RootsBlog

In its recent Q&A webinar with new investors on Monday, Oakland Roots president Lindsay Barenz and co-owner Edreece Arghandiwal shed light on several topics in regards to the team’s future.

During the online meeting, Barenz and Arghandiwal was asked about possible plans at the Oakland Coliseum, potentially making a bid for its permanent stadium at Howard Terminal, and whether they have eyes on joining Major League Soccer.

Here’s a rundown of the most important nuggets from the webinar.

Lease extension at Coliseum?

Oakland Roots announced back on August 12 that its home for the 2025 season will be the Coliseum. In Monday’s webinar, president Barenz announced they are “very interested” in extending its lease into 2026.

“We are very interested if the opportunity to becomes available to extend our ability to play at the Coliseum. If that’s not an option, then we still have the Malibu modular stadium that can be built and functional by 2026,” Barenz said.

She later said the Coliseum allows their club to become more financially stable.

“A key to us getting to financial sustainability is getting to a larger stadium. The move to the Coliseum is the first step in the direction of getting financial sustainability… The Coliseum’s amenities changes the profile of how much we can raise on the ticketing side by six times,” Barenz said.

The wheels were already turning for possibly playing a second season at the Coliseum back in Roots’ press conference to announce the site as its new home in August, where Barenz said extending another year is something they would “definitely consider.”

Now marking the second time Roots have publicly announced their interest in playing a second season at the Coliseum, it’s starting to sound like a part of the organization’s plan.

Back in August, Joint Powers Authority chair Rebecca Kaplan and commissioner Dave Haubert indicated Roots have been working in lockstep with AASEG and there shouldn’t be any issues if things went that way.

“Short answer, I’ll say yes. I’ll lean into that one,” Haubert said.

Kaplan then went further, saying AASEG already has an “cooperation agreement” with Roots and Soul.

“I’ll join my JPA colleague in saying yes,” Kaplan said. “We are celebrating the 2025 plan but I don’t see any reason why they can’t be here in 2026 if that turned out to be a request. We are in the process of transferring ownership to AASEG, but I also want to be clear that AASEG already has a cooperation agreement in place with Oakland Roots and Soul to work together on their presence. They are already working together and I wouldn’t anticipate any problems with any of that.”

Oakland Soul was also a topic of conversation in Monday’s meeting after the club was originally set to join the USL Super League in 2025. Soul has now pushed its entry into the Super League back to 2026, which a lease of the Coliseum for an additional year would enable its entry to the first division of women’s professional soccer.

Howard Terminal permanent stadium site?

When discussing the Coliseum and Malibu stadium project, Barenz made the distinction that both locations are “bridges” toward its permanent site with a target capacity of 20,000 to 25,000: “But all of these are bridges. What we want is a purpose-built stadium in Oakland for soccer that can seat 20,000 to 25,000.”

Just like with Roots moving into the Coliseum, there is now acreage for the taking with the Athletics heading to Sacramento and Las Vegas. This time along, its Oakland’s waterfront at Howard Terminal.

“We’re keeping all options open. We’re not foreclosing any permanent stadium site and continue to examine the Howard Terminal site, as well as others in Oakland,” Barenz said.

It’s worth noting a prospective move will take at least a decade with previously mentioned plans to stay at the Malibu project for 10 years.

Eying Major League Soccer?

One question posed to Barenz and Arghandiwal was whether Oakland Roots have eyes on joining Major League Soccer. Barenz started off by saying the USL Championship is the “right size and right expense” for the club at this time, but made clear they would like to be the MLS’ prime consideration if they expand a second team into the Bay Area.

“If it becomes an option for MLS to put a second team in the Bay Area, we want it to be a no-brainer that we are that team,” Barenz said. “We want to be the biggest brand of soccer in the world and want it to be no option if MLS decides to take that expansion step in the Bay Area–we want it to be us.”

Similar to building a permanent stadium, the possibility to joining MLS will require time and money. Like Barenz said, the USL Championship is the “right expense” for the organization at this point.

With San Diego FC paying over a reported $500 million as its expansion fee into MLS, that sounds like the start of any negotiation for expansion. Should Roots jump to the front of MLS expansion, there may also be an issue of the organization’s image rights.

In regards to the San Diego Loyal, there was some rumors swirling around Loyal that they were in-line for MLS expansion. But, rumors has it, Loyal was unable to pay the USL Championship an exorbitant payout to retain its image (something like $50-100 million).

Criteria for joining MLS requires an owner with the “financial wherewithal” to invest in a sports team, while organizations must have a stadium or approved plans for a stadium that allows the team to control revenue streams, parking, and concessions. At the Coliseum, Malibu lot, and USL Championship–Roots currently fulfill none of that.

Barenz stated in the webinar that the team’s primary form of revenue is ticket sales and its investors. With its model of attracting multiple owners, Oakland could certainly attain an ownership group with a collective wealth of over a billion dollars, but it will undoubtedly take time.

It’ll be interesting to see where Roots are in 10 years and if MLS’ plans change during that span. If Roots become a candidate for MLS expansion, it will almost undoubtedly require its permanent stadium plans to be finalized.

Until then, Roots fans have an opportunity to make noise at the Coliseum and show this is still a sports town.