Wednesday’s 4-2 win over Las Vegas felt like a turning point, but not without some complications. See below for what I loved, remain unsure about, and hated about the match:
Loved: Peter Wilson ending the drought
Three minutes into the match, a familiar story of this season threatened to repeat itself.
Florian Valot took a pass from Bertin Jacquesson and delivered a beautifully weighted through ball between two defenders to Peter Wilson. Just like Saturday against Tulsa, Wilson found himself 1-on-1 with the goalkeeper.
He pushed the shot wide. Again.
And with the miss, he moved into sole possession of the league lead in big chances missed.
Had the match’s result gone differently, the narrative around Wilson’s struggles would have only grown louder.
Instead, the Roots won 4-2 in a game that was not as close as the scoreline indicated. Wilson made sure of that.
In one night, he flipped the narrative.
Our “Three Questions” piece heading into the match pointed to the underlying analytics suggesting the goals were coming for Wilson. It also floated the idea that Wilson might be a streaky player; one who just needed a single goal to break through.
On Wednesday night, he broke open the floodgates. And each of his three goals demonstrated one of the abilities that made Wilson a Golden Boot winner last season.
The first required a bit of fortune, but Wilson’s knack for positioning took advantage of it. In the 17th minute, Wolfgang Prentice delivered a dangerous pass into the box that Las Vegas’ goalkeeper parried right into Wilson’s path. He reacted instantly and redirected it into the net.
It was familiar for the season so far: right place, right time. The only difference this time? He finished.
The second goal demonstrated his explosiveness. In the 57th minute, Danny Trejo worked the ball wide to Wolfgang. As Wolfgang received the pass, he spotted Wilson beginning his run. Look at how far Wilson is behind the defender as Wolfgang receives the pass:
In less than three seconds, Wilson erased the ground between himself and the defender to get to the ball first and tap it home:
That combination of acceleration, speed, and timing is what makes Wilson so dangerous. Wilson’s goal catalog for the Roots boasts a few worldies, like the goal at Sacramento last year, but most are of this variety: explosive, well-timed, and relentless runs the defense can’t handle.
The final goal demonstrated an underrated ability of Wilson: his extraordinary strength and grit.
Wilson’s holdup play this year has been exceptional. His 36 duels won rank in the top 15% of the league. The penalty he earned in the 85 minute put that strength and effort on full display. After Tommy McCabe headed a ball toward Wilson, Wilson had little right to win this ball:
However, Wilson used his aforementioned burst to get even with defender Nate Jones. Wilson then used his strength to knock Jones off the ball, secure the advantage, shield Jones from the ball, then draw the foul that led to the penalty.
While the play demonstrated Wilson’s strength, it also reflected Wilson’s work rate. He attacks every moment of the game with full commitment.
On Wednesday night, he displayed his full repertoire.
Wilson answered the question: the drought is over.
Now the question is whether this is the start of another hot streak.
Unsure: Wolfgang Prentice and Jesus de Vicente on the same side
When Keegan Tingey made his Roots debut in the 73rd minute, the Roots moved Wolfgang back to his natural winger position. That adjustment also placed him alongside an unfamiliar partner on the outside: Jesus de Vicente.
The two typically operate on opposite sides of the pitch. Wednesday night marked the first time they shared the same one.
The experiment lasted five minutes.
In his limited minutes so far, de Vicente has demonstrated an attack-minded profile, often pushing high and utilizing his strong passing skills in advanced areas. His heat map from his two starts demonstrates this:
That contrasts with Julian Bravo’s, Wolfgang’s typical partner, more balanced role.
After the substitution, Last Vegas attacked that side almost instantly, exploiting the space created by the two moving forward. The strategy yielded results when Vegas scored in the 78th minute, just five minutes after Tingey’s substitution.
The goal triggered a full reshuffle: Tingey moved to center back, de Vicente to right back, Wolfgang to left back, and McCabe to his typical central midfielder role.
With the injuries along the backline, the de Vicente / Wolfgang pairing may be used again out of necessity.
But, until they develop the same understanding Wolfgang has with Bravo, it may be a “break in case of an emergency solution.”
Hated: The David Garcia news
The worst thing about the Roots’ night didn’t happen on the field; it came during Martin’s post-game press conference.
When asked about center back David Garcia’s injury, Martin replied, “David is going to be a little bit longer…That one is, unfortunately, more substantial. It’s not season-ending by any stretch, but we don’t expect him back immediately.
The team will feel Garcia’s absence. He had established himself as one of the team’s anchors, providing stability to a backline in constant flux. Garcia played every minute of the season before going down.
The old saying goes, “eighty percent of success is showing up.”
Garcia accomplished that.
The other twenty percent? Being good at your job.
Garcia? He’s been excellent.
Garcia’s underlying statistics back it up. Per 90 metrics place him in the top quarter of the league in duels won, aerial duels won, percentage of aerial duels won, and defensive contributions. He narrowly misses the top quarter in percentage of duels won and successful passes. He also ranks in the top 7% of clearances on a per 90-minute basis.
Fortunately, Garcia exits as other players return. Tingey debuted on Wednesday. Martin said the Roots could have risked Tyler Gibson playing, but “we felt comfortable where we were.” He called Julian Bravo’s injury a “short-term injury.”
Still, Garcia’s absence leaves a significant void. It will disrupt the strong tandem of Garcia and Edwards. and removes one of the few constants from an already unsettled backline.
More importantly, it forces difficult decisions for Martin.
In our “Three Questions” for the Vegas game, we explored likely options at center back going forward. The most logical option, Neveal Hackshaw, comes with a very visible flaw that Martin will need to scheme around. Due to his experience at center back, Martin may consider sliding Julian Bravo into the position. The move would come with a cost: Bravo’s strong form at left back and rapport with Wolfgang. Martin even previously spoke about the potential of playing Tingey at center back, a move he tried against Vegas.
Reinforcements from outside the building remain on the table. Martin noted the clubs have “our eyes on people… discussions are happening every day. When it gets pretty serious, I get involved” and after being pressed by our own Jon C., added, “Yeah, I’m involved.”
Scarcity fosters creativity.
Martin knows it. The fans saw it in his lineup decisions on Wednesday. He’ll need to lean on that same creativity again now.
At this point, creativity isn’t new for Martin; it’s routine.