RootsBlog

Oakland Roots got back in the win column on Saturday night with its 2-1 victory over Orange County. However, OC’s goal meant Roots have allowed a goal in each of their last 22 USL Championship games.  

In this time, you’ve seen Paul Blanchette’s wall come tumbling down 43 times and Tim Syrel’s bails ransacked twice. The defending has been worse than these metaphors.

The last Oakland clean sheet came on August 4th, 2023, in Charleston, South Carolina; the Battery attack featured very good USL Players Augi Williams and Nick Marrakech, plus Fidel Barajas, who now plays for Real Salt Lake. Charleston was held scoreless only one more time in 2023 before they went on to represent the Eastern Conference in the USL Cup. 

You’re probably thinking to yourself, “if the Roots that can keep them from scoring, surely they’ll keep another clean sheet in the next eight months!”

You thought wrong.

So, dear reader, come along this ugly trip down memory lane and learn the subtle joys that just a scoreless draw could bring you.

22. vs. Orange County – Thomas Amang (21’) 0-1 5.18.24

Starting with the most recent because it just makes sense.

Thomas Amang’s opening goal in the 21st meant Roots went its 24th consecutive match without a clean sheet. And he was just so open right in front of the net. Just painful.

But what a great response in the second half from Roots. I’ll take another 2-1 win at Tulsa, please.

21. at San Diego – Joe Corona (17’) 1-1 10.7.23

San Diego Loyal’s final ever home game was one for you to forget. The Roots actually led early in this one, and a win in the game would have certainly seen them in the playoffs last season. Corona’s goal was a small wave, a warning of the tsunami to come.

You’re right, we’re going to come back to this game later.

20. at New Mexico – Greg Hurst (2’) 1-0 5.11.24

The most jarring part of making this list is how little Paul Blanchette shows up. The Roots’ goalkeeper has been the most consistent player since taking the job in the middle of the 2021 season. It make the clean sheet-less streak all the more damning.

Blanchette usually looks at his weakest with the ball at his feet. This misplayed pass, at the very beginning of the game, is the Roots’ star keeper trying to do way too much. It looked like the Albuquerque sun was glaring into his eyes, but in that case maybe just hit it long.

19. at Las Vegas – Azriel Gonzalez (56’) 1-1 9.9.23

Lights were the joke of the 2023 season, and the Roots were slipping down the Western Conference. Oakland went to the desert thirsty for three points, but after an early Johnny Rodriguez goal began to wither away.

Gonzalez was given acres of space to unload from the top of the box on the equalizer. In a must win game against the worst team in the league, the gaps in the Roots’ defense were eviscerated. We’ll be back to this game.

18. vs El Paso – Noah Dollenmayer (14’) 0-2 10.14.23

Despite last year’s slow death, the Roots controlled their own destiny going into their final game of the season. You could feel the season was over; it had been trending that way for months and only accelerating as the match weeks ticked away. 

But still, there was hope. 

By the 14th minute there wasn’t any. Dollenmayer scored his first goal of the season for Locomotive and the Roots couldn’t come back. Shame on you for believing. 

17. at Detroit – Ben Morris (8’) 1-0 4.20.24

The 2020 NISA Fall Cup lives forever, unfortunately. You can’t run from it, it haunts us all until we die. 

The Roots never had a chance that afternoon in Hamtramck¹, and Ben Morris reminded you of that quickly. It has been quite different experiences for the two clubs since they moved to the USL-C, and you’d be lying if you said you weren’t a little jealous of their stability. 

The Roots were destined to get smoked in this 4/20 matchup, but it hit you just so much faster than you were prepared for. 

16. at San Diego – Ronaldo Damus (19’) 2-1  10.7.23

San Diego’s second goal in this game came just a minute later. It hurt a lot, but, for San Diego fans, this game meant everything. This goal would land itself in the Top 10, or higher, on this list, if the residual joy felt for Loyal fans was not so infectious.

Still, you’ll hear more about this game later.

15. vs Colorado Springs – Tyreek Magee (58’) 3-2 8.19.23

You’re taking a trip back to when the streak began. You might have been there, it was a cold night at Pioneer Stadium.

Up to this point in the game, the Switchbacks had taken the lead twice. But both times they did, the Roots mustered an equalizer. In a 2-2, back-and-forth game surely next goal wins, right? 

Right.

During the streak, Roots had a habit of allowing long range shots, with the knowledge that Blanchette will stop most even above average efforts. It was a strategy with mixed results. In this passage, Emrah Klimenta doesn’t step out to Magee, and he has time to unload from outside the box.  

14. at Las Vegas – Tyler Bagley (57’) 2-1 9.9.23

You’re embarrassed enough that the Roots haven’t put the Lights away yet, but goals in back-to-back minutes? This is embarrassing, but there’s no way the Roots don’t pull off at least a draw here. That would be humiliating. 

13. at Louisville City – Brian Ownby (71’) 1-1 8.26.23

Johnny Rodriguez’s goal late in the first half had you feeling like the Roots were playing with house money. That makes you frustrated not because it was unexpected, a clean sheet at Lynn Family Stadium would be an accomplishment, but because, while defending a one-goal lead on the road, the Roots were recklessly sloppy. 

Irakoze Donasiyano played a listless pass behind Neveal Hackshaw on which Louisville pounced. After a second off ball watching, Donasiyano is beaten in behind and the Ownby is waiting unmarked in front of the goal. You sure hope we aren’t coming back to this game. 

