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  This feels like a game Oakland will eventually rue as a lost opportunity. Oakland came out in their now-expected 4-2-3-1-slash-4-1-4-1. They played an unusually high line in this one, and the fullbacks (Diaz on the right, Takahashi on the left) were given all kinds of license to get forward. The end result was a lot of open space for Las Vegas to run into, and it looked, in the first half, as though Oakland were willing to give up that space in order to put pressure on Las Vegas’s backline. And I understand the bet: if you were betting which of the two backlines would hold up best, you are absolutely putting money on Emrah Klimenta and Kai Greene. This is especially true when you have guys like Jeremy Bokila and Quincy Amarikwa on the pitch, two lads who seem to attract outsize attention and who give USL defenders fits. But the amount of space on the pitch meant a very free and open game, which may not have necessarily played to Oakland’s comparative strengths. Vegas regularly ex...

It was a disappointing 2-2 draw for the Oakland Roots against Las Vegas Lights after conceding a goal in the 89th minute. Although Roots came away with a point, it left an all too familiar sour taste similar to their recent 2-1 loss to OCSC. Technical director and interim head coach Jordan Ferrell's bitterness after the match was easy to sense. Perhaps some annoyance from having to answer questions added to a night of frustration.  With an 8-7-11 record in sixth place, Oakland is still one point shy of a playoff spot but also one point up on Tacoma Defiance in seventh.  It builds up to a critical Wednesday night at Laney between the Roots and Sacramento Republic. It marks the final match between the two sides this season and also the first time Republic returns to Oakland since they initiated the USL postponing June 19's match.  Here is a full transcript of Ferrell's post-match press conference: Your reaction from the game: Ferrell: "We gave away two points tonight, fo...

Oh, how the Beautiful Game can be cruel. The Oakland Roots were able to claim a point in its 2-2 draw with Las Vegas Lights on Saturday night at Laney College, but a late goal while holding a man-advantage in the 89th minute prevented Roots from claiming three points.  With an 8-7-11 record, Roots SC is in sixth place one point behind the Sacramento Republic and LA Galaxy II in fifth and fourth.  Oakland conceded a goal in the fifth minute after Julian Vazques found Danny Trejo for a tap-in goal on a pass across the face. The inconsistency in which the USL uses an assistant referee is peculiar, especially with a focus on this goal.  Per the replay, Trejo appeared at least one full stride ahead of Oakland's last defender, Memo Diaz, when Vazquez plays the ball.  . @lvlightsfc sprints out to the early lead 🏃💨 #OAKvLV pic.twitter.com/q3wKDJebmI — USL Championship (@USLChampionship) October 3, 2021 Similar to the Roots' 2-1 loss to OCSC in its previous match, the hom...

Welcome to tonight's edition of the blog's live coverage of Oakland Roots' meeting with Las Vegas Lights from Laney College.  Oakland enters as the fifth-ranked team in the Pacific Division with an 8-6-11 record against last-place Las Vegas at 5-2-19 Here is Bloom's official match preview for tonight, where he highlights some of the Roots' most hated opposing players and how Vegas walks into Saturday night winding down on a dreadful season. Here's an excerpt from Bloom's preview that puts things in perspective on a must-win match for Roots SC:  Lights started the season bad and have become terrible. Since a 2-2 draw at home to Phoenix Rising on August 8, the Lights have lost nine straight. Dear God, please do not let Oakland drop points in this game.  Join the live match discussion on Discord: https://discord.com/invite/NPNM7jmJ Scroll down for all the latest updates. Key Events Lights equalizer - 89' Lights red card - 73' Traore committs his 2nd yel...

Oakland Roots host Las Vegas Lights at 7:00 p.m. at Laney College on October 2, 2021. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+ and KOFY. Roots' History Against Las Vegas Lights : 2-0-1 Last Match-Up Between These Teams These teams last met on September 8 in a 1-0 victory for the Roots in Las Vegas. Match Recap Game Notes It was hotter than blue blazes and the Roots took more than an hour to get on the scoreboard. Johnny Rodriguez picked up his first goal for the Roots on a goal that was not broadcast live, because a replay of a non-goal was being shown at the time. Lights’ defender Traore somehow did not see Wal Fall, the largest person there is, and passed the ball right into him. Fall sent a ball through to Rodriguez who was essentially alone on the box, but played onside by another Lights defender (who, to be fair, cannot really be blamed for playing JRod on-side). Lights’ Keeper Alex Rando managed to get a hand to Rodriguez’s shot, but it had enough power to find its way home n...

  Oakland Roots got back on track Wednesday night in triple-digit heat and under a weird pink haze(?) in Las Vegas. This game was a real standout USL Championship viewing experience: The main camera, which shook the entire time, was apparently positioned about 20 feet from the pitch, so we were constantly zoomed in on the ball, and the shot had to swing wildly with each pass. The upshot is that we can make, at best, only tentative tactical observations here. Both clubs came out firing. Oakland’s early strategy was to put Las Vegas’s midfield and back line under a lot of stress. Oakland found a lot of joy down their left hand side. Ariel Mbumba simply physically outmatched Lights’ right back, a 16-year-old Dylan Presto, and for whatever reason Lights refused to give Presto any help when Soya Takahashi would make overlapping runs. You would expect maybe the midfielder to that side, usually Christopher Jaime, to track those runs, but Takahashi was frequently allowed to roam free. Oakl...

Photo courtesy of Oakland Roots SC The Oakland Roots took home three points with a 1-0 against the Las Vegas Lights, their 107-degree weather, and failed attendance promotions.  It marked goalkeeper Taylor Bailey’s second clean sheet in three appearances, while Johnny Rodriguez scored the game-winner in the 63rd minute in his second consecutive start but first cap as the starting striker.  Oakland has scored 13 goals through the last seven matches with a +5 goal differential during that span, improving its record to 6-5-9 (wins-draws-losses) to leapfrog LA Galaxy II for 6th place in the Pacific Division. [Queue Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry] Rodriguez, 23, is one of the longest-tenured Roots players despite only appearing in six matches so far this season, now contributing two assists and a goal since returning from a lengthy injury. He’s known for his aggressive pressing as a forward that has been on display since unseating Jack McInerny for a starting spot in the NISA 2020 ...

Oakland Roots travel to Las Vegas for a mid-week fixture against Las Vegas Lights on Wednesday September 8, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. The match will be on ESPN+ and KOFYTV. This is the third of four match-ups against Pacific Division-rival Las Vegas. Roots’s History Against Las Vegas Lights: 1-0-1 Prior Match-Ups this Season: The Roots faced Lights the first time in a 2-1 loss in the first game with fans at Las Positas. The Blog was there: That loss was obviously disappointing, but with further context (Las Vegas is apparently not very good) it is even more disappointing that the Roots dropped points. The Roots did not pass up the points in the August 21 meeting. https://oaklandrootsblog.blogspot.com/2021/08/blackjack-las-vegas-1-3-oakland.html Vegas opened the scoring, but Hernandez equalized with some fancy footwork in the box in the 52nd. In the 60th Amarikwa scorched Vegas on the break, with Enriquez pulling defenders wide across the field. Mfeka shot through the unmarked middle, fie...