Oakland Roots lost 3-1 to Hartford Athletic on Tuesday night at the Coliseum, possibly representing the final nail in the coffin of Roots’ playoff chances. After leading 1-nil in a dominant first-half display, Oakland conceded three times in the second to watch the night slip away. It now marks 17 points that Roots have dropped from winning positions.
Oakland’s first goal came in the 31st minute when Camden Riley whipped in a pass from the right wing to Peter Wilson, charging toward the six-yard box, putting away his 14th goal of the season.
But Hartford turned the tide in the second half, finding space in the attacking third. The visitors got on the board with just their second shot on target off a corner, where Joshua Belluz towered above Roots’ defenders to bury a header by the outstretched arm of Raphael Spiegel in the 56th minute.
Athletic found another in short order, just nine minutes later, to stun Roots in the 65th when a turnover at midfield led to an odd man rush, resulting in an easy pass from Jack Panayotou to Kyle Edwards in the box. Although Edwards was clearly offside by multiple yards, no call was made, and the goal stood.
Hartford added the game’s final goal in the waning seconds when Samuel Careaga slotted a ball in the Oakland area to Beverly Makangila, who was all alone in the area to deliver a strike–making it 3-1 at 90+6′.
Here are our talking points coming out of Tuesday’s press conference, where Benny Feilhaber didn’t hold back his thoughts.
“The team is not good enough…”
When Benny Feilhaber stepped to the table for Tuesday’s postgame presser, he did something unlike any other Roots coach before him. Rather than waiting for a question, he opened up the floor for journalists to tell him their thoughts on the game, team, and season.
“Why don’t we make this a dialogue, and we open it up to what you guys thought of the game, because I’m actually curious. Seriously, I know it’s not the norm,” Feilhaber said.
I’ve been the writer who has customarily asked the first question to coaches since 2021’s arrival in the USL Championship. I reflected on another evaporated lead, yet showing glimpses of brilliance, like in the first half of Tuesday’s 3-1 loss and other matches this season where Oakland couldn’t hang on until the final whistle.
“What you said is a fact. Do you know how many dropped points there have been since I’ve been here in 16 matches? Not from a winning position, but positions where we scored the first goal,” Feilhaber responded. “15, this game included.”
Feilhaber called the first half of Tuesday’s game the best 45 minutes he’s seen from the group since coming on board. Roots went into the break with all the momentum, recording 12 shots with three on target, three big chances created, and nearly 70 percent possession while Hartford limped into the locker room without a single shot attempt at the time.
But the elephant in the room is why things continuously fall apart for Oakland.
“The question is why,” Feilhaber said. “That was the best half of soccer since I’ve been here, it was phenomenal. For the entire half, we dominated them in every aspect. Now, why is the second half what it leads to? None of us in this room, including me, has the answers to that question, or I would’ve already done it.
By Benny’s estimation, the answer goes beyond Xs and Os.
Answering bluntly in typical Feilhaber style, he added, “What we can say is there are a lot of things that can disrupt our team. And the reason why–is it’s very simple–our team is not good enough to play as well as we did for 45 minutes over 90 minutes every single game. We’re not good enough to be that consistent.”
Feilhaber continued to reflect on how Roots show glimpses in moments, calling the first half his “football dream” as a coach.
“We have the ability and quality to do it in spurts. I think our staff has done a phenomenal job at having them see that vision and having them perform it. The moments we made mistakes in the first half, the reaction was great in terms of winning the ball back. We tried to play through them. Whenever someone was receiving the ball, other guys were popping off into different pockets to give them options. It was impossible for Hartford to get any pressure around them. It is what my football dream is for the team that I coach.”
However, the issue is that when things go wrong, the Snowball Effect tends to occur. One goal becomes two, and then three.
Oakland entered the night fresh off a 3-1 loss to El Paso, conceding back-to-back goals in the first and fifth minutes. Roots also drew 3-3 to Phoenix after holding a 3-0 lead before Rising pulled itself back with goals at 45′, 86′, and a 90+6′ penalty.
On Tuesday, Roots had several instances where the officials didn’t rule in their favor. It’s become a usual occurrence for them, and on Tuesday, Feilhaber could see how their mentality became rattled.