12. at Orange County – Brian Iloski (50’) 3-1 10.4.23

Orange County fell behind early before scoring two goals in first half stoppage time to take the lead before the break. You needed a full Roots reset from the end of the period, but five minutes later you were watching a Brian Iloski screamer to seal the game. Against a disgusting club that flys Rangers flags. Vile. 

11. at San Diego – Adrien Perez (44’) 4-1 10.7.23

You’re telling me the Roots led in this game?

Perez finished off the first half trashing. It was always going to be San Diego’s day to celebrate, but the way this finished made you pretty embarrassed. It didn’t have to be this awful.

10. vs Sacramento – Juan Herrera (3’, P) 0-1 9.2.23

Napo Matoso’s foul in the corner of the penalty area wasn’t the smartest, but early in a rivalry game there was still jitters. But there’s still a lot of time, so you won’t have to sit there and watch he Republic hold on for 87 minutes. 

Ah, wait, yes you will. 

9. vs Monterey Bay – Sean Okoli (64’) 1-2 9.23.23

The Roots high line was exposed twice by the Union in this game.

The first time was annoying, but watching it happen again was infuriating. There have been long stretches during the clean sheet-less streak that Oakland appeared difficult to play through; but they were almost always vulnerable directly over the top.

You’d be so much more upset if Hackshaw didn’t score that bicycle kick later.

8. vs Las Vegas – Gaoussou Samakè (50’) 0-2 3.30.24

Oakland got torched in the Emrah Klimenta Revenge Game. 

The first goal was an unfortunate deflection off Niall Logue, and the third one a bit of Valentin Noël brilliance; but on this sequence the Roots got dissected. Lights were more physical, more creative, and playing with a directness Oakland has lacked. The whole game was a mess, but this goal leaves the worst taste in your mouth. 

7. vs Tulsa – Phillip Goodrum (10’) 0-1 9.16.23

On the back of the 3-1 loss to Las Vegas, Oakland returned home and treated you to a heaping serving of absolutely nothing. Goodrum’s run between Hackshaw and Danny Barbir left him completely unmarked for the game’s only goal.

Of all the goals on this list, from a soccer perspective, this one may make you scratch your head the most. After the worst loss of the season, flat is an overstatement for how Oakland showed up this match.

6. vs Monterey Bay – Chase Boone (86’) 0-1 4.6.24

We’re entering the part of the list where you may have stood up aghast, said some choice words, or partaken in a strong beverage.

The Roots season may be completely different without this goal.

If the postgame fisticuffs don’t devolve as severely and the suspensions don’t happen, the Roots may have looked different over the past few weeks. With lineup turnover plaguing the team, having two healthy first team players out certainly exacerbated the problem.

5. at Las Vegas – Tyler Bagley (89’) 3-1 9.9.23

It’s humiliating.

Tyler Bagley’s little shrug in celebration was the spiritual end to the Roots 2023 season. The vibes do not recover from getting dogged by the worst team the USL has seen in a few years. You are still in hell.

4. at Phoenix – Panos Armenakas (49’) 1-0 3.23.24

After winning they won the 2023 USL Cup, Phoenix Rising scored just one goal in their first four games of the 2024 season. This was that goal.

To make matters more personally insulting, very familiar name Juan Carlos Azocar got the assist on a beautiful give-and-go. The Roots never felt like they were going to get on the scoresheet in a flat performance against a team desperate for a win.

What keeps this goal out of the Top 3 is that is how expected it felt while watching it.

3. vs San Antonio – Tani Oluwaseyi (90+5’) 2-2 9.30.23

Pull-your-hair-out, scream-until-you’re-red-in-the-face type late game goal.

The Roots put together maybe their best half of the season in the first 45 minutes against San Antonio. but, after trying to sit on a two goal lead for far too long, that was squandered. This game certainly should have been the Roots best win at Pioneer Stadium.

At least it was draw.

2. at Louisville City – Oliver Semmle (90+8’) 2-1 8.26.23

We’re back here.

Of all the devastating losses in 2023, this one managed to hurt the most. Just from the TV broadcast, you can see three different Oakland Roots falling to the grass in dismay.

This game had a solid chance to be a marquee win for a team desperate to add one to their resume. After that was spoiled, it began to feel like the Roots were going to hold on to a tough road draw against one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. To come away with neither is dismal.

1. vs El Paso – Emmanuel Sonupe (7’) 0-1 10.14.23

HE’S SO FAR OFFSIDE!

LIKE TWO FULL BODY LENGTHS!

EVERYONE IN PIONEER STADIUM SAW IT!

THE PERSON BUYING OFFICIAL OAKLAND ROOTS TEAM MERCHANDISE SAW IT!

THE PERSON BUYING JAVI’S EMPANADAS SAW IT!

LOS ROOTS SAW IT FROM BEHIND THEIR FLAGS!

APPARENTLY THE ONLY PERSON WHO DIDN’T SEE THIS WAS THE PERSON HOLDING THAT STUPID FLAG!

IN A MUST-WIN GAME TO GO THE PLAYOFFS!?

Not that I’m mad.

Here’s the rankings of all 42 goals if someone this wasn’t enough of my suffering for you.

1. Roots please to get back to Oakland ASAP so this can come back In the time between writing this, having my computer break, and publication, DCFC has announced plans for a Soccer Specific Stadium in Detroit. No nice things. ↩︎