RootsBlog

Oakland Roots announced they signed former MLS Next Pro defender Julian Bravo to a contract.

Bravo, 24, stands at 6 feet, 2 inches and will compete for time on Oakland’s back line. He traveled with Roots on their two-friendly excursion in Mexico.

Bravo brings experience as a left-back and center-back, providing depth in both positions. He played four years at Santa Clara University, where Roots’ vice president of soccer Eric Yamamoto has been coaching for nearly 34 years.

Bravo played 55 times with the Broncos throughout his collegiate career, scoring four goals and six assists. The Portland Timbers selected him second round of the 2022 MLS Super Draft and he spent two years on their MLS Next Pro side, receiving one call-up to the first team for a U.S. Open Cup match. After his time on Timbers 2, Bravo signed a one-year deal with Crown Legacy FC of MLS Next Pro, which is Charlotte FC’s reserve team.

He marks a signing somewhat reminiscent of Justin Rasmussen, who spent time on Timbers 2 before he arrived at Roots. In fact, Bravo and Rasmussen were teammates in 2022 on Portland’s MLS Next Pro roster.

So what are Roots getting in Bravo?

Bravo comes to Oakland after earning time as a routine starter in MLS Next Pro, accumulating 5,505 minutes over the past three years.

Last season with Crown Legacy FC, he proved to be a useful long passer–which fits into Roots’ system under Gavin Glinton. In 2024, Bravo completed 3.08 long passes per match, which ranked in the top 19 percent of players at his position, per FotMob.

His 2023 stats with Timbers 2 were similar. He sent 3.83 accurate long passes per game and completed 97, which was in the top 17 percent.

He also exhibited a propensity to play on the front foot. In 2024, his 15 shot attempts were among the top 22 percent of defenders while his 12 created scoring chances were in the top half of the league.

Bravo’s 2023 figures were even better. His 33-shot attempts and 40 touches inside the opponent’s penalty area ranked No. 1 for all players at his position. His nine shots on target finished in the top 3.3 percent and generated 20 scoring chances ranked in the top 1.7 percent of players.

For his professional career, Bravo has appeared in 48 matches with 46 starts for 5,505 minutes, four goals, and one assist. He’s also recorded 58 shot attempts, 16 on target, and completed 81.6 percent of his passes.