The Oakland Roots announced that they have re-signed veteran midfielder Joseph Nane to a contract extension on Friday.
“We are happy to have Nane back with us for 2022,” said Head Coach Juan Guerra, via the team’s official site. “He is someone who has tons of experience in the game in North America and overseas. Nane was very important for the team’s late season run in 2021. His hunger, understanding of the game and leadership make him a key piece in what we are building as a team and organization.”
Nane, who is a native of Cameroon, brings Oakland’s international signings list up to seven of nine applicable slots. The full list includes:
- Joseph Nane
- Edgardo Rito
- Matias Fissore
- Lindo Mfeka
- Jose Hernandez
- Alejandro Fuenmayor
- Dariusz Formella
The Roots also signed English midfielder Charlie Dennis earlier this week, but it’s unclear if he counts against the international signings list given he’s been in the U.S. since 2014.
Nane, 34, originally signed to Oakland back in September with a month left in the season. He only made seven appearances for the club, but provided a formidable and physical presence in the midfield during run toward the playoffs.
In his last four appearances, Nane logged a rating of 7.2 against San Diego Loyal, a 7.1 in the season-finale against Kansas City, another 7.1 in the first-round versus El Paso, and a 7.7 against Orange County after playing 120 minutes. He also slotted home his PK in the playoff shootout.
In 2021, Nane made four regular season starts and finished with a 7.03 overall, while he logged a 7.45 rating over his two postseason appearances.
According to Transfermarkt, Nane holds a market value of $275,000 and is a natural defensive midfielder with CM and CB as his secondary options.