Oakland Roots announced they made a move to bolster its lineup for the playoff push ahead, signing Colombian winger/attacking midfielder José Luis Sinisterra to a contract on Wednesday.
Sinisterra, 26, has a lot of shiftiness and technical footwork in his clips available on YouTube. He’s characterized as a winger who can play on either side and an attacking midfielder who can fill into the central areas.
Following the transfer of Jeciel Cedeño, a high-ranking club source said they felt it was important to add an attacking option who can break through opponent’s defenses. He’s viewed as someone who will bolster the attack as Oakland battles through its final 10 games of the season.
“We knew we needed to bring somebody who can support us in penetrating defenses in the final third. He’s somebody who is a high-level who can slot into a team like ours right away… He provides what we know what we’re going to need down this stretch and moving forward,” the Roots source said.
Watching Sinisterra’s film, his quick decision-making in contested areas was one characteristic that stood out to Roots’ evaluators.
“He’s good in tight spaces and is really good in combination play. That was one area we felt like we could grow. He’s someone who can make the final pass but also can make the run to receive the final pass,” the club source said. “We feel like with some of the running we have, it was important to find someone who could reward that and make the decisive action.
“Not just a passer or creative player, but also someone who can finalize things in and around the box. We think his decisiveness is something that can create good positions into good chances.”
Oakland identified Sinisterra over a month ago, then following Cedeño’s trade to Detroit City, Roots felt like the Colombian winger helped improve the winger role.
“We weren’t looking for a like-for-like replacement for Cedeño, we were always looking to improve. We identified the aspects of making penetrative runs with the ball, or in terms of running without it, so that’s what we went into the summer window looking for,” the source said. “We wanted someone who could take us to the next level cooperatively, not just individually. We needed someone who would make the runs, but not just take the space on the dribble.”
Sinisterra at just 26-years-old brings a lot of experience to the group. He comes to Oakland after spending the 2024 apertura season with Sportivo Trinidense of Paraguay’s Primera División, where he had an appearance in their Copa Libertadores. He also had three appearances in Copa Sudamericana with Sportivo Trinidense and another six with Club Blooming of the Bolivian Primera División in 2023.
He was also a member of Deportivo Pereira title winning team of Colombia’s Categoría Primera A in 2021/2022.
“Him coming from the level he’s played at, we felt he’d be a really good fit. He has comfort at the highest level in CONMEBOL, having played in Copa Libertadores and recently won championships. We wanted a player who has shown he can produce at the top level and has shown that decisiveness at that level,” the Roots’ source said.
As for whether Sinisterra is a one-year project, the club executive indicated the moves they make are done with a long-term mindset, so it appears we can expect José Luis in 2025.
Sinisterra began his career with Real Valladolid’s reserve squad of Spain’s Segunda Federación in 2016 before joining Lanús of Argentina’s top division from 2018-2020. From there, he signed on with Club Atlético Platense of Argentina’s Primera División in 2020-2021, then signed with San Martín de Tucumán of Argentina’s second division to close 2021.
He then signed with Deportivo Pereira in Colombia in 2022, helping them win a league title. Club Blooming signed him in 2023, playing there one season before joining Sportivo Trinidense in Paraguay.
For his career, Sinisterra has appeared in 151 total matches and made 72 starts, scoring 14 goals.
Oakland has until September 9 before USL Championship rosters freeze. The club source indicated they might not be done just yet.
“The freeze is still a few weeks away, so we have a little time. For us, it’s about making the right moves, not just making moves. We have some options and want to get the puzzle right for this year, but also acknowledging the next steps into 2025 and beyond. Those are all factors in our thinking.”