Tacoma Defiance vs. Oakland Roots - Match Preview (October 20, 2021)
Oakland Roots head north to face Tacoma Defiance at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 20, 2021. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+ and KOFY TV. Both teams are fighting for the last glimmers of hope for the playoffs.
[Source: Jon Comeaux]
Roots’ History Against Tacoma Defiance: 2-0-1
Last Match-Up Between These Teams
These teams last met at Las Positas on September 15, with Oakland taking all three points in a 3-1 victory behind a Lindo Mfeka brace.
Less than ten minutes later, Mfeka received the ball in the box but was well covered, so played the ball back to Wal Fall at the D, who was wide open since the Tacoma defenders had followed Mfeka and Mbumba into the box. Fall did the thing Wal Fall does--well, other than team talks and severely pissing off referees and opposing midfielders--he unleashed his cannon of a right foot.
In the 52nd, Fall did his best Bokila impression, holding off two defenders who were too afraid of drawing a red card to hack out his weird stork legs. Somehow he managed to get a touch on the wrong side of the two defenders, allowing him to play in a pass to a sprinting Mfeka who put a beautiful, crisp shot in from a very sharp angle right before he collapsed nearly to the touch line. Keeper couldn’t do a thing about it. Roots coasted the rest of the way, and finished the match three points back of Tacoma in the standings.
Tacoma’s Form Since the Last Match-Up
[Source: FBRef]
You’re going to get a lot of me quoting myself as the division match-ups come hot and heavy, and as my ability to be funny somehow wanes even further. You want original content? The Roots need to be good or terrible.
Tacoma followed this up with a 1-0 loss to Las Vegas Lights on October 13. It looks like Tacoma rested some players for this one, but which I mean, of the six players whose names I recognize, only three started.
In the 27th minute, Blog favorite Tom Brewitt had an acrobatic attempt on goal.
Not much else happened.
Last Sunday, Tacoma put together a 0-0 draw at Sacramento. I am going to link some highlights, because I already found them, but I cannot imagine they are worth watching.
The Roots are 2-1-4 since these teams met on September 15. The most recent match against Orange County was, frankly, almost too garbage to even talk about, but Comeaux and Lawson did, so I’m not about to chicken out.
You don’t have to watch them. At this point you have clicked into the story, and the little “views” counter that validates my existence has ticked up one more. You might even owe it to yourself to not watch these.
Mbumba’s tackle giving up the penalty was, at minimum, extremely clumsy. I don’t really see how it wouldn’t be given as a penalty. I like Takahashi’s instinct to see ball-clear ball, but Blanchette is going to be able to smother it. The re-taken penalty was pretty garbage, but Blanchette still did well to guess right and keep it out.
I have to say, I still did not feel like Oakland were on pace to win the game, though. Orange County looked like they had a plan that Oakland were not ready to deal with.
Should Hernandez have kicked Kuningas during a stoppage of play right in front of the referee? Opinions differ! I have felt like the Roots have been reacting really aggressively to provocation over the last few weeks, and I thought Fall was lucky to escape some recent matches without seeing a red of his own. That finally caught up to them on Saturday. If it feels like Hernandez gets carded a lot, you’re exactly right. He has TEN, good for fifth in USL. Of the ten players with double-digit yellow cards, Hernandez has the fewest minutes by more than a full 90. Just incredible stuff.
The Roots’ inconsistency has caught up with them at an absolutely devastating time. They not only no longer control their fate for the postseason, but need quite a lot of luck.
[Source: FBRef]
Sac has one fewer game left than their rivals, and it might well mean that they’re cooked. Phoenix and San Diego are going to be tough match-ups for a team that barely scores.
Tacoma still has Phoenix left as well.
Roots don’t control their destiny with respect to LA II, but if they can get lucky and LA II can’t get any wins, the Roots can still steal this at the death.
Predictions
Bloom - It seems that either the division has figured out the Roots after that incredible spell of wins, or that the grumpy-old-veteran strategy runs into a wall at the end of the season. The Roots season ends if they don’t win at Tacoma on Wednesday. There is no time to mess around. No dumb red cards. No half-hearted attempts at controlling the game. The Roots need to take it to Tacoma and dominate them in their house. I don’t know that I have seen enough from the Roots to think that they’re going to do it, but you’re not going to get me to predict the Roots season ends. 1-0 and we fight another day.
