Roots fans it is game day again! The Oakland Roots host Rhode Island F.C. at 1:00 p.m. on April 5, 2025 at the historic Oakland Coliseum. Both teams are off to rocky starts, entering the match with a point each. Rhode Island have yet to play a home game, and their one draw came with some pretty significant help from Phoenix Rising, and while they might see Roots as an opportunity to right their ship, Roots have shown some signs of improvement that Rhode Island have not.
California here we come, the pie-in-the-sky-land
Palm trees, and warm sand
Though sadly we just left Rhode Island
(We did what?!)
(Just forget it)
Around the Western Conference
F.C. Tulsa snaked Sacramento Republic 1-0 with a late winner in Tulsa. Tulsa had a couple of really close chances off of corners around the 60 minute mark, and ultimately it was a firm header from Taylor Calheira off of a corner by Arthur Rogers in the 87th that got them the points.
El Paso Locomotive beat Hartford Athletic 2-1 in Hartford, in the 86th minute off of a corner. Neither assist came from Memo.
New Mexico United beat The Miami F.C. 1-0 in The Miami. United keeper Alex Tambakis made a great double-save in the 6th minute to avoid falling behind to perennial sad-sack Miami F.C. Miami actually had some decent opportunities, but the winner came on a fast break in the 70th and a great finish by Luiz Fernando under significant pressure by an on-rushing Bill Hamid.
San Antonio beat Lexington S.C. 3-2 in Lexington. Lexington scored the opener on a quick breakway where the Horse Lads’ attacker tucked a pass away from around the penalty spot and then was utterly wiped out by the San Antonio defender. Lexington scored again in the 16th and surely believed that they would not be getting hurt that day. Oh Lexington. Life is mostly pain. San Antonio got their first back on a physics-defying shot that I encourage you to check out (time stamped youtube link). San Antonio got a penalty that they converted to tie the game in the 27th. Jake LaCava got the winner in the 87th chesting a ball down in the box, shrugging off two defenders, and just throwing a leg out to poke the ball past the keeper.
Colorado Springs took down Indy Eleven 3-2 in Indianapolis. Indy Eleven went ahead on a goal from Maalique Foster (who had played for Colorado Springs through August of their title winning season). The rest of the goals look nice to a fan of a team who got shut out, but are otherwise not worth writing up.
Monterey Bay overcame Phoenix Rising 3-1 in Seaside. Each team scored once in the first half, the Otters on a tricky set piece and Rising on a great shot in stride from Remi Cabral. It all fell apart for Rising in the second half, with Pape Mar Boye’s (very earned) second yellow card and MBFC’s goal on the (rebound of the) ensuing free kick.
Rhode Island’s Form
Rhough!
Rhode Island’s stadium is undergoing renovations, and they do not play their first home match until May 3.
Rhode Island took week 1 off, so they started the season in week 2 with a 2-0 loss at Charleston Battery, which they registered only two shots on target. Battery’s first came on a Cal Jennings’ rebound of a near-olympico corner kick, presented by the Peper Law Firm (pronounced “Peep-er”)1. The next goal came twenty minutes later on… another Peper corner kick put in by Cal Jennings.
Rhode Island split the points in week three against Phoenix Rising. On their opener, which was arguably offside, the commentator said “that’s how incisive this Rhode Island team can be,” which is a little funny about a team averaging .33 non-own-goals per match. Phoenix’s first was a pretty inspired bit of control by the Rising attacker, but the second was another instance of dubious defending by Rhode Island, so there might be some theme here.
In week 4, Rhode Island fell against 2-0, this time in ex-urban Virginia. The first goal was the result of an inadvisable pass from a Rhode Island defender into a… not particularly aggressive press, that still grabbed the ball, played a runner into the box, and got the goal. The second came off of a thrown-in assist into the box to a Loudoun player who would have been offside (you cannot be offside on a throw-in, for reasons).
Rhode Island’s offense has been essentially toothless through three games and their defense is conceding an even two per game.
Roots’ Form
Well, it’s one more point than we had in the first three games! Roots were not the dominant team throughout the game, but they kept Lights from looking great, and Roots kept a clean sheet.
Roots possibly could have been awarded a penalty in the first half. Peter Wilson was just beaten to a ball, but the tackle that cleared the ball also completely wiped out his ankles. I think there is a good chance that is given as a foul or yellow elsewhere on the field.
Cannot really get too worked up about this one. I think the defender wins the ball first, but it’s one of those challenges where elsewhere on the pitch it might still be a foul because you are still not allowed to demolish another dude’s ankles. Still, it was very fast and I cannot fault a referee for declining to award anything.
Roots were quite lucky in the first half to avoid a red card to Njie.
Johnny missed a good opportunity on a set piece that would have been really painful. To Johnny’s credit, at the end of the game he came over and clapped the Deep Roots. Glad we have survived one of our two meetings with him without any damage done.
What sticks in my craw, and I’m sure the rest of the fanbase, was the just atrocious offside call that saw EJ Johnson lose the game winner and his first goal for the Roots.
This is not the worst offside call I have ever seen, but it is very wrong and bad.
There were flashes of a better Roots team in this game, and that’s lucky because the clock is ticking.
Lineup and Score Predictions
Bloom
I could see Bravo getting the start at LB or CB (probably over Hackshaw). I also think there is a chance they are just not sure how many minutes Damm has in him, but for real I want to see him, Panos, JLS, and Wilson out there together before any of them are gassed.
Rhode Island are not playing great, and while they are still probably the team that made the finals last seaosn, they are not currently playing like that team. Roots need to capitalize and I think they will. 1-0 Roots, goal from Peter Wilson.
Jon
My only change from last week’s starting lineup is Justin Rasmussen in for Baboucarr Njie. Babou didn’t play all that particularly bad against Las Vegas, so I could see him getting the nod once again. It also wouldn’t surprise me to see Julian Bravo at LB or one of the CB spots.
I’m sticking with a 2-1 Roots win.
Aaron
Nothing like the smell of fresh cut grass amidst a global financial collapse to really tie your weekend together! Give me a weirdly convincing Roots win that we will take way too much from. I said 2-1 on the Pod, but I’m revising my prediction upwards, based almost exclusively on the fact that it was warm and sunny today (Friday) and it improved my mood. 3-1 Roots, and Oakland will not end the weekend in last place in the west.
- I waffle on whether I would like to own my own law firm today, but I tell you one thing, a big factor in favor is sponsoring some dumb shit and making Joe Malfa talk about it on the Roots’ broadcast. ↩︎