Oakland Roots Talking Points: Big match vs. Tacoma. Is it Bokila, Quincy time? Defense in focus

By -

For coaches of sport at any level, the cliche always goes, "We're taking the next game in front of us." Well, with Tacoma Defiance tonight at Las Positas, the next game could perhaps be their most important up to this point. 

With a 6-6-9 record and 24 points, a Roots win tonight slices Tacoma's six-point lead in half while bringing the organization to fifth-place above Sacramento Republic, for the time being. 

As mentioned this morning, Oakland is on a 5-2-1 run of form since its 3-1 loss to Tacoma on Aug. 8, while Defiance hasn't played since a 3-1 loss on Sep. 5. Although the 0-0 draw with San Diego last Saturday left more to be desired from the players and coaches, it was a positive step towards challenging for a playoff spot. 

Here's a copy of the lineup against Loyal, and it reflects on our talking points: GK Paul Blanchette, LB Akeem Ward, CB Emrah Klimenta, CB Kai Greene, CB Max Ornstil, RB Memo Diaz, Mid. Matias Fissore, Mid. Wal Fall, RM Jose Hernandez (Ariel Mbumba 81’), Mid. Jesus Enriquez (Lindo Mfeka 65’), FW Johnny Rodriguez. 

What's the response to a big game?

Everyone around the club knows just how critical a win is tonight. And with the Roots' current form, can they get ahead quickly instead of requiring more second-half magic? 

The Roots' last goal came from Johnny Rodriguez in the 63rd minute in their 1-0 win against Las Vegas a week ago; the 3-1 win over Tacoma sat at 1-1 until the 57th minute. The draw with San Diego, meanwhile, meanwhile, left Jordan Ferrell describing that finishing their chances is the next task at hand.

"Playing solid defense is something that can continue putting the team in a good situation. For us, we've got to put our chances away. For us, the progression is to put those opportunities away," said Ferrell last Saturday. 

Jeremy Bokila & Quincy Amarikwa back? 

A pressing question from Roots fans has been the status of Jeremy Bokila and Quincy Amarikwa. Bokila has missed the last three games and two for Amarikwa; Ferrell responded on Saturday that both players were out for usual rest on maintenance--making tonight's Starting XI quite telling. 

"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, they're not spring-chickens, right? We've got to make sure they freshen up...," said Ferrell. 

With Roots posting Amarikwa on its socials, asking "What time is it?" I think its safe to say that he'll appear, but you never know at this point. Bokila is still a question-mark. 

Put respect on the defense

We're piggy backing off this morning's match preview that highlights the Roots' defensive players being snubbed for the USL's Team of the Week, yet again. 

Kai Greene and Emrah Klimenta have been instrumental towards the Roots' turnaround, holding things down while Tarek Morad recovers. 

During the 5-2-1 run, Greene and has averaged a rating of 7.3 in wins and draws with Klimenta averaging a 7.1. Both have played in every match. 

John Morrissey of USL Tactics provided some analysis of the Roots' defense in its 1-0 win over LAs Vegas, praising the back line for keeping its form and preventing shots. 

Morrissey goes on to write that its "probably too late for a playoff run" for the Roots. 

Oakland can inch one step closer towards a playoff berth in its first season of USL Championship action. Lets see if they can get the job done. 

For the record, I made it this far before mentioning Christian Herrera. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Oakland Roots Move Into Former Raiders Headquarters In Alameda

By -
Image
The Oakland Roots confirmed that they have finalized a move into the former Oakland Raiders Headquarters and training facility on Harbor Parkway in Alameda.  Marcus Thompson of The Athletic was first on the news.  Got the scoop on more major moves by the @Oaklandrootssc ! The Roots will take over the Raiders old training facility in Alameda for the 2022 @USLChampionship season #KnowYourRoots pic.twitter.com/lSETXkziTW — Marcus Thompson (@ThompsonScribe) December 21, 2021 With offseason transactions underway throughout the USL Championship, the move into the former NFL facility provides the Roots perhaps the best training site in the league. Those at the club are hopeful that the Harbor Parkway grounds will help recruit players.  News has been slow out of Oakland through the first month of the offseason since announcing the return of 12 players from the 2021 roster. The blog was told in previous weeks that the move to Alameda was a prime focus for the club, so perhaps t...
Read more

Game Notes & Player Ratings: Oakland Roots Falls In PKs To Orange County

By -
Image
The Oakland Roots' season came to an end on Saturday, November 13 at Championship Stadium in Irvine, falling 6-5 in penalty kicks to Orange County SC after a full 120 minutes completed without a goal being scored.  Oakland came in with a specific game plan to stop OC's Ronaldo Damus, and they did so up until the final penalty attempt. Roots' keeper Paul Blanchette stopped Damus' initial try but was called for encroachment, resulting in the Haitian National burying his kick.  Damus was repeatedly called for offside throughout the 120.  "Penalties, I love penalties. I look at penalties and say that’s our game. I’ll continue to think that way even though things didn’t go our way tonight. We had a good game plan and created some good opportunities. I certainly think that we did enough tonight to be stepping into the Western Conference Final, but that’s knockout football," reflected technical director and interim head coach Jordan Ferrell.  "You play to PKs an...
Read more

Oakland Roots Roster Moves Hot Takes

By Bloom -
Image
I am thrilled with this initial group of players the Roots are bringing back. With one glaring exception, this is essentially the entire defense (which, as you may recall, conceded zero goals in 210 minutes of playoff soccer). As our readers are surely aware, RootsBlog loves a large lad , so I am personally thrilled about Greene returning.  John Morrissey, of USL tactics, a much more reliable source than I am, is focusing on the fullbacks: I’m more amped about Diaz and Ward than anything. I thought they were dynamite all year, as good as basically any fullback combo in the league. — john morrissey (@USLTactics) December 2, 2021 The team could probably go into next season without bringing in any new starters on defense, although both fullbacks surely need backups.  I am not advocating for the team to go into the season with only these players plus backups.  But I think it is a very good start on defense. Outside of defense, though, there is a lot of work still to be done...
Read more