The Roots enter the season with a new manager, a reshaped roster, and increased expectations after a disappointing season last year. On paper, the roster and the manager appear capable of reaching those expectations.
Before the Roots take the field in Monterey on Saturday, several questions remain. Here are three questions to watch heading into the opener:
Question 1: What about a possible strike?
The biggest question heading going into Saturday is whether teams will even take the field. But with both Lexington and Louisville playing Friday’s opener, it looks like things are progressing as normal. Both Levington and Louisville stood around on the field in protest in the first minute of action, and I would expect something similar in the USL Championship’s slate of opening games.
As the Roots rapidly approach the season opener, the USL and the USLPA still appear far from agreeing to a new collective bargaining agreement. Last week, the USLPA membership authorized its bargaining team to call a strike if necessary.
Things appeared to take a turn for the worse yesterday. The USL emailed every player in the league information about the procedures for crossing a picket line and how to resign from the USLPA. The league also reminded players that, “If you choose not to render services to the Club during a strike, you will not receive salary from the Club during said period. Housing, health insurance, and other Club-subsidized benefits may also be impacted during a strike” and that “The USLPA may fine current members who choose to cross a picket line. If you wish to avoid that, you should resign your USLPA membership before you cross the picket line.”
The email appears to have antagonized the USLPA. The USLPA called the email “classic union-busting” and “attempts to inject fear and confusion into the bargaining process.”
Question 2: How long will the attack take to gel?
The next question is whether the attack will come together quickly. As new coach Ryan Martin stated in his interview at Media Day, Roots want to be an offensive force. He stated, “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.” On paper, the team appears to have massive firepower with all of those mentioned above, plus Wolfgang Prentice and Faysal Bettache added into the mix.
As expected for the season opener, these players simply have not shared the field much together under Martin’s new scheme. Roots signed Valot this offseason, and although he’s a veteran, it may take time for him to fully integrate into the team during game situations.
Even last season, what appears to be this season’s attacking core rarely shared the field. After Trejo signed on August 12, the trio of Wilson, Wolfgang, and Trejo played just 18 minutes together when Wolfgang and Trejo came on as second-half subs in the memorable match at Sacramento Republic. After this game, injuries to Trejo limited their opportunities to build chemistry.
They played together for 11 minutes against El Paso. Trejo entered at halftime, but then the Roots subbed Wolfgang out in the 56th minute. Against Hartford, Wolfgang did not join the group until the 77th minute. When the Roots traveled to Las Vegas, the trio saw their longest stretch together. That number? 39 minutes.
In total, Wilson, Prentice, and Trejo played just 80 minutes together (plus stoppage time).
Throwing the newly-signed Valot into this mix will inevitably lead to an adjustment period. With the questions surrounding the defense, how long that period lasts will prove extremely critical.
Question 3: Who starts at CB?
Beyond the attack, the defense that allowed the league’s most goals last year raises major questions.
The center-back position saw significant turnover in the offseason. The Roots declined the option on Gagi Margvelashvili, and Kai Greene concluded his contract, meaning Neveal Hackshaw represents the only returning player at the position who consistently started last year. Julian Bravo returns but projects as a depth piece and could get time at the outside back spot.
In the offseason, the Roots signed Michael Edwards and David Garcia. Both players are 25 and are entering the primes of their careers, which aligns with Roots’ strategy this offseason. They represent strong competition to Hackshaw.
Coming off first-team All-League Honors in USL League One, Garcia appears to be a player who directly aligns with Martin’s desires in a center-back. Martin defined the team’s defensive ethos as, “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.”
Garcia’s physicality in duels aligns with Martin’s philosophy. He won 64.3% of his duels and ranked in the top 5.6% of defenders last year. As described in the blog’s player profile announcing his signing, he also contributes on the offensive end with 21 shots on target and 44 touches in the box last year. If defense initiates the attack, Garcia’s profile suggests he could play a key role in making the philosophy a reality.
Edwards also appears to possess skills that align with Martin’s philosophy. In 2024, Edwards won the ball twice in the opponent’s final third, highlighting his ability to press and create easy scoring opportunities. As described previously, Martin wants the team to be in possession and get the ball to his playmakers. The quickest way to do that is through direct long balls. In 2024, Edwards ranked in the top 15% of players at his position for longballs. He averaged 3.24 accurate long balls for Charleston last year. His distribution plus Martin’s familiarity with Edwards from their time at D.C. United’s academy may lead to Edwards starting.
Where does this leave Neveal Hackshaw?
Arguably, Hackshaw’s passing ability represents his greatest strength. His ability to control the game with his passing and dribbling from the back always impresses. According to Fotmob, his successful dribbles ranked in the top 3.5% of the league for his position. His touches ranked in the top 4.4% for his position.
However, these skills may not translate to Martin’s philosophy. As he stated, “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.”
The direct balls that Martin appears to prefer benefit Edwards and Garcia. Hackshaw only completed 40% of his long balls last season, while Garcia comes in at 51.4%. In 2024, when Edwards last received significant playing time in MLS Pro, his percentage stood at 52.6%.
Martin’s emphasis on pressing and turning teams could highlight Hackshaw’s lack of pace. This may only be exacerbated by Martin’s preference for the 4-3-3 formation. Last year, the Roots often played with three center backs to hide Hackshaw’s lack of pace. If Martin plays the 4-3-3, Hackshaw’s blemishes may become more apparent.
Whether what Hackshaw brings to the table outweighs what he takes off it remains unseen. Saturday may offer the first indication.
Whether it is the offense, defense, or even whether they take the field, Saturday will provide the first clues about what the Roots can accomplish this season.