RootsBlog

Saturday night fell apart for Oakland Roots, tying Phoenix Rising 3-3 after netting three first-half goals. The result moves Roots further from the playoff line, now four points behind 8th-place Colorado Springs Switchbacks.

After going up 3-0 after 22 minutes, Oakland conceded to Charlie Dennis in the 45th and 86th before Gagi Margvelashvili was red carded in a questionable decision at 90+4′, leading to Remi Cabral slotting in the equalizer.

Things were going fantastically for Oakland, taking just 41 seconds to get on the board when Danny Trejo scored the second-fastest goal in club history. Only Johnny Rodriguez’s goal in 23 seconds in June 2023 against Detroit City.

The goal came on some sloppy play in the back by Phoenix, where goalkeeper Patrick Rakovsky played a pass out to Noble Okello, who sloppily played a pass back towards his own net. In the right spot was Trejo, taking advantage of the empty net with Rakovsky nearly at the top of his 18-yard box.

Rising head coach Pa-Modou Kah subbed out Okello in the 34th minute.

Peter Wilson scored Oakland’s next goal just nine minutes later. This time, Panos Armenakas, in his new left back role, played a long pass to Wilson bursting past Phoenix’s last two defenders. In one-on-one, Wilson took his shot at the very top of the box to the near post to the right of Rakovsky.

Wilson struck again in the 22nd after Armenakas dribbled forward down the left side before playing a forward ball to Trejo moving into the box. Trejo calmly slid the ball to Wilson, who did well to find a soft spot above the 6-yard box.

Phoenix got one back right prior to halftime when Charlie Dennis scored in the 45th. It happened when Daniel Flores took a shot on target that forced a diving save by Raphael Spiegel, but the attempt rebounded perfectly to Dennis in front of the net.

Dennis got a brace against his former team in the 86th minute, launching a free kick from about five yards outside the box–bending his shot over the wall to the left post. It hit off Raphael Spiegel’s hands and into the net.

Then, disaster struck. After a ball got over Panos Armenakas’ head, Remi Cabral controlled the ball down by the end line. Cabral skipped a ball centrally, leading to Gagi being called for a foul on Ihsan Sacko. Cabral stepped to the spot, sending in the goal.

We name our Player of the Match and list the talking points coming out of Saturday.

More points dropped from a winning position

For yet another match, Oakland Roots dropped points from a winning position. With the schedule winding down, the missed chance on a six-point swing leaves a sour taste on an epic first-half performance.

Following Saturday night, Roots have now dropped 14 available points after holding initial leads in six matches this season, including a 2-1 loss to Phoenix on July 12, their 3-3 tie Sacramento on August 16, losing 2-1 to Lexington on August 23, the 3-3 tie with Charleston on September 13, 1-1 tie with Tulsa on September 20, and now tying 3-3 with Rising tonight.

With those 14 points, Roots would be in second place with 41 points ahead of Sacramento Republic if they were able to hold on in the 3-3 tie. Even with half of those missed points, Oakland would be looking more comfortable for a playoff spot and challenging for a 4th-place home playoff berth.

Horrific officiating

It’s difficult not to feel robbed after that tie. After leading 3-nil, it undoubtedly feels like a loss.

The officiating from Elvis Osmanovic was shambolic on the red card to Gagi Margevelashvili to award Phoenix the equalizing penalty kick. Margvelashvili and Sacko were both jostling for position before Gagi was sent off. It was a straight red for the Oakland centerback, indicating it was a denial of a clear goal-scoring opportunity.

In the buildup, Cabral looked to center a pass down by the end line. Sacko, with a handful of Gagi’s jersey, worked to get around the Roots’ defender. In the tight situation, Osmanovic ruled Margvelashvili took him down from behind.

It’s difficult for this writer to nitpick officials, knowing I would never be able to do the job. But what’s unmistakable is Osmanovic’s mismanagement near the end of the match, which was clear to see when Wilson was allowed to play a corner short to Danny Gomez in the 78th after the game was stopped for the Roots’ striker taking a shot to the head. Wilson should’ve been forced to check out and re-check in, but he immediately took the corner.

