Oakland Soul is back for the 2024 season with its eyes on the prize. The goal: bring silverware to The Town.
“Winning now. The expectation isn’t just qualifying for the postseason, but winning it all is the goal. The big difference is we got better from a team perspective and a player perspective, so the expectations from the supporters’ groups and from our own staff is to win it outright,” coach Jessica Clinton said.
Soul opens this year’s campaign on Sunday, May 5 at Stockton Cargo after falling to San Francisco Glens in the USL W League playoffs and finishing the regular season with the third seed in the Western Conference. 2023 proved Soul can keep up with the established local clubs like Glens and California Storm, but now Clinton and co. are focused on taking the next step.
“We know how we did last year, so I feel like the expectation and standard has been set to get beyond what we did. There’s also a lot of new faces, so how can we keep everyone on the same page? Like, keeping the standard high, get people to meet that standard, and hold ourselves to that standard. I’m just looking forward to having fun and getting out there,” second-year forward Sam Tran said.
Soul returns a total of 13 players from last year on its initial roster, including leaders like forward duo Tran and Miranda Nild, midfielder/forward Kaytlin Brinkman, midfielder/defender Henar Urteaga, center back Sydney Shepherd, and several others. They’ll be a big part of helping new players get acclimated and learn the club-culture.
“I think in Year 2, with having such a strong returning group and the excitement of what Soul is doing and eventually going to Super League,” Clinton said. “The growth and the community support is really driving them, not just from spending time here but feeling the fan support and meeting kids in the stands–I think that grows their passion.”
With a current roster of 27 players and more expected to join, there are 14 debutants on the opening team list. There will be minor changes at goal keeper with Layla Armas, being backed up by Bella Mendoza of UMass (my alma mater, go U), and UC Riverside sophomore Cassia Souza.
Here’s a look at the roster with some talking points going into the season.
Forwards
Assuming we see Clinton continue to run a 4-4-2 diamond system like Soul did last year, the two-pronged attack will continue with Sam Tran and Miranda Nild leading things.
Tran, 25, was named Soul’s Spirit Award winner last year and is a clear leader of the club. She perhaps had the most decorated collegiate career of all players on Soul’s roster while at Stanford from 2016-2019. She’s a two-time NCAA Champion in 2017 and 2019, helped the Cardinal win the Pac-12 Championship all four years, and had three College Cup appearances from 2017-2019.
Nild, 27, was Soul’s 2023 Player of the Year and brings technical footwork, size, and power to the striker position. She marked a headline signing for Soul last year. The Castro Valley native played for the University of California from 2015-2018, making 73 appearances and scored 13 goals during her time in Blue and Gold. She began playing for the Thailand National Team in 2017, making 20 appearances and scored 15 goals during her time with Chaba Kaew, helping them reach the 2019 Fifa World Cup.
Another returner is UCLA-commit and Archbishop Mitty senior, Jordan Geis, who was very impressive in 2023 as Tran and Nild’s primary backup. She just led Mitty to a D1 CIF NorCal championship win as the No. 4 ranked school, upsetting No. 2 Del Oro in penalty kicks.
Kaytlin Brinkman could also line up in the center forward spot, but will likely appear more as a midfielder. Former Stanford forward Cecilia Gee is another returner as well.
Some new players include UC Merced junior Trinidad Quiroz, who is set to wear the number 10, along with University of the Pacific graduate student Lauren Frohan, Utah Utes pair Kennedy Schoennauer and Katie O’Kane, former UC San Diego forward Maddy Samillo, recent CSU Monterey graduate Alexandra Diaz, and recent University of San Francisco grad Alex Carpio. Maddy Samilo is formerly of the Glens and lined up as a forward and midfielder.
Midfielders
With the 4-4-2 diamond, the midfield is a heavily used position with a Central Attacking Midfielder helping the attack, Central Defensive Midfielder aiding the back line, while a right and left midfielder supplies width.
As mentioned above, Brinkman can slot into the CAM spot and rotate out wide, making appearances on the left side last season. Another returner is Henar Urteaga, who will fill the CDM spot and was a catalyst in much of Oakland’s success last season.
Brinkman, 24, became a fan-favorite in 2023 with her long-shots, powerful free kicks, and having a ton of swag on the field. She spent some time in Cyprus with Apollon following last season.
Urteaga, 27, is a general for Oakland’s midfield and dictates the pace of the game. Clinton has previously commented on how Henar is a scientist, working as an engineer in the medical field. She played collegiately at Illinois before getting her Masters degree at Cal.