“But some things go against you in a game of soccer; it’s a subjective game,” Feilhaber said. “There’s a missed call in the first half of a penalty; Peter Wilson gets kicked in the back of the leg and shanks the ball over the top, that’s a penalty and possibly a red card. The last two games have been filled with bad calls; the Phoenix game wasn’t a foul or a penalty, and the first goal was an offside.
“I’m not saying referees need to be perfect. But our team has a difficult time dealing with things that go against them, whether it’s referees or momentum. It’s quite a simple reason, it’s because our team is not quite strong enough to withstand 90 minutes of subjective soccer.”
Feilhaber’s team reached a high around June and July when they won four out of five matches, including three straight. But perhaps it was more representative of the new manager bump rather than the prospect of sustained success.
After that point, Oakland has one win in 10 matches, but held leads in seven of those games.
“You have to be good when you’re bad, and that means not conceding goals and finding ways to win games. From my perspective, when I got here, this team wasn’t a soccer team. They are now a soccer team, but they still need to grow. Anyone who expects a team to be where it was four months ago when we were turning in wins, it’s an unreasonable expectation and wrong to think that’s possible,” Feilhaber said.
“But I hope it doesn’t get lost in the mix, that the way the players have started to look like a completely different squad from the time I’ve come here. I think that’s important for the players to realize and for the fans to realize. I think how these guys have understood what we’re trying to do as a coaching staff is very positive,” he added.
Now with 17 points surrendered from winning positions, the trend isn’t something that is unique to Roots under Feilhaber. In fact, it’s something that has followed the club in previous years.
In 2022, Oakland lost or tied in eight matches where they were in a winning position under Juan Guerra before his sudden departure. Then, in 2023, Roots did it one better with nine matches dropped after holding an initial lead. Oakland only tied twice after scoring the game’s opening goal in 2024, but the four extra points would’ve moved them up one spot from seventh to sixth.
When asked if the pattern can be applied to random circumstances, Feilhaber definitively answered, “No.”
He followed up with a clear assessment of the roster, comparing things to his favorite Brazilian side, Botafogo. So, what changed for Fogo to become Copa Libertadores and Campeonato Brasileiro Série A champions, along with upsetting Paris Saint-Germain at the Club World Cup?
Proper investment.
“I was born in Brazil, and Botafogo was the team I always rooted for. In 1995, we won a championship, and ever since then, we’ve been the team where crazy things could only happen to them. Like, what just happened could only happen to Botafogo. I feel the same thing can be applied to Roots,” Feilhaber said.
“There’s one simple reason why: because the teams aren’t good enough. Botafogo didn’t win anything for 28 years. John Textor then became the owner, put a bunch of money into the team, bought a bunch of high-quality players in 2023, and transformed into a team that is much more competent and competitive.”
Feilhaber pointed out that they needed to rest several players in El Paso following their match at Phoenix because people “can’t play three days apart.”
What that results in is an issue of depth within Oakland’s roster.
“The roster build in USL, much like MLS, is incredibly important. When you do that part the way Louisville or Charleston does, and there are different ways to do it, but you need a starting 11 and depth. Against El Paso, we had to sit four or five guys who started in Phoenix because guys can’t play three days apart. We gave up two goals in five minutes; that’s a depth issue. You need more,” Feilhaber said.
“Garth Lagerwey at Atlanta United FC said this, ’80 percent of the results are based on the roster, the other 20 percent is based on the coaching staff.’ You can have Pep Guardiola, if you have a 30 percent roster, he’s going to struggle. If you have an 80 percent roster, you’re still going to be pretty damn good with the worst coach in the world. That should be a huge focus for our group,” he added.
So, what does that mean for the future? Let’s dive in more.
Time, Mentality, Future
It’s easy to forget how important a preseason buildup is for a coach. It was a sentiment Oakland’s higher-ups had when they decided to bring back Gavin Glinton: that with a full offseason, the arrow could point up.
Although things crashed and burned under Glinton in his 14 matches as head coach in 2025, Feilhaber’s teams never allowed more than four goals and scored 23 goals in 18 matches to average 1.27 per game. Glinton, meanwhile, had 45 goals in 41 matches, averaging 1.09 goals per game. His teams gave away four or more goals six times.
Benny is confident that if he had a real preseason, things could be better at this point.
“Of course,” Feilhaber responded when asked if he wished he had more time. “There are two things a coach wants: quality and time with the players. I didn’t have a preseason, so of course, more time will give better results. No doubt, you want time with a team to get them to understand the way you want to play and build chemistry.”
