Oakland Roots captured its first win of the season on the back of a strong first-half performance, which saw them take a 2-1 lead into halftime. Although Roots didn’t show the same firepower in the second half, they held on with stout defense to limit clear looks.
Wolfgang Prentice broke the initial deadlock in the 31st minute when Danny Gomez played him a lobbed pass into the box, sending a low left-footed shot past the keeper. But Roots’ lead didn’t last long with Owen Damm hurling a lightning strike into the net in the 42nd minute.
Oakland stayed on the front-foot through first-half stoppage time with Prentice scoring the eventual game-winner at 45+6′. It happened when Baboucarr Njie played a long pass to Peter Wilson in Tulsa’s penalty area. Wilson took one touch to the inside before toeing a low pass to Wolfy, who took another calm and composed right-footed shot into the net.
In the second half, Tulsa controlled the action with 17 shot attempts to Oakland’s four. Roots’ defense stayed strong after holding just 28 percent of the ball, keeping Tulsa to just two attempts on target.
Check out our talking points and coverage of the match. Here are our top-10 player ratings from Saturday.
Wolfgang Prentice, 9
Wolfgang Prentice was just one goal away from becoming Roots’ first hat trick scorer since 2019. He now leads the team with three goals, two more than Njie, Justin Rasmussen, Camden Riley, and José Luis Sinisterra with individual goals. Moreover, Prentice’s finishes were a thing of beauty.
He made a nice run in behind Tulsa’s defense to receive Gomez’s long ball, then took one touch with his right before following through with his left. Sinisterra deserves credit for stopping his run to allow Wolfgang to take possession. For the next goal, Prentice positioned himself well, taking a step back to set up a right-footed shot with pace into the net.
Wolfy finished with three touches inside the box, went 1/1 on dribbles, won five duels, and finished both of his shot attempts.
Danny Gomez, 8.5
Danny Gomez had his best performance of the season, recording the assist on Wolfy’s opener. It was a well-placed pass over two defenders that held up nicely for Prentice to take control.
He won nine duels on the night, along with winning all four of his tackles, completed three passes into the final third, and was successful on his only dribble attempt.
Bobosi Byaruhanga, 8
Bobosi Byaruhanga made his first start in an Oakland uniform and had a productive day. He showed his prowess on the ball by going 3/3 on dribbles, won 10 duels, and took four touches inside the opponent’s box. There’s still some room for improvement, completing 1/6 long balls.
Julian Bravo, 7.8
Julian Bravo got his second straight start, which allowed Neveal Hackshaw to move higher into the midfield once again. He completed four passes into the final third and won 1/1 tackle, but he made the largest difference in the second-half to hold on for the win. He had 16 clearances, including six by header, and won eight duels, with seven of them in the air.
Peter Wilson, 7.8
Peter Wilson gained his second assist of the season with a slick move in a tight position. After receiving a ball over the top between two defenders, Wilson took a nifty touch to the inside before rolling a pass narrowly in front of a Tulsa player for Prentice to finesse home.
He had two touches inside the box and won two dribbles. Wilson was also successful in nine duels but lost 17 of them. FotMob credited him for six fouls committed, but we won’t knock him too much for doing what he could to win the ball.
Baboucarr Njie, 7.5
Baboucarr Njie played a critical part in setting up the second goal. It was nearly the same buildup as the opener in the 31st, where Njie sent a long pass over two defenders to Wilson running into the area. He also sent a nice curling shot on target from a free kick in the 13th minute.
Njie finished with four passes into the final third, completed 3/5 long balls, won his only tackle attempt and five duels on the night.
Neveal Hackshaw, 7.5
Neveal Hackshaw moved back into the midfield and helped keep Oakland solid in the second half. He was still involved in the attack with three touches inside the box, completed seven passes into the final third, and five long balls on the night.
Hackshaw won nine duels, 13 clearances, nine clearances by header, and blocked three shots–including one with his backheel to stop a scoring opportunity in the 68th.
Kai Greene, 7.5
Kai Greene makes the top 10 after helping Roots hold on in the second half. He had 13 clearances with six by header, won four duels, and blocked one shot. He also completed five passes into the final third and 3/6 long balls.
Kendall McIntosh, 7
Kendall McIntosh was a big part of keeping the three points, recording three saves from attempts that were taken inside the box. He also completed five long passes.
Perhaps his best moment was in the 64th minute when batting away a header in close distance by Taylor Calheira.
Jürgen Damm, 7
Jürgen Damm got his second straight start and, again, had moments where he lined up on both sides of the field. He took one touch in the box, completed one pass into the final third, and won seven duels. Damm also completed just 1/4 long balls and was defending Tulsa’s Owen Damm on his goal, holding him back a bit on our ratings.