Oakland Roots announced they have fired head coach Gavin Glinton and assistant coach Jesse Cormier on Monday.
President Lindsay Barenz wrote in a statement that Roots’ success has not matched their off-field momentum.
“The start to the season on the field has not matched the momentum we’ve built off the field,” Barenz said. “Our expectations for on-field performance are much higher than where we currently stand. We strongly believe in the group of players we’ve assembled and we’re confident in their ability to compete in the USL Championship. We remain committed to working tirelessly to deliver a sporting product that our fans and community can be proud of.”
Glinton’s 2025 season got off to a tumultuous start after a rough ending to last year’s regular season. Holding a 3-1-7 league record and 11th place in the Western Conference, Oakland is coming off its second USL Jagermeister Cup loss to AV Alta. It marked their third loss to lower league teams after falling to Spokane Velocity in the same competition and Tacoma Defiance in the U.S. Open Cup.
He finishes his time at Oakland Roots with a 14-5-18 league record, 0-0-2 in the U.S. Open Cup, and 0-1-1 in the Jagermeister Cup.
Roots also writes that they will announce their new head coach shortly, indicating they are not pursuing an interim route for the first time in two head coaching cycles.
Glinton assumed the lead role after being promoted from the interim spot over the offseason. They defeated Sacramento Republic at Heart Health Park and won the team’s first-ever games against Tampa Bay Rowdies and Louisville City. The results, per Barenz, were a major factor in the front office’s decision.
Similar to when Glinton came into the head coaching spot, Oakland is still within striking distance of playoff positioning. They are three points back of eighth-place Sacramento and seventh-place Orange County, albeit Sac holds two games in hand and OC one. They are seven points back of fourth-place San Antonio and their sought-after home playoff bid.
Glinton, 46, is a native of Livermore and played internationally with Turks and Caicos Islands from 2004-2014. He was most recently New Mexico United’s assistant coach in 2020-2021. He was the technical director of Sacramento United Soccer Club, which is a high-level youth club that competes in MLS Next, UPSL, National Premier League, and NorCal Premier Soccer.
He spent 2018-2020 as Sacramento Republic’s U13 and U14 academy coach 2018-2020 and was Impact Soccer Club’s technical director (now East County Revolution Football Club) in Brentwood from 2012-2016.
Glinton began his coaching career as an assistant at his alma mater, Bradley University, from 2004-2006.Glinton comes with experience from a long 14-year career playing professionally. After playing at Bradley University, he spent 2001 with the Chicago Fire Reserve before playing the next two years with the LA Galaxy–making 31 appearances and scoring three goals.
From there, he joined FC Dallas in 2003 and began his international career with Turks and Caicos Islands in 2004. He signed with Charleston Battery in 2006, making 26 appearances and scored 13 times.
Glinton returned to LA Galaxy in 2006-2007 and played 20 matches, scoring four times. He signed with the San Jose Earthquakes in 2008, playing six times. In 2009, he made 16 appearances and scored twice for North Carolina FC and wrapped up his pro career at Nahm Dinh Football Club in Vietnam in 2010-2011, making 45 appearances and 18 goals. With Turks and Caicos, he played 10 matches and scored four times.