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Showing posts from October, 2021

Oakland Roots Postgame Presser: Full Quotes From Jordan Ferrell Following 1-0 Win & Playoff Berth

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It was a hyped and visibly more emotional Jordan Ferrell following the Oakland Roots' 1-nil win over Sporting Kansas City II. And rightfully so, the technical director and interim head coach helped lead the organization to a USL Championship Playoff berth in its inaugural season after starting with a dreadful 1-3-8 record.  Approaching the Deep Roots section, Ferrell shouted the lyrics to "Dale Oakland Roots," ultimately letting out a bellowing scream with clenched fists and daughter draped on his shoulders.  Emotions still raw and voice shaking, Ferrell stepped in front of the mics and camera to begin answering questions. His responses turned to long praise of everyone around the organization; the fans, coaching staff, players, board members, and executive Eric Yamamoto.  The organization now prepares for No. 1 seeded El Paso Locomotive on Friday, November 5.  Here is a full transcript of Saturday's interview.  A crazy season; how do you feel right now?  "I want

Game Notes & Player Ratings: Oakland Roots Playoff Bound With 1-Nil Win Over SKCII

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Source: Oakland Roots SC The Oakland Roots won 1-0 over Sporting Kansas City II on Saturday night, but its match was only partially over at the time. The squad gathered at midfield, staring intently at the Laney College Stadium screen as Orange County and Los Angeles Galaxy II continued scoreless in the 65th minute.  The Blog's Aaron Lawson recapped the win this morning, highlighting Oakland's goal and pointing out the "shambolic nature" of KC's shoddy backline when Chuy Enriquez scored in the second minute, while detailing the excruciating torture watching OC and Los Dos carry on.  Here's a link to Lawson's article.  Reader, years were taken off my life on Saturday. We informed you pregame that Sporting KC II’s back line was…more of a beaded curtain than a wall, and its shambolic nature revealed itself early: Kai Greene lofted a ball over the top to Quincy Amarikwa. Sporting’s back line lost all resemblance to a line, allowing Quincy to sneak in on goal.

Insanity Fair

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  “No tactics, just vibes” is normally how we make fun of Manchester United, but today it’s how we celebrate the Oakland Goddamn Roots. Oakland set themselves a difficult task after drawing Tacoma Defiance on October 20: Win your remaining two games, and also somehow manipulate the universe to ensure that Los Angeles Galaxy Two only secured 1 point from its remaining two fixtures. I will be honest with you, reader, I have not actually had the pleasure of watching Oakland’s win over San Diego which completed the first part of this quest. When the atmospheric river barged through the Bay Area that morning, I lost power, and early: My lights went out before 10 AM that morning, and didn’t come back on until nearly 9 that evening. At the time the power went out, I assumed it wouldn’t be too long, so I streamed the last 20 minutes of Liverpool-United on my phone, and then browsed through some of the postmatch coverage. That depleted the battery pretty significantly, so by the time kickoff of

Live Blog: Oakland Roots vs. Sporting KC II (October 30)

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Happy Halloween and welcome to Super Saturday's edition of the blog's live coverage of Oakland Roots taking on Sporting KC II. Scroll down for all the latest updates. It's win or stay at home for Oakland, requiring a victory and a Los Angeles Galaxy II loss or tie. Jordan Ferrell knew all along that it would come down to the wire.  "People have been asking me about the playoff race for the last month. I think we’ve maintained that we always focus on the game ahead of us, and also we’ve had a feeling that it would come down to the last game of the season. A big advantage there is that we’re going to be at home and we know that the Laney crowd is going to be rocking. It’s important that we come in and focus so that we get those last three points."  Roots' Chief Purpose Officer Mike Geddes said on KTVU that he's hoping the organization sets an attendance record in the season finale.  Ferrell reiterated after the 4-3 win at San Diego that he wants Laney to be

Oakland Roots vs. Sporting KC II - Match Preview (October 30, 2021)