Feilhaber feels the fractures in confidence were already taking place by the time he arrived. And as the season progressed, the cracks only grew to the landslide levels they’ve become.
“It’s a more talented group than the results indicate, but it’s a fragile group because the results haven’t gone their way. When I got here, they were 3-1-7. We were experiencing losses at that point. You get the new coach bump and things went well, but then there’s the Lexington loss, drawing instead of winning, and those things weigh on players. It becomes a deeper and deeper hole to climb out of,” Feilhaber said.
The coach continued to harp on mentality. It was reminiscent of when Jose Mourinho starred on Amazon’s All or Nothing when he managed Tottenham, saying the team’s attitude wasn’t good enough: “We have to improve from this situation. The way is enraging. On that 50-50, go and win. On the duel, go and win. On the second ball, go and win. Be a bastard. Be a bastard.”
It’s a state of mind Feilhaber is looking to instill.
“The mental part becomes a more critical aspect,” Feilhaber said.
“We need some pieces who can hold the fort down. I don’t know if assholes is the right word, but pricks. Guys who can bring the level up a notch in tackling and grittiness,” he continued.
Now, with a playoff berth nearly assured to be off the table, the looming question surrounding the organization is the future of the head coach role. Feilhaber said himself in his very first press conference that his goal is to install a system that fans can come to know, which he objectively has.
His teams are inherently front-footed, have the tools and structure to dominate possession, can take advantage of numbers, and utilize space down the wings.
Roots scored three goals in a game three times under Feilhaber. They were unable to achieve that in Glinton’s 14 matches in charge this season, did it three times under Glinton in 2024, and nine times under Noah Delgado from 2022 to 2024.
Feilhaber was asked if their signs of life are a testament to what he can do if he had more time and a chance to pick his players. Without skipping a beat, Benny said, “I don’t know, you tell me,” before going into how close he thinks things are.
“It’s a hard decision for ownership. Of course I believe that,” Feilhaber said. “I think we are so close to being where this team can be. It’s not even about the individual quality; they are players I inherited from a different system, so I’m asking guys to play certain ways that aren’t necessarily their best way to play.”
Camden Riley started at right back on Tuesday, despite having fullbacks like Morey Doner, Jurgen Damm, Ilya Alekseev, and Abdi Mohamed at his disposal. Panos Armenakas has moved to the left back spot over Julian Bravo and Damm.
Perhaps the fullback spot is the perfect representation of a flawed roster build that Feilhaber has had to deal with.
“We’re trying to find ways to utilize the players that we have,” Feilhaber said. “It’s definitely positions they’ve never played before. I’m proud of the work my staff and I have done, and really proud of the players. They’ve had two coaches with two distinct ways of playing. Guys have been asked to play different positions, and guys who played under Gavin and not so much for me, and vice versa.”
Feilhaber previously commented on Oakland’s lack of attacking quality following their 2-0 loss to Pittsburgh on September 7, when they were without Peter Wilson and Danny Trejo, requiring Wolfgang Prentice to start at striker.
Regarding the type of player he needs for his system, the coach said he’s missing “quite a few” qualities.
“I think other than Danny Trejo, we don’t have any one-on-one players who can take people on. The hardest part of the field to create is in the final third, and almost all our goals are where we create numerical advantages and serve crosses into the goal box. You need some moments where guys can create something on their own; that was one of the reasons why we went out to get Danny Trejo,” Feilhaber said.
He added that he needs a gritty type of player for their midfield or back line.
“We need players in the spine of the team that are gritty and defend, whether it’s a center back or a six who can cover ground and eat challenges. There are certain areas defensively that we need to improve on.”
Press Conference
Starting Lineups
- Oakland Roots
Danny Trejo returns to the starting lineup alongside Peter Wilson; I’m excited to see what they can continue to produce together. Raphael Spiegel continues getting the nod over Kendall McIntosh at goalkeeper. Ali Elmasnaouy, Faysal Bettache, Tyler Gibson, and Danny Gomez make up three natural central midfielders in the lineup, so I’m curious to see the alignment. Camden Riley likely returns to a defender role, while Gagi Margvelashvili and Neveal Hackshaw are also included. Panos Armenakas likely continues at the LB spot, the question is who is at RB with Morey Doner on the bench.
- Hartford Athletic
Revenge match for Baboucarr Njie!