Tatiana Cunningham, Vicky Jones, and Lizzie Vranesh are three returners from last season. Arianna Veland is a new addition, formerly a midfielder with Illinois. Samilo can also play the midfield.
Although they aren’t on the initial roster, Clinton also mentioned Manaka Hayashi as a returner, who scored a hat trick against SF Glens at Merritt College. Sarah Mirr is also expected back at some point.
Defenders
In Clinton’s 4-4-2 diamond, they’ll have two center backs and have two two fullbacks providing width on the outside. Four returners to the roster include Sydney Shepherd, Malia Yamamoto, Clare Robke, and Zoe Franks. Each player got starting minutes last year.
Shepherd, 24. was a starting center back and will assume the same role. She is a native of Danville and graduate from Michigan, leading the team in minutes as a senior. She also briefly played in Sweden before returning home.
“It’s very exciting to be a part of this whole squad. It’s great to be back with the returners and see familiar faces, but also meet some new faces. It’s exciting to see where we are as a group and try to evolve that from here. But I think we got a great group of girls,” Shepherd said.
Kyah Coady, Liliana Rubio, Rebecca Sherry, and Marissa Garcia are three more new players on the initial roster sheet.
Coady is a redshirt freshman at San Jose State. Prior to arriving at San Jose, she played on Telstar in the Netherlands’ Eredivisie for three seasons and also spent two years with Alkmaar FC of the Eredivisie.
Rubio is a young prospect on the rise and has gotten time with the U15 Mexican National Team. she’s set to graduate high school in 2028. Rubio was selected to Mexico to play outside back and winger, so it’s possible she will play higher up the field in Soul’s outside midfielder role.
As for Garcia, she’s graduating from St. Mary’s in the near future and started all 18 appearances as a senior in 2023. Sherry just finished her freshman year at Princeton and formerly played on SF Glens.
The Competition
Last year, Oakland Soul and San Francisco Glens established a fierce rivalry between the two sides. The two teams split their regular season games, including Glens winning 3-0 at its blustery Skyline College Soccer Field, while Soul won 3-1 when hosting at Merritt College. Glens won their first-round playoff match 5-1 on a cold and windy afternoon at Skyline College.
“It’s like saying Voldemort, you don’t say Glens around here. We’re 100 percent looking forward to them,” Clinton said.
However, the Glens have undergone serious alterations after losing a top personnel director to fellow W League side, Olympic Club, which finished fifth of eight NorCal Division teams last season. The Glens will still pose a major threat, but it also means Olympic Club dramatically improved.
As Clinton describes, college coaches are eager to put their players in the W League’s NorCal Division because it provides a month-and-a-half of development against top talent. It means Stockton Cargo improved and Cal Storm remains a contending program.
“The question is will the Glens be the Glens. An interesting part is our league got better. I’ve received interest in players I know or other college coaches across the country looking to send players to the NorCal Division. That will be interesting; how the Glens shake up, but they’ll be similar with their filtration system. We expect Olympic Club to be stronger… We know Cargo are stronger. Storm is a rivalry too,” Clinton said.
Stay tuned for tonight’s coverage of Soul at Cargo for the season opener.
USL Super League & the Coliseum
The season marks an interesting transition year for Oakland Soul with their targeted plans to joining the USL Super League in 2025, making the hop from amateur to the professional level.
“This [environment] is intense. Nothing exists like this from a women’s soccer perspective, so when players walk in and this is the first things they see, there is intensity,” Clinton said. “We do have players who want to play pro and get picked up by Super League teams, look to play in Europe, or pick up an agent.”
One extremely important factor in Oakland Soul making its planned hop to the Division 1 tier with the USL Super League in 2025 is the availability of the Oakland Coliseum. Coach Clinton sees the sheer potential of a fully professional women’s team in The Town.
“We’re seeing what’s going on in women’s football across the world and how stadiums are being sold out. With the attention to women’s football, why not us too? It means so much to the community, what a perfect place to start rolling as a pro team,” Clinton said.
Tran, being a local athlete from Tracy, acknowledged the Raiders, A’s, and Warriors leaving Oakland when asked about the importance of securing the Coliseum.
“We’ve got to keep sports in Oakland. If we play in the Coliseum, that means we’re staying in Oakland. So, just the thought of playing in a historic landmark like the Coliseum and being able to add a new chapter to it with soccer, I think it’s vital for Oakland. It’s going to be a new breath of fresh air,” Tran said.
We’re still waiting on official word from Alameda County about the Coliseum being fully available for Roots and Soul in 2025. Confirmation should come in the near future.