Oakland Roots dropped points after holding an initial 1-nil lead over Monterey Bay FC, resulting in a 1-1 draw after the visitors scored in the 77th minute. The result pushes Roots’ winless streak to seven league games and eight overall, becoming the club’s second-longest streak without victory since going 11 matches at the start of its inaugural USL Championship season in 2021.
Roots struck first right before halftime in the 45th minute at the end of a corner. It started with Bruno Lapa sending a cross into the box, which led to a whiffed punch attempt by Monterey GK Fernando Delgado. The ball fell to Bertin Jacquesson in the middle of the box, hitting a bouncing shot into the net. It marked the club’s first goal in a span of 383 minutes.
However, Monterey tied the match with 13 minutes left in regulation. In the buildup, Michael Edwards attempted to defend a low cross by Stuart Ritchie, deflecting it to the feet of Elijah Paul, positioned in front of Bobosi Byaruhanga. Paul then curled a right-footed shot around David Garcia and past GK Kendall McIntosh laying out for a dive. Jesus de Vicente looked to defend the ball and made contact with his toe, but it trickled into the net.
Oakland is now five points below the playoff line in 10th place following Saturday’s results, and is tied with Sacramento in points in the NorCal Hella Cup. Republic faces Monterey on August 29, meaning the Roots likely need the two sides to tie to give them a chance to win this year’s Cup in the season finale in Sacramento.
Here are the current standings:
- Sacramento Republic, 1-1-0 (4 points, +2 GD)
- Oakland Roots, 1-1-1 (4 points, -1 GD)
- Monterey Bay FC, 0-2-1 (2 points, -1 GD)
Roots now look ahead to visiting San Antonio next Saturday. Here are our talking points from the tie against Monterey.
Still looking for a full-game performance
Roots looked great in the first 45 minutes of action, going into halftime in pure control of the match with 11 shots, 5 on target, six corners, 11 touches in the box, and three big chances created. Monterey had just two shot attempts at the break and didn’t record its first attempt on target until the 53rd minute of the match.
Oakland was perhaps unlucky not to score more in the first half. Bruno Lapa had a dangerous ball go across the face of the net in the second minute, Jacquesson had a shot on target in the 11th minute, while De Vicente had a shot tipped over the crossbar in the 16th minute.
Five minutes later, De Vicente almost found Wolfgang Prentice on the doorstep, but Prentice couldn’t make clear contact on his volley attempt. One of Roots’ best chances came in the 23rd minute when Lapa had a shot ring off the crossbar.
But as Roots went into halftime with a 1-nil lead, I couldn’t help but wonder if Oakland would rue its missed opportunities. Monterey turned out to dominate much of the second half, finishing the latter 45 minutes with seven shots, four on target, and 14 touches in the box to Oakland’s two attempts without any on target, and nine touches in the box.
“I think they did well tactically with [Sebastian] Lletget coming wide and creating overloads. That made it difficult for us to get numbers forward,” Martin said, before admitting the team’s composure waned as the match went on.
“Also, there may have been a lack of composure from our guys when they started getting fatigued later in the game. We still had some decent looks, but we were disappointed with how we finished chances. Even the one where we caught them in transition, and Wolfy hit one wide; we’ve got to do significantly better with that chance.”
Midfielder and captain Tommy McCabe also thinks the foot was off the gas pedal in the second half.
“That’s the question we’ll all have to reflect on,” McCabe said when asked what fell apart in the latter stage. “I think a big part of it is we didn’t play in their half enough. We sat deeper and were comfortable protecting a lead instead of going for the second goal. That’s the fight always when you score, is trying to get the second one instead of defending the lead.”
It’s been a common trend for the Roots throughout the season, where they look fantastic for one stretch of the game and putrid for another.
“Even in games where we play 70 minutes very well, there’s 20 minutes of a let-off. That’s something we’ve been trying to address,” Martin said, adding that he thinks the return of leaders like David Garcia and Mark Fisher will help the team maintain its poise.
The club struggling to put together complete performances isn’t new to this year’s roster. It’s something former coach Benny Feilhaber commented on during his explosive postgame press conference in October 2025 when they lost 3-1 to Hartford after holding an initial 1-nil lead. Feilhaber said their team was easily disrupted and was “not good enough” to stay consistent for a full 90 minutes.
Martin wasn’t nearly as harsh with his evaluation of why the Roots can’t put together a full-game performance, but he can see cracks in the mentality as stamina begins to wane.
