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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?  "...

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...

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 ...

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...

The Oakland Roots claimed three points on Wednesday night under the lights of Las Positas College, marking its final trip out to Livermore for the rest of the 2021 regular season, defeating Landon Donovan's San Diego Loyal 2-1 with a wonder-goal by Johnny Rodriguez in the sixth minute and Jose Hernandez by way of a PK in the 63rd.  Roots SC with its 8-6-10 record has now climbed out of last place from prior to Aug. 25's 3-1 win over Phoenix Rising and into a fourth-place playoff position just seven matches later.  Wednesday's match featured the return of Wal Fall, Matias Fissore, and Jose Hernandez to lead the midfield, but Fall had to be subbed off at halftime for Joseph Nane due to injury. Then in the 77th minute, Max Ornstil replaced Nane after also sustaining an issue. Oakland now looks ahead to Orance County SC on the road at Championship Soccer Stadium in Irvine this Saturday.  Roots' technical director and interim head coach Jordan Ferrell approached our postg...

The Oakland Roots couldn't take three points in last night's 1-0 loss to Los Angeles Galaxy II after conceding a penalty kick in the 75th minute. As Oakland Roots' interim head coach and technical director Jordan Ferrell puts it: "That was a tough one to swallow."  With the loss, Roots record becomes 7-6-10 and still three points back of Tacoma for fourth place in the Pacific Division, but have now played two more matches than Defiance. Sacramento, meanwhile, has 26 points in sixth and faces Tacoma on Wednesday. As for Galaxy, the club also has 26 points down in seventh. Saturday's match featured Brian Brown and Joseph Nane making their Oakland debuts while Wal Fall and Jose Hernandez were out due to injury and card accumulation respectively.  Roots SC now looks ahead to another critical match on Wednesday against San Diego Loyal at Las Positas.  Here is a full transcript of Jordan Ferrell's post-match press conference.  Tough loss, your initial reaction? ...

The Oakland Roots triumphantly reeled in three points in a mighty 3-1 win over Tacoma Defiance under the lights of Las Positas' soccer stadium, bringing them three points shy of a potential playoff berth.  The victory catapults Roots above Sacramento Republic in the standings to fifth with a 7-6-9 record with six of its wins over the last 10 matches, going 6-3-1 during that span.  It was a strong performance from Oakland and they could've put four or five across the line if all had skipped and flicked correctly. Lindo Mfeka earned Man of the Match with the team's season-high rating of a 9.2 off of two goals and an assist, while Wal Fall is solidifying his reputation for scoring bangers.  Roots SC now looks ahead to LA Galaxy on Saturday night at Laney, putting themselves in the driver's seat and momentum ramping high around Oakland.  Here is a full transcript of Jordan Ferrell's post-match press conference:  Big win, your initial reactions? Ferrell: "It was goo...

The Oakland Roots took a point in its Nil-Nil draw with San Diego Loyal on Saturday night, improving their record to 6-6-9. They are six points back of Tacoma Defiant ahead of their meeting on Wednesday at Las Positas.  The tie with San Diego's second-place team left more to be desired from both Jordan Ferrell and goalie Paul Blanchette.  Photo courtesy of Oakland Roots SC The irked feeling shared between coach and player is, honestly, a refreshing sight. It shows that the club has high expectations for itself despite playing a tough side, where grabbing a point is beneficial. I was reminded that Sacramento lost, meaning Oakland could've tied Republic on points with a win over Loyal.  Here's a full transcript of Saturday's interviews: Initial reactions from the tie? Jordan Ferrell: "The last time we played them, I thought we were bad and one of the worst games we played when we lost one-nothing and jumped out of position late. This time, I thought we were good and ...

The Oakland Roots are on fire with a three-match win streak, handling Tacoma Defiance 3-1 on Saturday with goals from Kai Greene in the 13th minute, Ariel Mbumba at 57' and Jeremy Bokila to kill the game in the 82nd.  Oakland now improves its record to 5-5-8, now 4-2 in its last six appearances, and third straight 3-goal performance.  "What I would say is it’s been a long time coming. There were a lot of things early in the season keeping us from finding a rhythm. You can point your finger at a bunch of things, but I think now we’re in a stretch where we’ve played games consistently and have had some consistency in the lineup. Tonight was the first night of the season where I didn’t have to make a sub in the midfield. Having the heart of our team game to game, and the core of our team game to game, now we’re at that stage," said technical director and interim head coach Jordan Ferrell.  Veteran forward Quincy Amarikwa also senses how the team is coming along. He's bee...

