The Roots return to the Bay after a 3-2 loss to Orange County in a match defined by the Roots’ attack. It generated chances, created goals, but ultimately fell short. The match captured both the promise and inefficiency that continues to shape the season.
Loved: The Roots in Transition
Prior to the match, we wondered whether the Roots would be able to solve the problem that Orange County’s defense posed.
The Roots didn’t solve the low block. They just elected to bypass it completely.
The Roots’ transition play dismantled Orange County’s defense before it ever had time to organize.
The Roots’ two goals came in these moments. In the 40th minute, the Roots turned over Orange County and Keegan Tingey progressed the ball forward. He pushed wide to Bertin Jacquesson, who squared a ball in the direction of Peter Wilson. Wilson drew the attention of two defenders and a deflection allowed the ball to drift in Wolfgang Prentice’s direction. Wolfgang calmly finished it.
In the 56th minute, the Roots gained possession near midfield after Tyler Gibson won an aerial duel and directed the ball to Wolfgang. Wolfgang pushed the ball wide to Jesus de Vicente, who played a long ball to Peter Wilson. Wilson took the ball past the keeper and scored.
The Roots’ most dangerous scoring chances also came in these situations. The beginning of the match set the tone. In the fourth minute, Tommy McCabe sent a diagonal long ball to Bertin Jacquesson that led to a goal-scoring opportunity. In the 42nd minute, Gibson launched a ball over the top to Jacquesson, who sent a cross into Peter Wilson for another scoring opportunity. In the third minute of stoppage time, Gibson again sent a pass over the top to Jacquesson, who fed the ball to Wolfgang. Wolfgang dummied the ball and allowed Jacquesson to regain control, take the ball into the box, and push the shot wide.
Tyler Gibson represented a common denominator in many of these moments. He provided the Roots with a player willing to launch through balls and passes over the top to skip lines of the defense. He completed 4/6 long balls and completed 12 passes into the final third, which was the third most on either side. His partnership with Bertin Jacquesson was lethal on Saturday, as his willingness to play vertically consistently unlocked the Roots’ attack.
Unsure: Who Will Emerge as a Third Goal Scorer?
Peter Wilson and Wolfgang both capitalized on those moments in transition for the Roots. It should come as no surprise as both players are the team’s only reliable goal-scoring threats.
A clear hierarchy exists in the Roots’ attack and Wilson and Wolfgang sit atop it. Their 11 combined goals constitute 61% of the Roots’ offensive output.
The third leading scorer for the Roots? The opponent. Two own goals put opposing teams third on the team’s scoring list nearly three months into the season.
After that, Bertin Jacquesson, Faysal Bettache, Mark Fisher (hasn’t played since March 21), Julian Bravo (hasn’t played since April 18), and Tucker Lepley (just arrived three weeks ago) all are tied for fourth with one goal.
The team expected established players to assume this role. At the start of the season, Martin stated, “Between Danny Trejo, Florian Valot, and Peter Wilson, we have some pretty good firepower.” Yet two of these pieces have yet to consistently contribute. Florian Valot began the season injured and has appeared as a sub in a deeper role. After arriving late last season and dealing with injury, Trejo has dealt with inconsistency throughout the season and has appeared stronger in a substitute role.
Many of the struggles for tertiary goal scorers come from wasted opportunities. For example, Bertin Jacquesson has 11 shots this season. Only two are on target. Danny Trejo’s stat line tells a similar story. He has 13 shots and only 4 are on target. Combined, less than a quarter of their shots are on target.
Further compounding the issue is the pressure on the Roots to score multiple times in order to win. The team has not recorded a clean sheet since the season opener against Monterey Bay. Nearly four months have passed since then. The attack faces consistent pressure to score. So far, Wolfgang and Peter Wilson have proven capable of shouldering the load. However, the season is long and one can only carry that load for so long.
It is critical that someone emerges as a consistent goal-scoring threat. Defenses are paying more attention to Peter Wilson than ever and are resorting to grabbing and holding him off the ball. If defenses can shut down Wilson and Wolfgang, the Roots currently have no reliable fallback.
Currently, the Roots’ attack is like trying to sit on a two-legged stool. It can be done. It just requires immense effort and constant balance. Any shift risks a collapse. Adding a third leg isn’t optional. It’s necessary.
Hated: The Roots’ Missed Opportunities
The official stats were generous to the Roots on Saturday. They did not credit the Roots with any big chances missed. By doing this, they buried what’s turning out to be a consistent trend for the Roots. They’ve blown many scoring opportunities this season.
Those same transition moments that produced some of the Roots’ most dangerous moments also revealed a familiar issue: finishing. The Valot miss. The Wilson miss. The Jacquesson miss. None of these moments were logged as big chances missed, but each represented the type of opportunities the Roots have consistently struggled to convert this season.
Zooming out, the statistics tell a story of a team that needs to improve their efficiency with big chances. Their 24 big chances created rank sixth in the league. The problem isn’t getting the ball into dangerous areas. The problem isn’t creating chances. The problem is getting the ball in the net.
Of those 24 big chances, the Roots have missed 14 of them and their 41.7% conversion rate places them 14th in the league. The Roots and New Mexico are the only teams in playoff positions in the Western Conference that rank in the bottom half of the league.
Things tend to revert to the mean. The question is in which direction. Does the Roots’ inefficiency drag them down the table, or do they begin finishing at a rate consistent with Western Conference playoff teams?
No one can predict the future. The only certainty is that until efficiency improves, the Roots will continue to leave points on the table.