“It’s probably a combination of both,” Martin said when asked if the struggles are due to mentality or fatigue. “When you look at the reality of it, we obviously let this one slip, but there’s a mentality around it. It’s very difficult to play professional soccer with 30 games plus the cup, but you have to bring it every single night. There’s been a lot of inconsistency in performances from players, which is frustrating for me, the fans, and the players themselves.
“That’s the biggest thing to search for: how do you become a consistent player? Even if it’s a 7/10 every single night, at least we know that’s what we’re getting. The top players can’t go from a 9/10 to a 2/10, and we’ve had a lot of that this year. That’s the reality of this group right now.”
McCabe agrees that the team is still looking for a complete performance, noting that errors and little mistakes build toward the end result.
“I agree, we haven’t played a complete game,” McCabe said. “It’s an accumulation of plays over the full course of a game. I think you saw that tonight in the second half, where it wasn’t just one play or one big error, but it’s not completing a pass, not playing in their half, not dealing with a direct ball or winning a second ball. Those things add up; it puts us on the back foot.”
Peter Wilson & Bertin Jacquesson
It was a surprise to see Roots’ reigning Golden Boot winner, Peter Wilson, move to the bench at the start of Saturday night’s match. It came after Wilson was subbed off in the 55th minute for Bertin Jacquesson — who got the start tonight and scored the team’s only goal.
As Martin describes, it was a coaching decision after feeling like the striker was playing too tentatively over the last couple of months.
“It was a coach’s decision,” Martin said. “We felt like, right now, he looks a bit hesitant in terms of his movement and his ability to run in behind. It feels a bit reactive. We had success getting in behind [against El Paso], and that’s what we wanted him to do, and it was just a delayed reaction. It seems like he’s waiting for the ball to go, as opposed to just running and expecting the ball.”
Martin thinks the injury Wilson sustained against Phoenix back on June 20 has something to do with his hesitant play.
“I think he’s a bit in his head after the injury he had in Phoenix,” Martin said. “He’s a bit reactive and tentative.”
To Martin’s credit, the squad looked good when they brought on Jacquesson against El Paso in the second half. He continued to produce on Saturday night against Monterey, scoring the club’s first goal in nearly 400 minutes.
“When we made the change in El Paso, we thought that Bertin added a spark and was better,” Martin said. “We went with him this week, and to be fair, he got a goal and created some interesting moments.
“The movement was great. He was able to run in behind and stretch Monterey’s defense. We knew they were going to go man-to-man. He created two or three yellow cards, so his movement was really good. But we also knew he’d die out. Our hope was that Monterey concedes a lot of goals late in games, and to put Peter in that position to get him going again.”
Playoff hopes done for?
After Roots went up 1-nil at halftime, they sat just one point below the playoff line. But when all was said and done, Oakland is now five points from eighth-place Lexington with two more matches played.
When speaking about the team struggling to put positive games together, coach Martin made an interesting admission, saying their eyes aren’t necessarily on making the playoffs, but on building a product that can sustain success.
“The reality is we just have to keep going in terms of what we are. Our next focus is San Antonio and not necessarily the playoffs. Obviously, we want to be in the playoffs, but it takes time. I told you that at the beginning of the season, it takes time to build,” Martin said.
“That’s the reality of the situation. We might be in that position right now where we have a tough time before the breakthrough. We’ve been in every game; we’ve lost one game by more than a goal, and the margins are very fine. Some of that is mentality, some of that is execution, some of that is decision-making. Our reality is we keep going until the end.”
When pressed on pushing for a playoff berth or shifting toward developing the team with a focus on hammering home his system’s principles, Martin said they always are looking to win but are also in the installation process in some ways.
“The mentality is you always have to win in professional sports,” Martin said. “With winning, you develop and push people. Right now, the focus is how I can help the players become better in every single training session. Can I give them information to improve? You can see really good moments, but my challenge is how we get over the hump. How can we create an environment that’s strong and keeps players fighting and working?”
David Garcia’s complete game
David Garcia made his third straight appearance, second straight start, and played his first full 90-minute game since April 11.
He was credited with the assist in Jacquesson’s goal, to go along with 24 accurate passes, six passes into the final third, one chance created, 10 defensive contributions, 10 clearances, three recoveries, and four aerial duels.
“He’s great. His composure is fantastic, his leadership is tremendous, and his ability to break lines is great,” Martin said. “We start to look at his calmness and ability to influence those around him, which makes the game slower. He’s an elite center back in this league.”
McCabe thinks both Garcia and fullback Mark Fisher make the roster more competitive.
“I think you saw it tonight with both David and Mark Fisher. They are big parts of the team and help the group move forward. It’s great to have them back; I think it makes us more competitive within our roster,” McCabe said.
