Oakland Roots announced they loaned goal keeper Taylor Bailey to San Diego Loyal for the remainder of the USL Championship season.
This effectively ends Bailey’s time in Oakland given he’s playing out the final year of his deal. Bailey, 26, was the Roots’ longest tenured player after signing on in 2020 for its NISA campaign, making his way to Oakland’s USL Championship roster after a lengthy recovery from extensive surgery.
Roots believe a move was in the best interest of Bailey, per team source.
Bailey was notably not included in Oakland’s 18-man roster for the last number of weeks. Tim Syrel, 19, has instead taken the leap as Paul Blanchette’s primary backup.
For Syrel, its a sign of development coming along swimmingly for the Project 51O product. The teenager elected to forego his collegiate career with UC Davis to continue working with Roots, now fully claiming the backup keeper role at the club.
Syrel has been impressive in training, continuously proving himself as a talented prospect.
One Roots source described the organization is really excited about Syrel, giving them a 6 foot, 4 inch teenage prospect to mold. The team could see him being their primary backup for an extended period.
The keeper out of De Anza High School made his debut for Oakland on emergency duty in May 2022 against Los Angeles Galaxy II when Benny Diaz drew a red card while Paul Blanchette was out due to an injury and Bailey was on loan with Forward Madison.
On Loyal, Taylor provides a depth option behind Koke Vegas. With 16-year-old Duran Ferree training with the United States U-17 National Team ahead of the U-17 World Cup, Bailey will slot in as San Diego’s primary backup when Ferree is away.
“We are very excited to bring Taylor into our team at the most crucial time of the season,” said Loyal head coach Nate Miller in a press release. “Taylor is a very good shot stopper, has good feet, and is an excellent teammate. With Duran away with the U17’s in the coming months in preparation for the World Cup, we needed to bring in a goalkeeper who fits our identity, will push and support Koke every day, and be able to hold the high standard we have for our goalkeepers. A goalkeeper with experience in the Western Conference was also a priority as we wanted to solidify our squad for the playoff run.”