The season’s midway point is a natural place to take stock. Some players have exceeded expectations, others have fallen short, and a few remain difficult to evaluate. With the Roots at the halfway mark, here are the players and storylines that fall into one of those three categories.
Stock Up: Wolfgang Prentice
The biggest riser on the Roots this season. Prentice went from three consecutive loan spells to not having a starting spot during the offseason to one of the three most pivotal pieces on the roster. It’s been an extraordinary but steady rise that’s a testament to Prentice’s hard work and drive.
Prentice leads the league in assists and is one goal contribution behind the league-lead. Per 90, his big chances created, assists, goals, and touches in the opposition box all rank in the top 10% of his position.
His numbers alone would justify his inclusion here. What makes them even more impressive is when they came.
At the start of the season, striker Peter Wilson struggled with finishing. It took Wilson a month and a half to get on the scoreboard. With Danny Trejo struggling and Florian Valot missing the start of the season, Prentice kept the offense afloat. Before Wilson’s first goal, Prentice scored four goals and notched two assists.
Another reason for Prentice’s importance? He got Peter Wilson going. In the match against Las Vegas where Wilson started his scoring and notched a hat trick, Prentice provided two of the assists. The two’s chemistry has been unmistakable all year. Wolfgang helps unlock Wilson because no man can be an island.
The only question remaining is whether Prentice can keep this up the whole season. At the halfway point last season, Prentice had logged 4 goals and an assist. After the switch to Coach Benny Feilhaber, Prentice struggled for playing time. He started only five of the final 14 matches. He still found a way to contribute one more goal and three assists.
This year, things will be different. Prentice’s importance to the team is unquestioned. He will need to continue his run of play for Oakland to host a playoff game in their final season at the Coliseum.
Stock Up: Jesus de Vicente
No player has done more to reverse perceptions this season than de Vicente.
de Vicente’s Roots’ tenure got off to a rocky start. In twelve minutes against Phoenix, de Vicente was dispossessed once, lost 4/5 ground duels, dribbled by twice, and was the closest defender to Charlie Dennis’ on his game-tying assist.
Since then, de Vicente has emerged as one of the engines of the team’s offensive success. He ranks among the top 10 percent of players at his position in assists, chances created, and big chances created despite not securing playing time until well into the season. That’s how productive he’s been.
His importance goes beyond the stat sheet. One of the recurring issues this season has been that the midfield has not progressed the ball effectively. From his fullback position, de Vicente gives the offense someone willing to quickly progress the ball forward and link defense to attack.
The biggest change isn’t that de Vicente went from not playing to becoming a full-time starter. It’s that he’s become indispensable. What looked like a questionable signing after one match now looks like one of the most important additions of the offseason. Only Prentice has seen his stock rise more over the first half of the season.
Stock Up: Peter Wilson
At the start of the season, it seemed nearly impossible to top a Golden Boot-winning season. Somehow, Peter Wilson has done it.
At the halfway point, Wilson’s 10 goals put him on pace to surpass last year’s Golden Boot campaign. His underlying numbers are stronger than a year ago, with increases in shots, touches in the opposition box, and scoring rate.
And he’s doing all this while dealing with the increased defensive attention that comes from winning the Golden Boot. Adding to the difficulty of being the focal point of defensive game plans is the Roots’ heavy reliance on Wilson and Wolfgang Prentice for offensive success. Wilson bears a heavy load for the Oakland Roots, but he never fails to shoulder it.
Even beyond that, Wilson’s defensive contributions play a large role in the Roots’ success. He has counterpressed much more effectively than last year. His rate of 0.72 instances of possession won in the opposition final third is a vast jump from the 0.48 rate last year. With the offensive struggles against the low block this year, they need every opportunity to attack in transition. Wilson is increasingly helping with that this year.
The first half of the season is cementing Wilson’s status as the best striker in the league.
Hold: The Oakland Roots
Oakland reached the midway mark fourth in the Western Conference with 21 points and a 5-6-4 record, four points ahead of last year’s pace. Most supporters would have gladly accepted that position before the season began.
There have been plenty of positives. Peter Wilson has proven last season was no fluke. Wolfgang Prentice has emerged as one of the league’s most productive attackers. Jesus de Vicente has become an indispensable piece of the attack. Most importantly, they finally possess a clear identity under Ryan Martin.
After years of searching for one, Oakland knows exactly who it is. They are gritty, resilient, and committed to controlling possession before attacking in transition. That foundation may be more important than their current place in the standings.
The problem is that inconsistency remains. The attack has disappeared for stretches, and several missed opportunities have left points on the table. While Oakland currently occupies a playoff position, the Western Conference remains so compressed that the margin between hosting a playoff game and falling down the standings is razor thin.
Two things can be true at once. The Roots are better than they were a year ago, but they are still not fully convincing. For now, the stock remains a Hold. Oakland has given supporters reason for optimism, but there are still too many unanswered questions to move the stock firmly into Buy territory.
Hold: Ali Elmasnaouy
Last year, Ali Elmasnaouy’s stock was trending upward. He appeared in 21 matches and started 15, earning a professional contract last July. A year later, things are very different.
