RootsBlog

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?  "...

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 lost a narrow 1-0 battle to Los Angeles Galaxy II at Laney, watching its record dip to 7-6-10 with nine matches left in the season. It was a critically missed opportunity to pad points ahead of Sacramento Republic in 6th place at 26 points and tie Tacoma Defiance with 30 points.  The Roots went into the night without two critical midfielders; Jose Hernandez was out due to card accumulation while Wal Fall picked up an injury.  "They are the brains of our operation. We saw on Wednesday night what it does for the team when they are really humming. Mati came on and did a really good job in the #8 just finding that rhythm and you saw it right away with a couple of good created. It's challenging whenever you don't have those guys available, the team needs to step up and prove that other people can fill that role. There were moments we did, we just weren't sharp enough," said Ferrell.  As a result, Los Angeles had a dominant day in the midfield.  "...

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 ...