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Oakland Roots host Sporting Kansas City II on October 30 at 7:00 p.m. at Laney College for the final match of the Roots’ regular season campaign. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+ and KOFYTV. The Roots must win this game to make the playoffs, but they will also need LA Galaxy to drop points to Orange County SC (in a match that starts at 7:30). For the first time September 3, the Roots are playing a team they haven’t faced before. And you know what that means, right? The Club Sporting Kansas City II were founded in the fall of 2015 as Swope Park Rangers. Swope Park Rangers were the third incarnation of Sporting KC’s youth set-up, following Orlando City SC and Oklahoma City Energy FC. Sporting KC were a founding member of MLS in 1996, founded by Lamar Hunt (named after the competition) as the KC Wiz, but had to change their name to “Wizards” because they lost an IP action brought by electronics retailer “The Wiz.” (“Which will last longer, this American soccer franchise or this e

Game Notes & Player Ratings: Oakland Roots Keep Playoff Hopes Alive With 4-3 Win Over San Diego Loyal

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Source: Oakland Roots SC What a roller coaster that was.  The Oakland Roots, while down a man, defeated the San Diego Loyal 4-3 at Torero Stadium to keep its playoff chances alive after Tacoma Defiance got the job done in a 3-2 win against fourth-ranked LA Galaxy II.  After relinquishing a 3-1 lead, Roots' technical director and interim head coach Jordan Ferrell believes the team made it harder on themselves in the end.  "We made it emotional, more than anything. The two goals we conceded in the second half were highly unnecessary. At minimum, I’m proud of the guys for fighting all the way through and getting the three points. That’s huge," said Ferrell, via the team.  It sets up a monumental regular-season finale at Laney College on Saturday, October 30 against Sporting KC II at 7:00 p.m. KC II, notably, holds a last-place 4-8-19 record in the Central Division. Los Dos, meanwhile, faces second-seeded Orange County at 7:30 p.m.  Back on the roller coaster.  "People h

Live Blog: Oakland Roots vs. San Diego Loyal (October 24)

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Welcome to Sunday's edition of the blog's live coverage of Oakland Roots on the road against San Diego Loyal. Scroll down for all the latest updates. Roots head into San Diego's Torero Stadium holding sixth place with a 9-8-13 record after its disappointing 0-0 draw with Tacoma.  Defiance defeated LA Galaxy II 3-2!! Everything hinges on a win tonight for Oakland in order to move back into fifth and one point shy of LA Galaxy.  Provided is Bloom's official match preview , where he points out that Los Dos' results determine Oakland's destiny while highlighting Roots' last match against Loyal on September 22, which was a 2-1 win for the Town. Galaxy II clinch with two points, so a win ends the Roots’ playoff hopes. A Galaxy II draw today and a draw in their final match (home to OCSC) would also secure them fourth place (they hold the tiebreakers on the Roots). I will, for once, be rooting for a Tacoma win. If Roots and Tacoma both win out, and Galaxy II utterly

San Diego Loyal vs. Oakland Roots - Match Preview (October 24, 2021)

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Oakland Roots travel to San Diego for a 3:00 p.m. match on October 23, 2021. San Diego has decided, with the Chargers gone north, they can go head-to-head with NFL Sundays and, frankly, fair play to them. I would say the Roots should do the same but I am not actually sure I want to go to matches on Sunday afternoon. Just respect the gumption and/or stick-to-it-iveness. The match will be televised on ESPN+, KOFY TV, and TeleXitos. Roots’ History Against San Diego : 1-1-1 Last Match-Up Between These Teams These teams last faced off on September 22 at Laney College, with the Roots taking a 2-1 victory. You may recall this match. [Source: Jon Comeaux] Game Notes/Player Ratings Postgame Presser That Rodriguez worldy was in the 6th minute. Colin Martin scored a Wal-Fall-banger to even things up just before the half, and Jose Hernandez scored an acceptable penalty for the win in 63rd. That was, I believe, the last game in Livermore, and I hate to say this: Although, that being said, th