His only league appearance this season came in a 17-minute cameo against Las Vegas, a match shaped by a suspension and defensive injuries. He played the whole match in the first USL Cup match, played a half in the second before being subbed off, and didn’t appear in the third.
A lack of playing time doesn’t automatically mean a lack of development. Martin built a reputation as a developer of young talent at Loudoun. At Loudoun, Martin helped develop talents such as AFC Bournemouth’s Matai Akinmboni and FC Ultrecht’s Kevin Paredes. The Roots may believe Elmasnaouy’s growth is best served within the current environment.
If they do decide to loan Elmasnaouy out this season or next, it’s not the end of the road. One of Oakland’s current stars spent years searching for consistent minutes before becoming a key contributor.
The player? Wolfgang Prentice.
Of course, there are no guarantees. Last season, Ilya Alekseev signed his professional contract then struggled to see the field. Prior to this season, the Roots bought out his contract.
Either way, Elmasnaouy is still young. He barely got the right to legally buy a beer. The talent is there. A proven coach is there if he stays. An example to look up to is there if he’s loaned. I’m holding for now.
Whether he follows the path of Prentice or Alekseev may be one of the more interesting stories for the Roots’ future.
Stock Down: The Defense
The defense remains the biggest thing holding the team from entering the “Buy” category.
The Roots have only registered two clean sheets this season. Despite controlling 55% of possession, they still allow nearly 13 shots per match, forcing their goalkeepers into one of the league’s heavier workloads. Roots’ goalkeepers ranked third in the league in saves per match.
Much of this can be chalked up to injuries. David Garcia has been missing since April. Julian Bravo missed a month of the season. Mark Fisher has yet to return after getting injured in the second match of the season. Tyler Gibson missed time. Keegan Tingey started the season injured. At times, it felt like a plague had descended on the back line.
Injuries explain the struggles. They do not excuse the results.
The Roots have five wins and six ties. Only one win has been 1-0 and one draw has been 1-0. The attack comes into each match fighting an uphill battle where they know they will likely need to score two goals to get three points.
It’s an untenable situation.
For all the progress the team has made under Ryan Martin, the defense remains the ceiling on what this team can become. Until Oakland finds a way to keep more clean sheets and reduce the burden on their attack, their playoff ambitions will remain limited.
Stock Down: Finding a Reliable Third Scorer
Another reason that the defense needs to improve? The offense lacks a reliable third scorer.
Halfway into the season, the Roots’ third leading goal scorer is still the opposition. Opponents have scored two own goals this season. That ranks only behind Peter Wilson (10) and Wolfgang Prentice (5). A plethora of players have all scored one goal, including Mark Fisher, who has not played a match since March. Beyond Wilson, Prentice, and the opposition, Roots’ players have combined for seven goals this season.
Every team wants its best players carrying the attack. Few want it to rely on two players as heavily as Oakland relies on Wilson and Prentice.
Even when things appear to get going, the train gets derailed. Danny Trejo appeared to have finally gotten out of his rut after scoring his first goal and completing his strongest performance of the season against Phoenix. Then he got a red card in the closing moments of the match and was suspended the next match, preventing any opportunity for him to build on that momentum. Florian Valot also got his first goal, then missed the next match with injury.
Oakland has dealt with the injury bug all season. All teams do, but it appears to have hit the Roots extremely hard this season. With the current situation, they cannot afford an injury to Wolfgang Prentice or Peter Wilson. If they got injured, there is no telling where the Roots would get goals from.
The Roots have built an effective attack around Wilson and Prentice’s goalscoring prowess. The concern is that it remains an attack built around only Wilson and Prentice’s goalscoring prowess. Until a reliable third scorer emerges, Oakland will remain one injury away from a major problem.
Stock Down: Bobosi Byaruhanga
The expectations were high for Byaruhanga. Before the season, Ryan Martin appeared on USL All Access and stated he expected Bobosi to become, “one of the best central midfielders in the league after this year.” After the home opener, Martin continued his praises when he stated, “When you’re looking at an elite box-to-box midfielder, he checks a lot of those boxes.”
Through the first month of the season, it looked like Martin might be right. Byaruhanga was everywhere, filling up the stat sheet with interceptions, recoveries, ground duel wins, and offensive contributions.
Then his form dipped. It reached a low in the match against Loudoun when he conceded a penalty and then the team took off when he was subbed for Florian Valot. Following the performance, he missed nearly a month of the season.
Since returning, he’s been solid, if unspectacular. His athleticism remains a major asset, particularly in the Roots’ growing use of pressing and counterpressing schemes. Knowing he can cover ground behind the play allows Martin’s side to defend more aggressively.
Still, if you told me that we would be calling Byaruhanga’s performances “solid, if unspectacular” after the opening month of the season, I would consider it a disappointment.
There is still plenty of time for Byaruhanga to reach the level Martin envisioned at the start of the season. But halfway through the season, the conversation has shifted from whether he can become one of the league’s best midfielders to whether he can recapture his early-season form.