Roots fans it is game day again! Roots look to continue their perfect season with a trip to Phoenix, Arizona to face long-time Western Conference rivals Phoenix Rising F.C. The match will be at 7:00 p.m. and available on KTVU Plus and ESPN+. You can usually catch matches at Line51 as well, if you want to watch with other supporters.
Rising’s Form
Phoenix is not off to the start they were looking for, falling 2-1 on the road to San Antonio F.C. and then drawing 1-1 at home to Orange County S.C.
USL Analytics on Bluesky had San Antonio at .73 xG and Phoenix at 1.76, although its worth noting that a penalty is typically around .75 xG, so Phoenix’s number is inflated in that regard. Two things to watch for in these highlights. First, SA’s second goal from defender Alex Crognale on a hell of a run for a centerback. Very high school soccer shit. Second, Phoenix’s goal comes off of a penalty given for a tackle by our friend Akeem O’Connor-Ward which the broadcaster really celebrates as a great defensive effort. Unfortunately, the editing covers the moment when the broadcaster learns it was, in fact, not a great defensive effort.
One minor note, SA lined up with AOW opposite Danny Barbir, a pairing that Roots ran as starters in one game in 2022 after Barbir joined and before AOW was iced out and then released (a thing I am still salty about).
USL Analytics on Bluesky had the xG for Rising-County at 0.51 – 0.78, respectively.
Ihsan Sacko hit a hell of a shot from distance. It surprises me a little that the keeper couldn’t get there, I think he might have realized it was coming a little late. Rising 22-year-old striker Juan Carvajal, one of their key offseason acquisitions, was sent off in first-half stoppage time for completely inexplicably delaying a restart from free kick in (a) not at all a dangerous situation; (b) four minutes after getting his first yellow for a body-check also not in a dangerous situation. Completely insane. Orange County would also go down to ten men when Garrison Tubbs–who just joined County on loan from D.C. United–tackled Charlie Dennis from behind to stop a 2-on-1. Ten man county equalized on a scramble arising out of a free kick in second half stoppage time and the teams split the points.
Roots’ Form
Oh baby. Two wins in a row. And looking good.
Roots scored early with some really pretty one-touch passing culminating in a Wolfgang Prentice headed goal. Roots then absorbed tons of pressure without really conceding any big chances. They tried to make the game calm to end out by scoring again late, but they conceded almost immediately. Still, the least precarious the Roots have pretty much ever made a one-goal lead look, both at 1-0 and 2-1.
The vibe at the Coliseum for this match was immaculate. I was chatting with Hooligans Aaron (not RootsBlog Aaron) during the second half and I think it might be that a full season at the Coliseum has grown the number of Roots fans as distinguished from “people who will show up and cheer for the Roots.” I think there might have been more Roots fans in the 15k people at this opener than there were in the 26k people at last year’s opener. I think a major goal of the club, and potentially a success from a full season at a bigger venue in the Town, is turning “people who will show up and cheer for the Roots” into Roots fans–people who will come to a lot of games, people who have a rough sense how the team is doing in the standings, people who recognize a few player names, people who know which team is wearing the black jerseys (an unforced error from the team, but still a hurdle to be overcome). I’m curious if that will bear out in increased attendance this year, although I really hope that the Roots will continue to play much better and thereby obfuscate the cause of increased attendance.
Is the World Better or Worse Since the Last Match?
Holding steady at “very bad.”
The belligerants in what future historians will call “the dumbest god damned war in history,” are destroying each other’s (and each other’s client states’) oil and gas infrastructure which would be easier to take lightly if it was not immediately environmentally destructive (notwithstanding the potential for future reduction in dependence) and as I have complained about previously, almost certainly very bad for agriculture. The last few days have seen increasing reporting that the pentagon is considering sending marines in, which has never gone badly.
I look forward to celebrating the good thing happening. In some ways, I feel like this feature exists for that moment.
Match Predictions
Bloom
I’m buying what Ryan Martin is selling. Without more tape on New Mexico it’s hard to exactly assess the quality of that win, but I think there’s reason to believe that New Mexico will be a better team this season than Phoenix. Playing on the road in the blistering heat is not ideal for Roots but I think the foundation they have built in two wins gives them an advantage over a Phoenix team that is still struggling to put its pieces together.
Roots 2-0, the defense continues to hold firm and the offense builds on its success even if different personnel stand out. Up the fucking Roots.
Jon
I’m curious to see the lineup tonight after Ryan Martin said Danny Trejo is expected to have “no minutes restriction” in last week’s postgame presser. Perhaps it’s time for him to start. I still am not expecting Florian Valot or Keegan Tingey, so there shouldn’t be a surprise to see Faysal Bettache and Mark Fisher, who are both playing really well. We’ll see if there are any surprises (and there might be).
I’m going 3-1 Roots. Let’s go boys.
Aaron
If I may, one way in which the world is, in fact, not worse than it was last week is that Afroman prevailed in the defamation lawsuit brought against him by the cops who were embarrassed by the songs he wrote commemorating their raid of his home. It’s always nice when the dumbest, most mendacious among us (and why are so many of them cops) get some amount of comeuppance. Plus, the celebratory songs Afroman released are bangers.
Anyway, it’s supposed to be like 1000 degrees in Phoenix today, and will still be in the 90s at gametime. The Roots have been playing pretty aggressive, precise football, and one wonders if you can stay at the top of your game when it’s hotter than Hades on the pitch. Obviously, the temperature affects both teams, but I’m just saying we might need to prepare for some slightly sloppy play. But you still wouldn’t be wise picking against the Roots until someone actually shows us how you get the better of them. Because right now, I don’t think the league has any real idea what the formula would be. 3-2 Roots.