction. It was a great header and somehow I saved it, pulled a joker out of the pocket," said Blanchette with a sly wink. 

Blanchette came up big, once again, in the 54th minute when Loyal's set-piece fell Joshua Yaro for a header on goal. His save rebounded back into play but Klimenta instinctively cleared the ball. 

In the second half, momentum seemed to be swinging toward Roots in the final 30 minutes. Johnny Rodriguez had an attempt in the 71st minute after receiving a nice through-ball from Klimenta, but he didn't make solid contact on the shot.

In the 73rd, Johnny played a through ball to Lindo Mfeka but the pass had too much speed for the South African to gather. Four minutes later, Memo Diaz nearly missed a feed to Mfeka charging toward the net. Matias Fissore also had a shot saved in the 80th minute. 

Roots finished with 45 percent possession, nine shots with three on target, six chances created, and one critical opportunity. Oakland also had 238 accurate passes (69 percent), 23 of 66 on long balls, earned five corners, and drew 14 fouls. 

FotMob.com's top-five player ratings:

    1.   GK Paul Blanchette, 8.1

    2.   CB  Emrah Klimenta, 7.7

    3.   CB Kai Greene, 7.5

    4.   CM Matias Fissore, 7.0

    5.    CM Jose Hernandez, 7.0

   


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