Oakland Roots saw its U.S. Open Cup come to a screeching halt on Tuesday night, falling 2-1 to MLS Next Pro side Tacoma Defiance in extra time. Although Roots started the match with Project 51O graduates like Ali Elmasnaouy, Ilya Alekseev, and Luis Saldaña, the club finished with a cast of veteran starters on the field. The result makes the already sour taste surrounding the club even more putrid.
Defiance scored first in the 28th minute on a wicked free kick by Peter Kingston. After a troublesome first half, Roots turned things around in the second half when Wolfgang Prentice drew a penalty kick that led to Neveal Hackshaw calmly sending in a goal from the spot.
It was a strong second half for Oakland. After recording just three touches inside the box with five shots and one on target in the opening 45 minutes, Roots stomped on the gas pedal to take seven shots, two on target, created two big scoring chances, and took 15 touches inside the box–which is a season-high in an individual half. But despite controlling the second half, Oakland couldn’t find the net a second time.
Roots continued looking strong in extra time. They took six more touches in the box, five shots, and one on target in the first 15 minutes, along with five shots, four on target, and another five touches in the box in the second half.
But, in the 108th minute, Hackshaw suffered a bad giveaway near his own end line to Jackson Khoury, who found Osaze De Rosario in the box for a goal. Tacoma’s Cody Baker was red-carded in the 177th, but Roots never created anything overtly challenging.
Check out our talking points and coverage of Tuesday’s match. Here are our top-10 player ratings.
Wolfgang Prentice, 8
Wolfgang Prentice continues to show he is Roots’ best player through its first month of the season. He entered in the 57th minute and changed the game with his presence alone, drawing the penalty kick on a dangerous pass in the box.
He created four scoring chances, took seven touches inside the box, won three duels, and completed three passes into the final third. His only down mark was going 0/8 on crosses.
Bobosi Byaruhanga, 7.5
Bobosi Byaruhanga played 55 minutes and also made a quick impact after entering the match. He took shots in the 92nd, 103rd, and 108th, but none of them had a lot of venom on it. He also tried to catch Tacoma’s GK off his line in the 78th on a 60-yard bomb, but it would’ve gone wide. Still, he’s showing good instincts in both of his appearances.
He created one scoring chance, had one successful dribble, completed four passes into the final third, drew four fouls, won seven duels, and took five touches inside the opponent’s penalty area.
Peter Wilson, 7.5
FotMob is giving Peter Wilson a significantly worse rating than us, but Wilson visibly changed the game when entering in the 57th alongside Wolfgang, which the stat trackers don’t evaluate. Wolfy and Peter, in particular, are showing good chemistry in recent matches.
He created one of Roots big scoring chances in the 74th when Justin Rasmussen played him a nice cross in the box, shooting the ball on target out of the air while on the run. He then laid off a ball to Bobosi in the 108th minute. Although Bobosi didn’t score, Wilson laying the ball off with one touch has been a common play so far.
Tyler Gibson, 7.3
Tyler Gibson was heavily involved and had one of his better facilitating games of the early season. He played all 120 minutes, completing 17 passes into the final third. He also completed five long balls and won nine duels.
Jose Luis Sinisterra, 7
Jose Luis Sinisterra got 56 minutes of work and was another player who helped turn the tide in the second half. He made a nifty run in the 71st to draw a foul a few feet above the penalty area and had a shot go wide in the 100th.
Sinisterra completed all 17 of his passes and one into the final third, took four touches in the box, won 2/2 tackles, five duels, and drew two fouls.
Ilya Alekseev, 7
Ilya Alekseev looked worthy of his 101 minutes despite some miscommunication on a couple of passes his way. He created one scoring chance, completed three passes into the final third, and went 3/4 on long balls. He also won two tackles and six duels on the night.
Justin Rasmussen, 6.8
Justin Rasmussen had some good moments on his passes, including Wilson’s shot on target in the second half. He created two scoring chances, won a tackle and four duels, but went just 2/11 on long balls and 2/15 on crosses.
Abdi Mohamed, 6.5
Abdi Mohamed played as a right-sided center back in what looked like a back-three and had one of his better games this season. He played all 120 minutes and created one scoring chance and completed 21 passes into the final third, which marks a team-high thus far. He also won six duels.
Ali Elmasnaouy, 6.5
The teenage Project 51O product, Ali Elmasnauoy, didn’t look overmatched. He won seven duels and drew a free kick in a dangerous area in the 48th minute. He still could’ve taken some braver risks getting the ball forward, evident by completing just two passes into the final third.
Luis Saldaña, 6
Getting down to the nitty gritty, Project 51O striker Luis Saldaña makes our list for creating Roots’ first scoring chance of the game in the ninth minute when winning possession deep in Tacoma’s defensive area. He had one touch in the box and took one shot.