Phoenix: What a totally normal and uneventful weekend in Arizona for the Oakland Roots, as the Roots return back to Oakland in second place in the Western Conference, but may be without their star striker for a tiny bit. The Roots held on for a 4-3 road victory over the Phoenix Rising on Saturday evening in the heat of the Arizona summer. This is the first win in the last eight games against the Phoenix Rising for the Roots.
Both Danny Trejo and Florian Valot picked up their first goals for the Oakland Roots, while Peter Wilson picked up a brace for the game. Wilson leads the team with nine goals on the season, but the 29-year old was stretchered off in the 89th minute. Who will fill this massive void for the Oakland Roots if Wilson does miss a large chunk of time? Maybe this is just the beginning of the Trejo redemption story? Only time will tell.
The Roots will return in two weeks against New Mexico United.
Here are our top-10 player ratings from Saturday.
1. Peter Wilson, 9.4
What a stunning showing for Peter Wilson, as the defending USL Golden Boot winner had two goals and an assist in the key victory. My reaction to this performance has been muted, as Wilson was stretchered off in the 89th minute and early unconfirmed reports don’t look promising. If this is the last we have seen of Wilson for a while… at least he went out with a bang.
2. Florian Valot, 8.0
It finally happened for two offensively minded players for the Oakland Roots, as Florian Valot scored his first goal in a Roots uniform in the 74th minute. Valot appears to be fully healed from his early season injury and is showing what many had hoped from his signing in the off-season. Much like the World Cup… Expect more Frenchmen in your life moving forward.
3. Wolfgang Prentice, 7.8
Wolfgang Prentice surprisingly didn’t start Saturday’s contest, but the 26-year old made up for it with two stunning assists in just 30 minutes of game time. A masterful showing for Prentice, with Wolfgang creating and securing two big chance opportunities. My guess is Prentice didn’t start because of the Roots playing three games in seven days. Put that together with 99 degree start game temperature and it isn’t that shocking.
4. Tommy McCabe, 7.5
It was a one week sabbatical at the bottom of the rankings last week for Tommy McCabe, as the “Professor” returned to his normal high energy and commanding style. McCabe had a game high 85 touches and was back over 90% accuracy on passes for the contest. I am not sure what the Roots would do without him.
5. Bertin Jacquesson, 7.3
Bertin Jacquesson played a fantastic game on the right side for the Oakland Roots outside of one glaring issue. Early in the first half Danny Trejo and Jacquesson had a 2-vs-1 opportunity and Jacquesson was given a wild open look at an easy goal. You have to bury that shot in the back of the net. I wouldn’t be shocked if Tucker Lepley is starting in two weeks.
6. Danny Trejo, 7.2
What a rollercoaster the Danny Trejo experience continues to be. Let’s start with the good. I am not sure if it was playing his old team in Phoenix Rising, but the “old” Danny Trejo came out on Saturday evening in the heat in Phoenix. Trejo scored his first goal of the season and consistently was causing chaos for the Phoenix Rising shredded defense. On the negative side… Trejo did receive a red can in the final 10 seconds of the contest (Which should hopefully be appealed), but also his finishing ability was still slightly off.
7. Neveal Hackshaw, 6.9
After not starting on Wednesday against Birmingham Legion FC, it wasn’t a complete shock that Neveal Hackshaw picked up the starting nod over Julian Bravo for the contest with Phoenix Rising. Hackshaw continues to be a solid starter stopgap and a key bench veteran for the Roots. An impressive 11 defensive contributions for the 30-year old veteran.
8. Kendall McIntosh, 6.9
Kendall McIntosh’s performance is a lot better than the stats will tell you. Yes McIntosh gave up three goals, but one was a questionable awarded penalty and six stunning saves and was extremely key in the victory. I am not sure which way Ryan Martin will go in net, as neither netminder has pulled a clean advantage over the other one. My gut says Raphael Spiegel starts on July 4th.
9. Bobosi Byaruhanga, 6.9
The attacking ability of Bobosi Byaruhanga has rapidly slowed down into just a trickle, but the Ugandan national was better at starting attacks from the back. Bobosi was 4-for-6 on accurate long ball passes and had nine passes into the final third.
10. Tyler Gibson, 6.7
Tyler Gibson picked up the start over Keegan Tingey at right-back, but it had some mixed results overall. Gibson was only 1-for-3 on ground duels won and committed two fouls in 69 minutes of action. Not sure I fully understand starting Gibson outside of playing three games in seven days.