Somehow mixed into the penalty kick mayhem, Rising’s Daniel Flores was shown a second yellow after causing some instigation, but only got carded after mouthing off to Osmanovic instead of shoving EJ Johnson to the ground.

Bittersweet performance for Wilson

It’s hard not to sing the praises of Peter Wilson, now just one goal away from becoming the club’s highest-scoring player in a single season since Ottar Magnus Karlsson scored 19 in 2022. In fact, Wilson can pass Karlsson with one more goal from open play after the Icelander had 12

Despite logging a brace in the first half, his missed chances now have an unmistakable sting in hindsight.

His finishing on both of his first-half goals looked like a testament to his form. On the first one, he put away a shot to the near post from atop the box, requiring pinpoint precision. With the second, he showed poise to position himself perfectly for the feed by Trejo.

But, after a 3-3 come-from-behind draw, it’s the missed opportunities that unfortunately stand out.

He nearly bagged his hat trick at 45+1 on a header goal, missing his shot at the left post. Pape Mar Boye also stopped a big chance for him in the 62nd on a big slide tackle in the box.

Wilson looked assured to become the team’s first hat-trick scorer since Jack McInerny in 2019 and only club player in USL Championship history in the 71st when Prentice headed on a long pass to put the striker on through to goal. However, he couldn’t replicate the same finishing on his first goal.

Although it’s difficult to find a silver lining, Wilson is continuing his ascent as a quality striker in the USL Championship.

Raphael Spiegel comes up short on critical goal

Raphael Spiegel got his second straight start, continuing to show his heavy boot to create attacking chances. However, his slow movement on Dennis’ goal in the 86th brings justified skepticism about whether he was the right choice to stop the free kick.

He had a huge clearance off the line in the 67th when John Scearce redirected a shot attempt by Dennis. With the ball rolling on the goal line, the Swiss international slid to wrap his foot around the ball to clear it. It was one of his better defensive moments of the match.

His passing ability was also showcased in the 71st on what could’ve been Wilson’s hat trick. Spiegel sent up the long ball to Prentice, who headed the ball forward to Wilson.

Spiegel was credited with three saves, but his diving save on Flores’ attempt in the 45th rebounded straight to Dennis in the box. Then, on Dennis’ second goal, Spiegel was able to get his hands on the shot attempt, but didn’t generate enough power to push the ball away.

The USL Championship commentators questioned whether Kendall McIntosh would’ve been better suited to stop Dennis’ shot. It’s difficult to say, knowing McIntosh has been beaten on long shots and free kicks this year as well.

But, for Roots’ fans, they’ll only be left to wonder if things could’ve gone differently in that instance.

Panos Armenakas’ growing pains at left back

Panos Armenakas continues to show he can be a playmaker in Benn Feilhaber’s system on the left side. But although things look optimistic for him at his new position when playing on the front foot, the growing pains as a defender are equally noticeable.

Following Roots’ 3-3 tie with Charleston, where Panos made his first appearance at left back, Feilhaber commented on Armenakas being involved in all three goals scored and all three goals conceded. This time around, Panos was bit in the second and third goals for Phoenix.

Armenakas was sleeping on Dennis’ first goal, watching the ball hit off Spiegel’s hand and back into play instead of marking the nearest attacker, allowing Dennis to take an uncontested shot. Then, on the third-goal equalizer, he looked a bit flat-footed when trying to make a defensive header that narrowly skimmed over his head to Cabral.

It’s a delicate give-and-take for Oakland, knowing Panos is sending passes from deeper positions is paying off on the attacking side.

He was a catalyst in Roots’ second and third goals. On Wilson’s goal in the 10th, Panos threaded the needle on a long pass to the striker, zooming past Phoenix’s back line for the assist. Panos had the hockey assist on Wilson’s brace, dribbling to a dangerous area before playing a ball to Trejo, charging into the box to find Wilson.

That being said, Armenakas was given an 8.5 rating by FotMob, creating three scoring chances, completing 10 passes into the final third, winning eight ground duels, one dribble, and taking one touch in the box.