The blog and local media sat down with Oakland Roots’ new head coach, Ryan Martin, for Media Day ahead of their 2026 campaign. Provided is a transcript of everything Martin said.
Q: Why Oakland Roots?
Martin: “I had interest from a couple of other clubs, and when I was going through the interview process, I saw the facilities from afar. But I think what’s more important, and what drew me here, was essentially the people and what you get inside the building.
“I spoke with Nana [Attakora] and Barney [Schauble] from ownership, Lindsay [Barenz], and Yamo [Eric Yamamoto]. It was just good people who had a goal of trying to make this a special place to be. And then the more I did research in terms of what the city of Oakland is, and their love for sports, and their passion for all sports in general, it was a no-brainer for my wife, my son, and me to make this jump here.
“So, really, the people just reinforced it. Just good people that are all striving to make this a special place to be over the years.”
Q: What assurances did you need to come here?
Martin: “I think at the end of the day, when you sit in this seat, you always know that you have to win games and build something special. I think what drew me to this and the assurances I got were that they want to build something. They want to build something with a process. I am a very process-oriented coach in the way I operate and work.
“I know it’s a long season. There’s going to be ups, and there’s going to be downs, and I can promise everyone right now, we won’t be 34-0. You have to deal with the good times and the bad times. When I spoke to [the team], it was a like-minded response of, we want to build something for the long haul, and we want someone who wants to build.
“That’s always been my path. If you look at FC Cincinnati, [former manager] John Harkes and I built FC Cincinnati from a kitchen table. I went to Loudon, which was a startup club as well. So, I’m here to build something for the long haul and make it quite special. That was really the drawing point. I’m excited to be here. And the more I get into it with a group that’s coming back, and then the new guys, there’s tremendous potential for where it could go.”
Q: What’s it like to have this facility to work at?
Martin: “Oh, it’s incredible. I smile every day that I come in here. Not only coming from Washington, DC; they’re dealing with a blizzard right now. I’m out here in 75 degrees.
“Three immaculate fields and a full weight room. Incredible facilities. I’ve seen MLS facilities that aren’t as good as this; it’s really a blessing. I have gratitude to be here, but more importantly, you have to use the facility to help the group grow. So, we’re trying to use everything in our ability to make this the best team we can.”
Q: How would you describe your playing style?
Martin: “We set a goal at the beginning of preseason. What we really want the fans to see when they walk into the Coliseum, or when they see us playing Monterey on March 7, is they see a proactive team, a team that’s honest in terms of the way we defend, the way we press, the way we work, and a team that’s brave in the way we want to play with the ball and build the game.
“We want a team that has adaptability. That is really important to us. When people leave the Coliseum, that’s what we want them to think of our group. If people walk out and that’s what they see every game, then we would have succeeded. I want to be in possession; we want to be one of the top attacking teams in the league. Between Danny Trejo, Florian Valot, and Peter Wilson, we have some pretty good firepower.
“We have to set a better, better block defensively. Last year, this team conceded the most goals in the league, and so our ethos is that our defending initiates our attack. We want to be able to press and turn teams over and make it very difficult, and create easier scoring chances for us. We do want to build out the back, but we don’t want to do it in a place where it shoots ourselves in the foot and costs us points.”
Q: What excites you about Peter Wilson?
Martin: “I’ve never worked with a Golden Boot winner before, so to have that opportunity is incredible. Watching a lot of Peter before I came in here, his movement off the ball is exquisite. The way he defends and plays for the team is fantastic. He is selfless, and his actions are very rare for a guy who is a Golden Boot winner.
“Typically, you see a very egotistical guy who’s kind of for himself. Peter’s the exact opposite. And I’ve really learned what a great human being he is and how much he wants this club to succeed. I’ve never been able to work with a striker of this caliber. So, for me, it’s tremendous.
“He’s also incredibly receptive to growth. He wants to be pushed, and he wants to be a better version of himself, even at 29 and winning the Golden Boot. He thinks he has another gear in him, which I think as well. He’s asked to be pushed as much as possible, and we’re trying to push him to have a better season than he did last year.
“Have we ever had a back-to-back Golden Boot winner in the league? Now that’s the challenge for him we’ve talked to him about.”
Q: Last season was up and down for Loudoun. When did Roots become a possibility?
Martin: “Yeah, up and down is a good way of putting it in terms of last season. It was really late last season when things started progressing here [in Oakland]. Once the season ended for everybody, things started moving forward. I think everybody was doing their due diligence across the league.
Q: What does the attack look like for you guys?
Martin: “Right now, we’re looking at Peter [Wilson] and Danny [Trejo] working off of each other in a two-front is kind of where we’re thinking right now. With Flo [Valot], either underneath or coming in from a wider position.
“Those are kind of our three guys that we’re going to really use to spearhead the attack. Obviously, Wolfy, and we’re still trying to add a few other pieces into the mix here that can add excitement. We had one out in training today that I think is pretty close to getting done, and so I think that’ll be another piece to the puzzle, which can excite fans, and get some goals for us.”
Q: Talk about the three guys you brought from Loudoun (Florian Valot, Tommy McCabe, Keegan Tingey)
Martin: “We’ll start with Tommy McCabe. I’ve seen a good evolution of his game, where he’s become a good connector of the game, a very good passer and reads the game well, and one of the top three in most categories in terms of his ability to progress into the final third, push people into deeper lines, connect, and bring the game together.
“But he is a soccer junkie, and the way he goes after the game. He’s someone who is a coach on the field for me. When we’re going through a game, and we see how the opposition presses, and maybe they give us a different picture than we prepared for him, and I can quickly make changes that can help dictate the players around them without even really speaking. He reads the game at such a high level. He’s also a really good mentor for young players. Two players I have him working with are Ali [Elmasnaouy] and Bobosi [Byaruhanga], in terms of helping them read the game better and grow. He’s the brains behind a lot of what we do.
“Florian is, for me, one of the more underrated players in the league. I want him to score more goals, and part of that’s getting higher up the field. For me, he is the best second-assist guy in the league, in terms of how he connects with the guy who gets the assist. His ability to run and cover ground is still at an MLS level. His pressing is fantastic. So when you get Tommy in the build and our middle third shape in our pressing, it makes it really easy for me as a coach.
“And then Tingey is a steady-Eddie as a primarily a right back. You know you’re going to get a 7-8 out of 10 every single game. You know exactly what you’re going to get. And he’s honest as the day is long, which is obviously one of the principles we’ve set. He’s a guy that you put on the team sheet, and you know exactly what you’re getting every single night.”
Q: Describe your coaching style
Martin: “I try to empower the players to become the best version of themselves. I ask a lot of the players in terms of their ownership and growth. One of the club’s values as a whole, even outside of soccer, is to have a growth mindset. I ask a lot of them to invest in their ability to improve.
“My philosophy is that you start with the individual, and if you can help the individual become a better version of themselves, then it helps the team in a faster component. It takes a lot of time. It takes sitting down. It takes video. It takes them to understand what I’m asking for. But if you start with the individual, then the team can grow the fastest.
“I even asked some of the players to present what we’re doing to their teammates, so they need to have an idea of what we’re doing, and ownership of what we’re trying to accomplish. So, everything we do is a collaborative approach to winning. We collectively have to win, and we have all the answers to solve it. My job is to just put the correct answers together.”