You may have noticed Benny Diaz posting on Twitter that he’s happy to make the trip to Xolos’ season-opener today, July 3 against Pumas. It’s now official, Diaz has been recalled from his loan with Oakland Roots.
Marcelo De La Peña was first on the news.
Xolos has posted Diaz on its social media channels multiple times since returning to the club. The Roots made an official announcement today.
This adds some clarity to Roots bringing back Taylor Bailey from his loan with Forward Madison FC on May 17. Diaz returned to Tijuana FC during their training camp ramp-up to be evaluated ahead of their season-opener and has clearly impressed the Xolos’ staff enough to make the cut.
There was some belief that Diaz would return to Oakland given Tijuana has five keepers under contract and uncertainty that he would be able to crack their lineup as a top-three player at the position. However, it now appears that Xolos are prepared to move forward with Diaz for the start of their season.
Diaz, 23, nearly started every match for Roots since his arrival from Tijuana on March 17. He closes his time in Oakland with 13 appearances, two clean sheets, 24 saves, stopped one penalty, conceded 19 goals, and received a 6.03 FotMob rating.
Roots will move forward with Paul Blanchette as their first option, Taylor Bailey backing him up, and Tim Syrel as the third keeper and emergency option. Syrel made the trip against LA as Bailey recovers from an injury.