Jesus de Vicente & Julian Bravo
Oakland featured two natural left backs at both full back spots, with Jesus de Vicente switching over to the right side and Julian Bravo manning the left. Both were extremely productive throughout the night.
De Vicente had a shot tipped over the bar in the 16th minute and nearly fed Prentice for a goal on a stellar cross five minutes later. Bravo also had a shot on target from distance in the 42nd minute. This all comes with natural right back, Mark Fisher, making his first appearance since March 21 when suffering his lengthy injury.
Martin is glad to have competition back at the fullback role, given it’s been one of the most injury-plagued spots on the team.
“We needed competition, to be honest,” Martin said. “We had stretches where we had two center backs available; tonight we had two left backs available and no right backs available to start. The competition is much needed. When you have a smaller roster and smaller budget in this league, and you pick up three or four injuries, you lose the competition, and that makes things difficult.”
Martin wouldn’t say if we can continue seeing De Vicente kick to the right back spot and Bravo staying put at left back, and is eager to see how Fisher can push them.
“I thought Jesus and Bravo both did really well. We were concerned with Wesley Leggett’s pace against Bravo as he started to fatigue late, and we wanted to get Fisher back in the mix. It’s going to be a really fun competition to see who pushes and who wins the spot,” Martin said.
McCabe was also pleased with De Vicente and Bravo’s performance, but also knows that competition is important for all positions across the roster.
“Especially with Fisher coming back, there’s good competition. I think they are all good players and provide something a bit different. They know that, and they just have to perform like the rest of us across every position. Whatever combination finds results is ultimately the team that will play. I thought they were both very aggressive and proactive on both sides of the ball. They added something to us for sure,” McCabe said.
Starting Lineups
- Oakland Roots
Two changes including Peter Wilson on the bench. Jesus de Vicente and Bertin Jacquesson starts, and Neveal Hackshaw sits. Mark Fisher returns to the bench. Other than that, no changes.
- Monterey Bay
Timeline
Lapa with a dangerous ball across the face that cant find Jacquesson or Wolfy- 2′
MB free kick- 8′
Jacquesson with a shot on target, rebounds to McCabe for an attempt on the volley – 11′
Lapa with a shot blocked atop the box -13′
De Vicente shot tipped over the bar – 16′
nice feed from Valot down the wing
Corner – 16′
Lapa ball cleared away
MB sails a desperate shot from distance – 18′
De Vicente great ball almost finds Wolfy – 21′
gotta finish that. Just missed connecting
Lapa hits thr crossbar – 23′
Valot with a great leaping layoff to Lapa. Initial ball by Garcia
MB dangerous pass across the face – 25′
Corner – 27′
Corner – 28′
Drawn by a shot by Jacquesson.
leads yo another
Corner – 29′
Free kick good area- 30′
Mb corner – 37′
Punched away. Draws another
MB corner – 38′
De Vicente sails a shot – 39′
Bravo with a shot on target from distance – 42′
draws a corner
Corner – 43′
Corner – 45′
great moves by Wolfy to draw it.
Leads to a whiffed punch by Delgago, falls to Jacquesson for the goal!
First Half notes:
Roots very deserving of a goal going into the break, creating all the dangerous looks. 11 shots, 5 on target, 3 big scoring chances, 11 touches in the box, 6 corners on 50% possession. MB just 2 shots, none on target, 4 touches in the box.
Free kixk good area- 49′
on left side about 8 yards from corner flag.
Play short, leads to a play in front of the net but no one can make contact
Free kick outside MB’s box – 51′
MB shot on target from distance handled well by McIntosh- 54′
MB shot on target from distance handled well again – 58′
Wilson on for Jacquesson- 60′
MB sails a shot from outside the box – 62′
MB corner – 67′
leads to nothing
Fisher and Lepley on for Lapa and Bravo – 68′
Welcome back Fisher! He comes in at RB, De Vicente switches sides
MB corner – 70′
Corner – 73′
good buildup between Valot, Fisher and Bobosi.
Corner- 75′
Nice play from Valot to Wilson in the box
Wolfy rolls a shot wide – 76′
MB scores on an own goal after a Paul sent a shot that was going on. Jacquesson tries to defend the line, but it trickles in – 78′
MB another shot on target – 81′
they’ve controlled this half
Corner – 82′
leads to another
Corner – 82′
Kiil and Gibson on for Wolfy and Bobosi – 87′
MB goal wiped for offside – 87′
nearly off a failed clearance
big save McIntosh- 90′
Corner 90+1′
punches away
Free kick to end the game – 90+3