Oakland Roots announced they released Baboucarr Njie from their roster.
https://x.com/oaklandrootssc/status/1944804115772793152?t=WQTWffYSchn4DFvCpY8yIw&s=19
It’s another move of a left back who was a routine player, appearing in 11 matches this season. Just weeks after releasing fellow left-side fullback Justin Rasmussen following a personal request, Njie has also been cut.
The move results in Oakland Roots letting go of two left-side fullbacks in a matter of weeks. As things stand, Julian Bravo, Jurgen Damm, Wolfgang Prentice and Ilya Alekseev are the only players remaining on the roster with experience in the role.
Given Prentice has made his most noise this season as a forward and twin-striker alongside Peter Wilson, Oakland could be in the market for a left fullback for Benny Feilhaber’s system. Damm and Bravo have also played well in the role.
The blog asked Feilhaber about Njie’s absence following Roots’ win over Monterey Bay on June 29, responding he’s been instructed to call it a “team decision.”
“I don’t know if I can provide an update on him. That doesn’t have anything to do with me, so I’m not going to touch on it,” Feilhaber said.
The move puts an end to the project Roots started during the 2023 season when it originally acquired Njie from Phoenix Rising in exchange for Darek Formella in July. At the time, Oakland’s technical director Jordan Ferrell said Baboucarr was the fascination of their front office and a player they targeted for their system:” We have been tracking Njie for some time now as someone who we believe fits with our idea of football.”
When dealing away Formella, the Polish forward was Oakland’s second leading scorer while his eight goal contributions in 2024 remained tied for second on the team by season’s end. Njie, meanwhile, came to the club dealing with an injury and finished his first season at the club with just 267 minutes. Formella played nearly double Njie’s minutes in Phoenix and scored four goals on their way to lifting the USL Championship title under Juan Guerra.
For comparison’s sake, Formella has 55 appearances and 27 starts in Phoenix for 2,706 total minutes and counting, scoring 11 goals and contributing four assists. As for Njie, he finishes his time in Oakland with 48 appearances, 34 starts, 2,792 minutes, three goals, and four assists. FotMob gives them a comparable rating over the last two years, with Njie averaging a 6.6 score in 2024 and 6.7 this season to Formella’s 6.7 in 2024 and 6.6 in 2025.
Njie, 30, started his professional career with North Carolina FC’s U23 squad in 2018. He signed with Atlanta United 2’s USL Championship team in 2020 and joined Rio Grande Valley FC the following season.
Phoenix Rising signed him to a contract ahead of the 2022 season, appearing 30 times before being transferred to Oakland in exchange for Formella.
In 2025, Njie has 11 appearances and started seven times for 556 minutes and one goal. For his career, he has 127 appearances and 77 starts for 6,896 minutes, six goals, and six assists.