For Oakland Roots, central midfield has been a position group in flux since the departures of Jose Hernandez and Mattias Fissore following the 2022 season. Since then, Roots has used several combinations, including Joseph Nane, Napo Matsoso, Irakoze Donasiyano, Daniel Gomez, Camden Riley, and Rafael Baca, but never struck gold.
Now in 2025, Oakland’s newest duo at the CM spots is veteran Tyler Gibson and USL Championship newcomer Bobosi Byaruhanga. They look to be finally getting things in order.
Coach Gavin Glinton was pleased with how Gibson and Byaruhanga performed against Sacramento Republic, dealing well with Sac’s transition and attackers. The two combined for seven duels won in Sunday’s game.
“I thought our midfield was really good in terms of being able to stop the re-press and transition moments. The work from Bobos and Ty was really good today,” Glinton said.
Bobosi came to Oakland by way of Austin FC II. He arrived in the United States after spending 2019-2021 in the Uganda Premier League with Viper SC, helping them win two league titles.
“Bobos brings the ability to cover ground on both sides of the field and can break lines on the dribble or the pass. I think that’s something that brings a different dimension to our game. He has range and runs all day long. In addition to covering ground, he can spray the ball to different parts of the field,” Glinton said.
Gibson, who wore the captain’s armband on Sunday, has been working to build chemistry with the 23-year-old Ugandan International. The pair has now started the last two league matches, meaning it’s a grouping that potentially has a high ceiling as they continue to work alongside each other.
“He’s been a great addition. He hasn’t been here that long, so we’ve been hanging out off the field, getting to know each other, and building those connections because that’s all very important,” Gibson said. “He reads, he covers ground really well, puts in the tackles, and can keep things simple. I feel like that’s my game as well.
“We’re just building that understanding between us, where maybe I decide to sit a bit more, and he has the freedom to go higher to help the attack. Now that we’re getting the relationship down, we don’t have to talk it out as much and can react more. That’s been important, just getting to know the tendencies of each other. All those little things are important to creating chemistry, which can take some time to build.”
Gibson wants to see how they can hold the ball and support the attack with their passing.
“Me and Bobo can continue working on getting on the ball and feeding the guys up top, instead of always looking to get around them or get in behind. I think we did some of that, but we can continue to improve at that,” Gibson said.
Byaruhanga has proven to be an attacking-minded central midfielder throughout his career. In 2024 in Austin, his 27 shot attempts finished in the top 19 percent of players at his position, while his 59 accurate long balls were in the top 12 percent. He had a 60 percent success rate on dribbles that season and 69.6 percent success the previous year.
So far this season, Bobosi has three successful dribbles in 301 minutes and has taken five touches inside the box.
Gibson explained how they want the midfield to operate, describing that one of them should move up and join the attack while one should sit a bit deeper. In his 551 minutes, Tyler has won 21 duels, has 28 recoveries, and has completed 14 long balls.
“We want to continue feeding the forwards and have one of us join the attack,” Gibson said. “I view myself as one who holds the ball and sweeps things up if we turn the ball over. But we can continue making sure one of us is getting in the box and make sure we suffocate our opponents. We can make more chances that way. And if we commit turnovers, how quickly can we win it back in higher positions? That’s one thing the midfielders can help out in.”
Byaruhanga, 23, started his professional career with Vipers SC fresh out of the club’s academy in 2019. He earned the 2021 Airtel FUFA Male Player of the Year award, winning two league titles in the process.
From there, he traveled to the Czech Republic on loan with MFK Vyškov in 2022. Austin FC II signed him to a season-long loan in January of 2023, playing as the club’s starting midfielder in its MLS Next Pro Cup title.
He signed another loan with Austin FC II for 2024.
In 2025, Byaruhanga has appeared in four matches and started three times for 302 minutes, recording seven shots, three successful dribbles (60 percent), five touches inside the opponent’s box, won 18 duels, five tackles, and eight interceptions.
Gibson, 34, played collegiately with the Charlotte 49ers from 2009-2013 before starting his professional career with the NASL’s San Antonio Scorpions in 2015. He caught on with Rayo OKC the following year before joining the San Francisco Deltas in 2017, winning the NASL Title alongside Roots’ director of player personnel Nana Attakora.
From there, he signed with FC Cincinnati while it was in the USL and then joined Indy Eleven for 2019-2020. He joined Louisville City from 2021-2023 and returned to Indianapolis in 2024.
He signed with Oakland Roots in December.
In 2025, Gibson has appeared in matches and started six times for 550 minutes, recording 14 accurate long balls, two successful dribbles (66.7 percent), won 21 duels, three tackles, five interceptions, and 28 recoveries.