Ivan: Presthus, Diz, and Obalola are the only players who started and played the whole game for Hartford Athletic in their 1-0 victory over Sacramento Republic (nice) 3 days ago. The Oakland Roots revenge game is one of the strongest revenge games around. Baboucarr Njie will look to benefit from that trend. In their penultimate home game of the season, Oakland Roots are in the same position as they have been for the last month. They need points, but also for morale, to beat Hartford right after their cup win would mean a lot.
Timeline
Looks like Trejo at LW and Bettache at RW.
Riley takes a shot on the volley and it looks on target, forcing a save that goes over the crossbar for a corner – 4′
Corner – 5′
Ball skips around the area and falls to Hackshaw, who clips a slow shot on target. Good start for Oakland.
Ivan – 6’
Yellow card to Gagi Margvelasvhilli for fouling Jonathan Jimenez as he made a run toward the Roots box.
Ivan – 9’
Good to see Ali Elmasnaouy link up with Armenakas in the left middle area of Hartfor’d defensive half, but the Oakland Roots collectively unable to string more than 3 passes together in these dangerous areas.
Corner – 10′
Drawn by Bettache. Panos ball eventually falls to Gomez, who sends a shot to the moon.
Trejo tries to find Hartford GK off his line, but airmails it – 11′
Nice longball by Riley from deep on Roots side.
Ivan: Another promising attack sputters as Trejo’s touch somehow takes the ball almost into the left field bleachers.
Ivan – 14’
Yellow card for Adrian Piz with a forceful challenge on Trejo. Oakland Roots have a free kick, albeit deep into the keeper’s right side, so they’ll have to be precise to get a dangerous goalscoring opportunity out of this.
Trejo draws a free kick – 14′
Along the left side about 10 yards outside the area. Panos pass cleared away. Roots retian, leading to Gomez trying to strike from long distance, but it was blocked at the top of the box.
Good tackle by Gagi to prevent a chance – 16′
Riley draws a foul along the right sideline – 18′
Hard foul by Njie, no card.
Ivan: A familiar sight for Roots fans: Njie concedes a free kick. Surprisingly, no yellow card given the caliber of challenge.
Free kick – 19′
Played short to Peter Wilson running to the top of the box, can’t get a shot off.
Ivan – 21’
Camden Riley’s cross misses everyone except Panos Armenakas on the other end. The Roots finding the ball everywhere except at a clear sight of John Berner in the Hartford goal.
Hackshaw sends a long shot 30 yards above the net – 22′
Riley with a good feed down the right side, then takes a shot that was blocked – 25′
Some good moments from Riley through 25 minutes. Ball down the right led to a low cross from Trejo, but it was too slow and not far enough in front of Wilson.
Corner – 27′
Came from Hackshaw making a run down the left side and crossing in a ball.
Trejo swings through a ball on the volley, was clipped by a defender a moment before.
Ivan: The home side amassing a big set piece advantage. Gibson at the corner flag providing the service. The service was good, but the Roots shot was blocked by a Hartford defender. The keeper didn’t look overly concerned.
ROOTS GOAL – 31′
WHAT A PLAY. Battache finds Camden Riley out on the right side, who sends a low laser into Peter Wilson, and ITS IN. Wilson’s 14th goal, and 10th in nine games. Wilson again Olé Olé!
Ivan: A methodical build-up has its payoff! Camden Riley with a great cross right to Peter Wilson’s boot who slots it home! Number 15 on the season! He’s really heated up this second half of the season.
Gomez nearly finds Wilson for another – 33′
Ivan: Wilson nearly had 2 goals in 2 minutes! Great energy to see right from the kick off, but didn’t quite work out this time.
Trejo searches for a penalty in the box. Not the best acting – 37′
Ivan – 38′
A high confidence level on display as Elmasnaouy and Gibson are passing out of dangerous situations in midfield, and the Roots as a unit are holding possession well in the Hartford half.
Wilson sends a dangerous pass across the face – 38′
Great pass from Panos, probably should’ve shot the ball.
Trejo with a shot on target in the box – 41′
Forces a quick dive by the keeper.
Ivan: The move started with Panos being in acres of space, making the LB role effective with his field presence and vision. He picks out Trejo far post to shoot and make the keeper save in impressive fashion. Oakland Roots remain the aggressors and that’s the energy they need to close this season. Trejo making multiple great runs throughout this first half. Then the Riley Wilson combination almost bears fruit again!