Lawson - While I have zero faith in this squad to score right now, they are forced by virtue of injuries and red cards to mix things up a bit against Tacoma, and I am willing to bet this will be a positive thing. The guess here is that Chuy Enriquez is called into action in Hernandez’s stead, and we’ll get a mix of Amarikwa and Bokila up top. Honestly, thinking about Bokila tormenting Tom Brewitt is making me smile. I don’t know if these changes make Roots better, per se, but they will make them more chaotic, which may be the energy they need to, as American football announcers bafflingly say, get untracked. Tacoma’s got attacking talent, so we can’t keep them off the scoreboard, but Roots take it 2-1.
Roots’ History Against Tacoma Defiance: 2-0-1
Last Match-Up Between These Teams
These teams last met at Las Positas on September 15, with Oakland taking all three points in a 3-1 victory behind a Lindo Mfeka brace.
Oakland ran out basically the line-up you’d want to see (notwithstanding my inability to choose between Ward-Diaz, Diaz-Takahashi, Ward-Takahashi). The first goal, in the tenth minute, was the absolute beauty of an assist by Rodriguez’s chin that fell kindly to Mfeka who did not miss. Tacoma equalized in the 32nd, somewhat against the run of play, when Ray Serrano skinned Takahashi alive down the Tacoma right flank and then lofted a beautiful shot over Blanchette’s shoulder at the near post. Not hard to see why the Sounders have the 19-year-old on their books.
Less than ten minutes later, Mfeka received the ball in the box but was well covered, so played the ball back to Wal Fall at the D, who was wide open since the Tacoma defenders had followed Mfeka and Mbumba into the box. Fall did the thing Wal Fall does--well, other than team talks and severely pissing off referees and opposing midfielders--he unleashed his cannon of a right foot.
In the 52nd, Fall did his best Bokila impression, holding off two defenders who were too afraid of drawing a red card to hack out his weird stork legs. Somehow he managed to get a touch on the wrong side of the two defenders, allowing him to play in a pass to a sprinting Mfeka who put a beautiful, crisp shot in from a very sharp angle right before he collapsed nearly to the touch line. Keeper couldn’t do a thing about it. Roots coasted the rest of the way, and finished the match three points back of Tacoma in the standings.
Tacoma’s Form Since the Last Match-Up
You would say this is pretty bleak for Tacoma, but this has dropped them all the way to an identical record to Oakland. Pretty bleak. Tacoma are 1-1-6 since the teams met on September 15, but they have had an uptick in form the last couple weeks.
Tacoma dismantled Orange County on October 9.
Tacoma dismantled Orange County on October 9.
Quote:
The first goal came 30 seconds into the second half, when big Sam Adeniran intercepted a long pass in the middle of OC’s half, took a couple touches and absolutely blasted a goal from just outside the corner of the box. The Tacoma attack just carved up OC for Adeniran’s second, and OC pulled one back on a great bit of interplay resulting in substitute Ben Mines beating Herrera’s tepid save attempt. Tacoma would take the lead back on a goal from Alec Diaz. Diaz knocked in the rebound off of Romero’s save of Ray Serrano’s shot off of the rebound off of Romero’s save of a thunderous shot from Tom Brewitt [editor’s note: Bloom refused requests to word this more cleanly], which would normally be complete trash, but lead to the commentator saying “Tom Brewitt put his foot through it.” I am comfortable with good things happening to Tom Brewitt only when it results in him sounding like a character from a children’s rhyme warning of the danger of walking in the attic without parental supervision.
Big Sam Adeniran finished off his hatty with another excellent mid-range shot coming off of a quickly taken Tacoma free kick that caught OC completely off-guard. If this wasn’t such perfect justice, you’d feel for OC. The foul was not obvious, the ref had apparently allowed advantage, but there was every reason to believe the whistle was in OC’s favor on an offside call.
You’re going to get a lot of me quoting myself as the division match-ups come hot and heavy, and as my ability to be funny somehow wanes even further. You want original content? The Roots need to be good or terrible.
Tacoma followed this up with a 1-0 loss to Las Vegas Lights on October 13. It looks like Tacoma rested some players for this one, but which I mean, of the six players whose names I recognize, only three started.
In the 27th minute, Blog favorite Tom Brewitt had an acrobatic attempt on goal.
Oh, Tom.
Las Vegas would go ahead on a Cal Jennings headed pass to a streaking (and probably offside Bruce El-Mesmari) who beat Tacoma’s keeper to take the lead.
Not much else happened.
