Saturday’s trip to Virginia carries more drama than a typical road match against Loudoun United FC. Ryan Martin returns to the club he coached for seven seasons, questions surround the center back position, and the Roots look to improve a historically poor record on East Coast trips.
Will Ryan Martin get revenge on his former club?
Saturday will serve as a reunion of sorts for various members of the Roots. Keegan Tingey, Florian Valot, and Tommy McCabe will face off against their former team. However, the man with the most emotional ties to Loudoun will be Roots’ head coach, Ryan Martin.
Martin coached the team from 2019-2025 after replacing inaugural coach Richie Williams. During his tenure, Martin compiled a record of 61 wins, 32 draws, and 124 losses in an organization defined by instability. Founded in 2019, Loudoun initially served as MLS side DC United’s reserve side, focused primarily on player development. Martin excelled in the role, helping develop talents such as AFC Bournemouth’s Matai Akinmboni and VfL Wolfburg’s Kevin Paredes.
The club experienced its first major change when Attain Sports & Entertainment purchased the club in 2023. The sale made Loudoun United independent from DC United and shifted the program’s focus.
Further instability occurred last season, when rumors swirled that Loudoun would merge with youth club Virginia Revolution, which would become the managing partner. After Loudoun’s season opener last season, Attain CEO Greg Baroni informed players and staff of the merger. Players then learned major staffing changes were coming. The Athletic reported that players went as far as planning a boycott of the team’s second game, but ultimately decided against it.
The uncertainty was compounded by resource limitations unusual for a professional club. The Athletic also reported that Loudoun’s coaching staff lacked GPS data from players, with one anonymous player stating, “We have no way of tracking how many miles any of us have on our legs at any given time, which is ridiculous.“ The merger occurred in April, further clouding the future.
In spite of this, Martin made his final season his best. Loudoun set club records in both points and wins, finished sixth in the Eastern Conference, and earned its first playoff berth.
The club and Martin mutually parted ways after the season, leading to his move to the East Bay. In the blog’s preseason interview, Martin highlighted the facility as a standout: “I smile every day that I come in here…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.”
With Loudoun, Martin succeeded in the chaos. Now, he returns with what appears to be stronger set-up on paper.
Saturday will be his chance to prove it in reality.
Will Hackshaw Start?
For the team to make Martin’s return to Virginia a sweet one, his lineup decisions along the backline will prove pivotal.
The match against Monterey served as the first sample size without the David Garcia-Michael Edwards center back pairing. The results did not go well. Monterey outperformed their season averages in shots (9.42 average to 20 Saturday), shots on target (2 average to 5) and touches in the opposing box (16 average to 37).
This week’s pod went in-depth on the Roots’ performance with Hackshaw on the field. Peter noted how, including the USL Cup match, Hackshaw has been on the field for 50% of the goals conceded despite playing less than 30% of the club’s total minutes.
Aaron pointed out that Oakland is being outscored by 0.85 goals per 90 minutes when Hackshaw is on the field. Compared to how the team performs without him on the field per 90, the gap worsens to -1.93.
Hacksaw’s performances are putting Martin in a difficult position when selecting his starting eleven. The return of Keegan Tingey and the upcoming return of Julian Bravo will only further complicate the decision, even if it means playing Tingey or Bravo out of position.
However, if there ever were a match for Hackshaw to make a positive impact, this may be it. Loudoun is tied for the league in set piece goals, and Hackshaw has dominated the aerial game. On a per 90 basis, his 4.31 aerial duels won and 76.9% aerial duels won percentage both rank in the top 15% of the league.
Still, should we expect Martin to make a change at center back this weekend? If the underlying statistics and the performance against Monterey showed anything, it’s that repeating the same formula may bring the same problems.
Can the Roots overcome their East Coast struggles?
Last season, the Roots went 2-1-2 (W-D-L) east of the Mississippi River. It ranked as one of the stronger seasons playing against Eastern Conference teams.
All time, the Roots possess a 7-12-4 record playing east of the Mississippi. Some of their worst performances have come on those trips. Last season brought a 4-2 loss against North Carolina (RIP). Two seasons earlier, the team suffered two separate 5-0 defeats.
The reasons for the struggles are obvious. Travelling thousands of miles across the country then dealing with a time change is difficult. Saturday’s match will kick off a 2:00 PM Pacific time, a much earlier kickoff for the team than usual. Routines need to change. Travel is hard on the body.
Still, Oakland has already made a strong start toward reversing the trend this season. They put up a gritty performance and earned a point at Tampa Bay, one of the league’s strongest sides. There’s been success at Loudoun before: last year, the Roots earned a 2-0 victory in Virginia behind goals from Hackshaw and Peter Wilson.
After this match, the team will make two eastern trips to face Lexington and Indy Eleven. The season is long and teams experience ups and downs, but both currently sit midtable.
If the Roots win this weekend, it will put them in a strong position to end the season above .500 in the eastern time zone for the first time in club history.
For a club that has long struggled back East, Saturday will be a chance to continue changing the story.