Roots' HC/Technical Director Jordan Ferrell provides his postmatch thoughts. Photo by Jonathan Comeaux The Oakland Roots got back in the win column yesterday in its 2-1 victory over LA Galaxy II, improving its record to 2-8-4 by claiming their second victory over the Southern California side. Roots' last win came against the Galaxy, a 3-2 win back on May 23.  Oakland Roots' head coach and technical director Jordan Ferrell has been promising after each match that he'd get us a win. They delivered on Saturday afternoon, leaving Ferrell beaming a smile knowing the first question was coming.  Here is a full transcription of Ferrell's post-match thoughts. Initial thoughts?  " Good overall performance from the team. We had to dig deep on our bench; a fortunate red card changed the game, I don't know if it was or not, but whatever.  I think the one thing that concerns me is the opportunities we didn’t take. We had plenty of three versus twos, simple positions tha...

The Oakland Roots were able to end its five-match losing streak with a 0-0 draw with the Sacramento Republic at Las Positas and narrowly missed out on a couple of scoring chances.  Here is a full transcription of Oakland Roots' head coach and technical director Jordan Ferrell 's post-match thoughts. Initial thoughts on the game?  "It was an interesting match; plenty of opportunities for us. They were really organized and sat a little deeper than we thought they would, we thought they would come and press us like they did the first two games, but that created some different issues for us.  "I think it was good to welcome back a couple of players, obviously, Quincy [Amarikwa] got his debut with us but also Lindo [Mfeka] got his first game back in a little while. We're starting to see more of our squad come together.  "We got to put those chances away, there's no doubt there were three points on the table today. It's good to break the duck and get a cl...

Here is a full transcription of Oakland Roots' head coach and technical director Jordan Ferrell 's quotes following their 1-0 loss to Phoenix Rising on August 4.  Question: Initial thoughts on the game? "It's a beautiful night at Laney. We've been telling everybody this is what it feels like; this is what real-life is like for us here. I thought it was an amazing opportunity to show the whole world what the magic of Laney is like. Unfortunately, the result didn't go our way.  "I think we had better opportunities in the first-half, really. I think we controlled a lot of the game, but the game is built on moments and the time between them. In that moment, they took advantage of their chance." Question: Regarding the impact of Tarek Morad and Tarn Weir's injuries. "Obviously, you have your captain center back go down with an injury, that unsettles a team somewhat. He was a monster for us in the first half and basically up until that point [of hi...

The Oakland Roots fought to a 1-0 loss against Phoenix Rising in its home opener at Laney College, unveiling its new striped turf field. Despite the loss, the sentiments from countless fans in the stands were similar to manager Jordan Ferrell ’s; it was so nice to be home. "It's a beautiful night at Laney. We've been telling everybody this is what it feels like. I thought it was an amazing opportunity to show the whole world what the magic of Laney is like. Unfortunately, the result didn't go our way," said Ferrell. Fueled by $1 beers, the crowd provided its rowdy atmosphere Ferrell has come accustomed to seeing. For Phoenix, however, their $1 beer-magic continues. They went 13-0-0 on $1 beer night promotions in 2019, home or away.  Oakland Roots held their own despite going another game without a goal, finishing with five shots with four chances created and 49 percent possession, per FotMob. The Roots had their most complete lineup in the last month, b...

The Oakland Roots took a 2-1 loss to the Las Vegas Lights in its first appearance in front a home crowd at Livermore’s Las Positas College, its temporary home through the next week of matches. The Roots felt the energy from its supporters after going ahead 1-0 after 24 minutes by Tarn Weir, but conceded to the Lights at 55’ and 74’ to fall behind.   “We’ve had a zero in the goals scored column for quite some time, and I think we made some very good chances tonight. A couple at the end, obviously in the first half with Tarn finishing—that’s a big positive for us. We’ve also not been conceding cheap goals and that’s something we’ve got to improve,” said manager and technical director Jordan Ferrell after the match.  As mentioned by assistant coach Chris Malenab, Saturday’s match was the first home appearance in front of Roots fans for nearly the entire roster.   “The home crowd is huge; for a lot of these guys, it was their first opportunity to play in front of the Oakland ...