Riley sends another dangerous pass to Wilson – 42′
Ivan – 43’
Just after Elmasnaouy launched a well timed challenge to avoid a needless yellow, Panos unfortunate gets that fate. He gets some style points for curling a shot top bins after the play was dead.
Great pass from Gibson to Trejo in behind, who sends a pass into Wilson but he scuffs his shot – 45′
Very awkward challenge on Wilson, he’s grabbing his shin area. He’s okay to continue.
Ivan: Presthus with a last ditch challenge to cut out a Roots cross and it ricochets to result in a Hartford Athletic goal kick. Wilson slow to get up from that collison and with halftime approaching, he may finish the half but nothing more.
First half notes:
Amazing first half by Oakland Roots, going into the break with a 1-nil lead on 12 shots with 3 on target, and 3 big chances created on nearly 70% possession. Hartford still hasn’t recorded a single shot with Oakland dominating the ball. Riley looks really good down the right side, while Wilson is looking dangerous with each forward run.
Ivan – 50’
As both sides settle into a rhythm this second half, the attendance tonight is revealed: 5,716! Happy to see Oakland Roots fans make it out in any numbers they can on a midweek game.
Ivan – 53’
Raphael Spiegel’s first major involvement sees him command a chaotic situation, and then the Ali Elmasnaouy adds to Roots’ shots on target tally on the other end. This will be a rollercoaster game to the finish.
Big save by Spiegel – 56′
Leads to a corner, header by Belluz goes into the net past Spiegel’s outstretched arm. Looked a little slow to it. It’s tied 1-1, totally unmarked.
Ivan: Joshua Belluz heads home a goal to equalize for Hartford off a set piece. Needless to say, the visitors have been much more efficient in those scenarios.
Babou with a big stop to push away a pass from Trejo to Wilson, got a toe on the ball on a big slide – 61′
Wilson wants a PK.
Feilhaber gets a yellow – 63′
Hartford takes the lead – 64′
Hartford scores on a big counter attack, they take a 2-1 lead. Not sure how Kyle Edwards not called offside, he was near 5 steps past the back line.
Ivan – 65’
Hartford crafted a classic and effective counter attack where Kyle Edwards finished the play with a goal, although questions for offside loom. Nonetheless, it’s Hartford 2 Oakland 1 and any glimmer of hope has been dashed. Hackshaw gets a yellow card.
Ivan – 67’
Roots find the back of the net through a set piece opportunity by Danny Trejo but the ref calls a foul to nullify the equalizer.
Ali takes another shot on target – 69′
Ivan – 71’
Trejo gets a yellow card. At this point, it feels like everyone who played for the Roots today has one. Marlon Hairston the MLS veteran joins the fray replacing Beverly Makangila.
Hartford long free kick – 72′
long ball into the box caught by Spiegel.
Corner – 75′
Cleared out.
Ivan – 77’
Prentice for Bettache, Doner for Elmasnaouy. Doner a surprise bench option today as he’s been one of the more effective starters this season.
Ivan – 80’
Morey Doner finds Wolfgang Prentice in the box but the defender heads it away.
Ivan – 83’
Kyle Edwards collecting badges at this point, though his yellow card will be less impressive than the goal.
Wilson takes a shove to the face by Belluz away from the play – 86′
He draws a yellow card.
Ivan: Wilson down from a challenge by Belluz and a yellow card is given to Hartford’s Canadian wingback. The free kick from distance didn’t quite reach any intended target.
Long free kick – 86′
About 20ish yards outside the box in a central area. Leads to nothing.
Hartford corner – 89′
Doner draws a free kick – 90+1′
Along the right side about 10 yards outside the box, mid-width.
Panos pass batted away by the GK. Leads to Trejo sending a ball toward the net, where Wilson flicks a header that hits off Riley.
Trejo with a shot on the volley – 90+2′
Hartford makes it three – 90+6′
It’s oooooover. Can we say Rootsy?
Thanks for all your work reporting on the Roots. Just wanted to note that while I also thought Edwards was way offside on the second Hartford goal, if you go back to watch the highlights on Youtube and pause it when the pass is played, Gagi has a right foot in the box and Edwards is outside the box. He’s onside by a foot or so even though it looks otherwise. The refereeing was questionable in general but they got that one 100% right.