RootsBlog

It has been too long, Roots family.  The USL Championship has named its first-team, second-team, and Coach of the Year winners for 2021 without any Oakland Roots players; a strong oversight of the organization’s turnaround under interim head coach Jordan Ferrell—who will focus on his primary role as technical director for 2022 and onward.  The league, unimaginatively, named Tampa Bay's manager Neill Collins Coach of the Year followed by Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC’s Brendan Burke and El Paso Locomotive FC’s Mark Lowry while 13 coaches received votes from technical staffs, executives, and a select media panel.  Now moving into the offseason, on the evening of the USL Championship Finals between Orange County and Tampa Bay, the omission from the league committee doesn’t do justice to what occurred in Oakland (and Livermore) this adversity-filled 2021 season. Ferrell took control of the lineup after a mutual separation with Dario Pot, who went on to be the assistant...

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...

Oakland Roots' technical director and interim head coach Jordan Ferrell had one message to the organizations around the USL which have doubted them, "keep doing it."  "They can keep doing it, I don’t really care. What matters is within that locker room right now and the fans that have been supportive of us all of season. People can continue to overlook us and that’s great but we’re not concerned with how other people see us," said Ferrell.  The Roots entered with the odds stacked against them at over 6/1 underdogs. And rightfully so; in addition to El Paso not losing a home match in 470 days, Oakland started the first two months of the season 1-3-8 without a home match at Laney. Things obviously took longer to jell than initially hoped for. "I think for us as a group, not having been a team for a long time, the early part of the season where we didn’t find success, there were a lot of challenges. It’s very easy when you come together and start winning and e...

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?  "...

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. ...

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. ...

The Oakland Roots fell 1-0 to Orange County SC under the lights of Laney. OCSC finishes 2021 with a 4-0-0 record in its season series with Roots, scoring seven goals to Oakland's one.  Roots SC's record now dips to 9-7-13 with three matches left. It's been a rough month for Oakland, going 2-1-4 over the last seven matches.  Technical director and interim head coach Jordan Ferrell's body language showed clear frustration in the postgame interview, seemingly relieved to voice a bit more displeasure once the mics and cameras were all shut off.   Oakland looks ahead to two more road matches at Tacoma (Oct. 20) and San Diego (Oct. 24) before turning home for the season finale on October 30 against Sporting KC II at Laney.  Here is a full transcript of Ferrell's postgame press conference: Initial reaction to the loss? "It's a tough one. We did it to ourselves. We had some good chances, Paul [Blanchette] even almost scored. Obviously, we were pretty stretched goin...

It was a rough night for the Oakland Roots in its 1-nil loss to Orange County SC at Laney College Stadium on Saturday, October 16, evident by coach Jordan Ferrell's postgame interview--voicing clear frustration that reflected with his body language. "It's a tough one. We did it to ourselves. We had some good chances, Paul [Blanchette] even almost scored. Obviously, we were pretty stretched going down to 10 men, but we're not just gonna pack it in. We're going to go after it and we had some chances. That was a tough one," said Ferrell after the loss.  The loss brings Oakland's record to 9-7-13, clinging onto fifth with 34 points. With eyes on the table, Los Dos faces El Paso while Sacramento squares off with Tacoma on Saturday. An El Paso wins keeps LA in striking distance of Oakland, while a Republic-Defiance draw would bring both clubs to 34 points--Roots hold the tiebreaker against both clubs.  Orange County scored in the 25th minute after Ronaldo Damus ...

The Oakland Roots were victorious on Wednesday night with its 2-1 win over Sacramento Republic in the final NorCal Derby of its inaugural rivalry, and it didn't disappoint.  The Roots improved its record to 9-7-11, now in fourth place with 34 points--two points ahead of LA Galaxy II and Republic. Los Dos plays Las Vegas Lights on Friday; a Lights win or draw keeps Oakland in fourth.  Technical director and interim head coach Jordan Ferrell was beaming after the win, a stark contrast to the Saturday night 2-2 draw with Vegas. Emrah Klimenta, who scored his first goal since 2017, also harped on the focus while up 2-1 against Sac.  Oakland looks ahead to a difficult match on the road in Phoenix this Saturday.  Here is a full transcript of Ferrell and Klimenta's postgame press conference: Initial thoughts after the win?  Ferrell: "It's good to wrap up the series against them with a win. Obviously, every single game is a battle. I think the majority of our squad was ...

The Oakland Roots brought home three points with a 2-1 victory over Sacramento Republic on Wednesday night at Laney College. The win improves their record to 9-7-11 and catapults the club into fourth place with 34 points, three points behind OCSC.  Oakland now prepares for an away match at Phoenix on Saturday, while LA Galaxy II can do Roots' a favor by losing Vegas on Friday. OCSC and Tacoma also play on Oct. 9. It was a chippy and physical affair between Oakland and Sacramento all night, with the Roots' claiming the NorCal Derby season series with a 1-3-0 record. It's the formula for a budding California soccer rivalry, and the June 19 mishap was undoubtedly still on the minds of players, coaches, and front office members.  "It's a good way to wrap up the series against them. Obviously, every single game is a battle. I think the majority of our squad was healthy and available for the first time; it makes a big difference. We also showed better mentality tonight t...