Saturday’s match at El Paso Locomotive FC felt like a microcosm of the season: an inability to convert major opportunities, moments where the offense felt listless, dangerous moments in transition and a game where the Roots looked like completely different teams in both halves.
Because the match played out like so much of the Roots’ season, the result was hardly surprising: a 1-0 defeat in a critical match for Oakland’s playoff hopes.
Loved: The Press and Counter-press in the Second Half
Florian Valot and Tucker Lepley had the two biggest opportunities to score on the night.
In the 49th minute, Wolfgang Prentice intercepted an El Paso pass near the center circle then laid it off to Bruno Lapa. Lapa passed it to Valot, who took a shot on target that was blocked by the keeper.
In the 68th minute, the Roots’ defense pressured high up the pitch. Tommy McCabe deflected an errant pass outside the box to Bertin Jacquesson, who passed to Valot at the penalty arc. Valot passed to Tucker Lepley, who took a shot destined for goal. However, Noah Dollenmayer intervened at the last second and headed the ball out of bounds.
The common theme between the two? They came in moments of transition.
Attacking in transition makes sense as an antidote to many of Oakland’s specific woes. The Roots have struggled all season to break down set defenses. Why not attack them before they establish their shape in the first place?
The Roots lack players who can consistently win 1 v. 1, especially with the injury to Danny Trejo and dip in form from Bertin Jacquesson. Why not use the chaos of transition to create spaces that all players can exploit?
Oakland possesses great distributors. Why not allow those distributors to seize upon the bigger passing lanes created by transition?
The second half offered another glimpse of what that looks like.
The Roots pressed and counter-pressed much more than in the first half. Compare the tackles won, interceptions, and recoveries from the first half and the second half of Saturday’s match:
First Half:
Second Half:
The maps bear it out: the Roots tried to win the ball higher up the pitch in the second half.
The stats reflect how much more effective their offense was after halftime. After logging no shots and only two shots in the opposition box in the first half, the Roots took 10 shots and put three on target in the second half. They took 14 touches in the opposition box and created at least four moments that could have resulted in goals.
The frustrating part is that the Roots didn’t find this version of themselves until after halftime. It didn’t provide a blueprint for every issue facing the Roots, but it served as a reminder of what the team looks like when it is dangerous.
The only issue is that the Roots cannot get this version of themselves last for 90 minutes.
Unsure: What the Backline Looks Like Going Forward
For the first time all season, Ryan Martin may actually have too many options on defense.
On Saturday, David Garcia made his return to the starting lineup. It marked his first start since April.
Mark Fisher also appears close to returning. After the Sacramento Republic match, Ryan Martin stated that Fisher returned to training and that, “playing will be based on their fitness levels, how they feel, and to continue showing no symptoms of pain or regression.”
The two players join Neveal Hackshaw, Michael Edwards, Julian Bravo, Jesus de Vicente and the injured Keegan Tingey in a crowded room of defenders.
The challenge is no longer finding healthy defenders. It’s figuring out which combination gives Oakland its best chance to make the playoffs.
The abundance of options comes at a critical point in the season, with the Roots entering a stretch where every game plays a pivotal role in their playoff hopes. Martin will soon have some difficult decisions to make.
Each player brings their own strengths and weaknesses. So does each combination.
It’s like Rubik’s Cube that is 6×6 instead of 3×3. There are so many possible combinations to sort and rotate through before finally finding the right solution.
The problem is that the Roots’ performance to this point does not afford Martin the luxury of attempting to solve the puzzle multiple times. Martin may only get a few more chances to find the right combination before the Roots’ playoff chances are extinguished.
Hated: The Starting Lineup
With the Roots in free fall and having only scored one goal in their previous four matches, Ryan Martin decided it was time to switch it up.
He started a backline of Michael Edwards and Julian Bravo at the outside back positions and Neveal Hackshaw and David Garcia paired at center back.
Wolfgang Prentice shifted to the right side, Peter Wilson played on the left, and Bruno Lapa started as the center forward.
The new look did not work.
The Roots were under siege in the first half. El Paso logged 9 shots in the first half, with 8 coming inside the box. They couldn’t get the ball out of their own half with two-thirds of their passes occurring in their own half.
The problem wasn’t simply that El Paso was creating chances: it was that the Roots couldn’t establish possession long enough to create any of its own.
With Jesus de Vicente starting the match on the bench, the Roots lacked a player capable of carrying the ball forward and turning defense into attack with the same consistency.
Further compounding the issue, the lineup’s inability to hold possession forced the Roots’ best player into positions he shouldn’t have been in.
Peter Wilson had to drop back, defend, and attempt to receive the ball deeper in the field more than he has all season.
Wilson’s heat map bears this out:
No good will come from the league’s defending Golden Boot winner’s second-biggest heat area being the outside of his own box.
I applaud Ryan Martin for having the stones to try something so new and drastic when the normal is not working.
Still, Saturday’s first half showed he needs to look elsewhere for a solution.