Last Sunday, Tacoma put together a 0-0 draw at Sacramento. I am going to link some highlights, because I already found them, but I cannot imagine they are worth watching.
In the 10th (!?!) minute of first-half stoppage time, Cameron Iwasa completely victimizes Tom Brewitt, which is pretty funny, but his inch-perfect pass to Formella is put juuuuuust wide. Another highlight indicates that the 8 minutes of awarded stoppage time ultimately went at least to 12. Literally how.
Anyway, in the 90th minute, Carlos Anguiano, who had for some reason changed jerseys to the #0 put in a great free kick to the far post, that was headed back to an open Brewitt at the near post (arrow showing the ball)
Anyway, in the 90th minute, Carlos Anguiano, who had for some reason changed jerseys to the #0 put in a great free kick to the far post, that was headed back to an open Brewitt at the near post (arrow showing the ball)
Did he put it in?
l o l
The only teams less interested than the Roots in making the playoffs from the Pacific Division are apparently Sacramento and Tacoma.
Roots’ Form Since the Last Match-Up
The only teams less interested than the Roots in making the playoffs from the Pacific Division are apparently Sacramento and Tacoma.
Roots’ Form Since the Last Match-Up
[Source: FBRef]
The Roots are 2-1-4 since these teams met on September 15. The most recent match against Orange County was, frankly, almost too garbage to even talk about, but Comeaux and Lawson did, so I’m not about to chicken out.
Here are the highlights:
You don’t have to watch them. At this point you have clicked into the story, and the little “views” counter that validates my existence has ticked up one more. You might even owe it to yourself to not watch these.
Mbumba’s tackle giving up the penalty was, at minimum, extremely clumsy. I don’t really see how it wouldn’t be given as a penalty. I like Takahashi’s instinct to see ball-clear ball, but Blanchette is going to be able to smother it. The re-taken penalty was pretty garbage, but Blanchette still did well to guess right and keep it out.
I have to say, I still did not feel like Oakland were on pace to win the game, though. Orange County looked like they had a plan that Oakland were not ready to deal with.
Should Hernandez have kicked Kuningas during a stoppage of play right in front of the referee? Opinions differ! I have felt like the Roots have been reacting really aggressively to provocation over the last few weeks, and I thought Fall was lucky to escape some recent matches without seeing a red of his own. That finally caught up to them on Saturday. If it feels like Hernandez gets carded a lot, you’re exactly right. He has TEN, good for fifth in USL. Of the ten players with double-digit yellow cards, Hernandez has the fewest minutes by more than a full 90. Just incredible stuff.
The Roots’ inconsistency has caught up with them at an absolutely devastating time. They not only no longer control their fate for the postseason, but need quite a lot of luck.
LA II beat El Paso, which sucks. You just know that the Roots are going to beat Tacoma, and then Tacoma are going to limp into their home match against LA II and quietly go down without a fight ending the Roots’ playoff hopes. LA II have to fly to Charleston which is going to be a miserable game for them, and then wrap their season against Orange County.
Sac has one fewer game left than their rivals, and it might well mean that they’re cooked. Phoenix and San Diego are going to be tough match-ups for a team that barely scores.
Tacoma still has Phoenix left as well.
Roots don’t control their destiny with respect to LA II, but if they can get lucky and LA II can’t get any wins, the Roots can still steal this at the death.
Predictions
Bloom - It seems that either the division has figured out the Roots after that incredible spell of wins, or that the grumpy-old-veteran strategy runs into a wall at the end of the season. The Roots season ends if they don’t win at Tacoma on Wednesday. There is no time to mess around. No dumb red cards. No half-hearted attempts at controlling the game. The Roots need to take it to Tacoma and dominate them in their house. I don’t know that I have seen enough from the Roots to think that they’re going to do it, but you’re not going to get me to predict the Roots season ends. 1-0 and we fight another day.
Lawson - While I have zero faith in this squad to score right now, they are forced by virtue of injuries and red cards to mix things up a bit against Tacoma, and I am willing to bet this will be a positive thing. The guess here is that Chuy Enriquez is called into action in Hernandez’s stead, and we’ll get a mix of Amarikwa and Bokila up top. Honestly, thinking about Bokila tormenting Tom Brewitt is making me smile. I don’t know if these changes make Roots better, per se, but they will make them more chaotic, which may be the energy they need to, as American football announcers bafflingly say, get untracked. Tacoma’s got attacking talent, so we can’t keep them off the scoreboard, but Roots take it 2-1.
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