Roots fans it’s game day again! The Roots will try to arrest their skid at 3:00 p.m. against ninth place F.C. Tulsa at 3:00 p.m. at Pioneer Stadium on the campus of CSU East Bay. The Roots… need a win. They have skidded to sixth and while they still have a pretty solid grip on a playoff spot, that grip will get more tenuous if they allow the ninth place team to eat into that lead. They also need a win because the fans deserve to see the team play to their ability.
I googled “Bands from Tulsa” and my browser just closed. I tried it again, and same thing. So I could put Garth Brooks here, but he jealously guards the right to broadcast his music like a dragon. A dragon that’s married to Trisha Yearwood and wears big-checked button down shirts. So let’s try changing our luck up and playing some Oakland music:
Around the Western Conference
Getting grimmer all the time! At least we’re not Monterey Bay!
Results this weekend were reasonably favorable for the Roots getting back to a home playoff berth, but it’s irrelevant if they can’t find a way to score and win games.
F.C. Tulsa
Shit.
Oakland Roots
Regrettably, also kinda shit at the moment.
Lineup and Score Predictions
Bloom
Oh, who can be bothered. 2-1 Roots or something?
Jon
I’m going back to the 3-4-3 with my most notable changes including Baca in the midfield opposite of Gomez and Riley back to the RCB spot. I feel Gagi had a bad game against Hartford and may warrant a change in the back line. Aside from that, no surprises really.
Oh soccer Gods, please give us a 3-1 Roots win.
Aaron
There’s a new Guy in my neighborhood who walks his dog and parrot every night. I am a huge fan: we needed some more weird here. (Also, it doesn’t hurt that he picks up after his dog, unlike some of the other new entrants to the neighborhood.) It has me thinking that maybe the Roots should try something weird. Now, was this a forced analogy to plead with the Roots to do something different? Maybe! But we watched the Roots last year bang their head against the wall for 11 games as they flushed their favorable table position down the tube without making huge adjustments. Let’s not repeat that! I’d stick with the back 4, personally, but let’s bring Sinisterra inside. Having him carry the ball harmlessly down the touchline is probably not a recipe for success. Let him do that where its dangerous. Maybe bring in one of the kids for a different level of energy. For the love of God don’t have the centerbacks chasing runners willy nilly all over the pitch. Maybe go 4 CBs and move Memo up the pitch. Above all, score at least one goal. These are just some ideas.
2-1 Roots.