Oakland Roots won 2-nil over Las Vegas Lights on Saturday night, giving them their first win in the Prinx Tires USL Cup.
Roots struck first in the 41st minute with a Goal of the Year contender. Lining up for a corner kick on the right side, Jesus de Vicente took matters into his own hands, curling the service off his left foot and placing it perfectly into the top left corner of the goal for a stunning Olimpico.
Oakland scored again in the 59th minute when Wolfgang Prentice dribbled in the attacking third to draw a few Las Vegas defenders before slotting a through ball into the area. Tucker Lepley picked it up in the box, making a nifty move by a defender before poking one past the keeper to make it 2-0 Oakland.
Following Saturday’s results, Sacramento holds a four-point lead on Roots with one USL Cup Group Stage match remaining, meaning Oakland has been eliminated from winning Group 1.
Below is our Man of the Match and our Talking Points from Saturday night.
RootsBlog Man of the Match: Jesus de Vicente
How about that goal from Jesus de Vicente?
His Olimpico in the 41st minute was a thing of beauty, and as electrifying as it was, it wasn’t exactly shocking to see him pull it off. De Vicente has tried time and again to bend a ball to the far post as the in-swinger from a corner this season, and was finally able to execute it for a goal.
De Vicente seems to have solidified himself as the left-back starter in Ryan Martin’s lineup, with the sheer fact that no one else on the roster can do what he does from a corner. With that goal, it’s now known around the league that de Vicente can pull off a wonder goal from the wing.
It potentially adds a new wrinkle for Oakland’s attack and how goalkeepers approach Roots’ corners. Do they play the near post? Do they stand centrally? Or must they now defend the far post? Now that he’s proven he can land it, I’m curious to see how that impacts other teams’ game plans.
Bobosi Byaruhanga’s fight for time
There’s certainly a theme with this week’s talking points: players who haven’t been appearing in Roots’ starting lineup in the USL Championship and how their play could impact things going forward. With that, we start with Bobosi Byaruhanga.
Bobosi has not played since May 9 against El Paso, finishing Saturday night with 73 minutes of action. He had 56 total touches, completed 94 percent of his passes, and five of seven of his long ball attempts. It was a good showing for someone who is clearly fighting for a spot back in the starting lineup.
One knock against Bobosi in his previous appearances was being part of the midfield’s struggles to progress the ball into the attack. On Saturday night, Byaruhanga had several passes that broke the lines, totalling 10 passes into the final third.
Perhaps his progressive play against Las Vegas is a sign that he is heeding Martin’s demands. The coming week of practice could be an important time for Bobosi to regain the coach’s trust. He faces a tough task, competing with Florian Valot and Tyler Gibson for the role.
Raphael Spiegel vs. Kendall McIntosh
Raphael Spiegel got the start after Kendall McIntosh got Oakland Roots’ last league start on May 30. Could this be a sign that McIntosh is still Martin’s preferred option ahead of June 13 against Miami FC?
Spiegel wasn’t terrible against Las Vegas. He recorded three saves, had 13 recoveries, completed two long balls, and won his one aerial duel attempt.
McIntosh had one diving save in his last appearance against Colorado Springs on May 30, along with completing two of four long passes. He arguably had Roots’ best day for a goalkeeper in the club’s USL Cup loss to Monterey Bay on April 25, recording four diving saves and two penalty kick stops.
We’ll also see what the verdict is here after a week of practice, but it’s starting to look like McIntosh will be back in the posts.
What to do with Ali Elmasnaouy?
Despite it being a USL Cup match with Roots holding an incredibly low percentage of making it out of the group, Ali Elmasnaouy still did not record one single minute. It was a near-pointless match for Oakland, giving Martin a chance to play the 21-year-old midfielder. They at least managed to get 18-year-old forward Bradley Roberson eight minutes.
Not so long ago, Ali was viewed as Roots’ heir-apparent at central midfielder. He finished with 21 appearances and 15 starts in the USL Championship last season for 1,090 minutes. But in 2026, Elmasnaouy has just 17 minutes in the league and 135 minutes in the USL Cup. With just one Cup game remaining, it’s fair to think that Ali’s chances of getting playing time are essentially done.
So, what could this mean for Elmasnaouy?
At this point, Oakland has two options for the young midfielder: loan him or release him.
Roots has documented success with loaning one player as they developed: Wolfgang Prentice. Now 26 years old, Wolfgang spent his first professional year on loan with the Northern Colorado Hailstorm in 2022, logging 986 minutes. He was then loaned to Forward Madison in 2023 and 2024, totalling 1,032 minutes for the League One side. Oakland proved to benefit from his progression in 2025, and now he’s reaching career-highs in 2026.
Much of Ali’s future could also hinge on how Martin and Roots feel about fellow central midfielder, Bobosi. As mentioned above, he is fighting for time. If Byaruhanga continues to be dropped from the lineup, he’s certainly someone of value to be transferred to another team, meaning holding on to Elmasnaouy gives Oakland depth on the back end.
But as of this moment, Ali finds himself behind Tommy McCabe, Florian Valot, Tyle Gibson, and Bobosi in Martin’s midfield depth chart. With that, it’s difficult to rationalize that stashing him is benefiting his development.
People within Roots will certainly want to avoid ditching a key figure from the Project 51O pipeline, but something has got to give. As the days pass by, a move for Elmasnaouy seems like a matter of time.
Starting Lineups
- Oakland Roots
Roots give some rest to Tommy McCabe and Michael Edwards on the subs list. Neveal Hackshaw out of the lineup. That means the CB rotation looks like Julian Bravo and Keegan Tingey, while Tyler Gibson and Jesus de Vicente make the fullback combination. The midfield looks pretty dangerous with Florian Valot and Bobosi Byaruhanga at CM, and Tucker Lepley in the CAM spot. Danny Trejo starts at striker, Wolfgang Prentice on the left, and Bertin Jacquesson on the right.
- Las Vegas Lights
Timeline
corner- 6′
De Vicente drew it on a dribble near the end line.
Jacquesson sends a shot high on his first touch – 11′
hard pass
Jacquesson almost finds Trejo on the counter – 16′
Bobosi sends a low shot on target, doesnt make good contact – 36′
free kick – 37′
About 20 yards outside the box. Leads to nothing.
corner – 41′
good work by Jacquesson to work by a defender.
JESUS DE VICENTE OLYMPICO. I KNEW HE HAD IT IN HIM
First half notes:
Roots lead on an Olympico from De Vicente, but not much to write home about otherwise. Oakland with 4 shots, 2 on target and 4 touches in the box on 48% possession. LV with just 1 shot.
LV shot hits the crossbar – 47′
Corner – 49′
play short, leads to nothing
Trejo botches a great chance from a giveaway- 50′
Corner – 54′
LEPLEY GOAL – 59′
Great touch by a defender, preceded by a great through ball by Wolfgang. Oakland leads 2-nil!
LV shot on target – 71′
went straight at Spiegel
Corner – 72′
McCabe and Edwards checking in for Tingey and Bobosi- 73′
LV corner – 75′
LV corner – 79′
draws another on a shot blocked
LV corner – 79′
LV corner – 81′
leads to a counter, but Roots unsuccessful
Roberson and Kiil on – 82′
LV corner – 83′
Corner – 90′
LV header wide – 90+4′