Saturday’s draw with Monterey Bay played out like so many previous Roots’ matches.
The Roots looked dangerous when they pressed, attacked quickly, and played in transition in the first half. They looked vulnerable in the second. The result highlighted both further evidence for the blueprint for the Roots’ success and the recurring issues that continue to undermine it.
Loved: The Continued Strength of the Roots’ Press and Counter-Press
The Roots currently rank second in the Western Conference in passes per possession, averaging 4.74 per possession and only trailing New Mexico United.
This week, Ryan Martin wanted to break that tendency.
“Our goal was to have six chances in four passes or less” Martin said in his post-match press conference.
In the first half, the Roots nearly did. And it came on the heels of their strong press and counter-press.
In his “Top-10 Ratings” piece, Daniel Poulter noted how, “during the first half Oakland had five shots on target, and all five of those opportunities came off of a Monterey Bay turnover and featured 1 or fewer passes before the shot.”
Martin’s objective makes sense. When the Roots pass the ball a lot, it brings out some of their worst tendencies.
The tendency to cycle the ball around the penalty box without a clear plan for what to do with the ball.
The tendency to resort to a hopeless cross after the defense has settled and established its shape.
The tendency to have what I’ve deemed, “the empty calorie possessions.”
As I wrote about after the El Paso match, “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?”
In the first half, the Roots did. Monterey Bay’s first half touchmap paired with Oakland’s defensive recoveries, interceptions, and tackles won map reflects the Roots’ pressing out of a midblock :
Defensive recoveries and interceptions were concentrated in the middle third of the field, allowing the Roots to consistently disrupt Monterey’s progression and launch their own attack in transition. More importantly, it relieved pressure on the Roots’ backline.
Looking at Monterey’s touch map, there’s a notable void in the central areas outside the Roots’ penalty area. Monterey found touches in wide areas and deeper buildup zones, but couldn’t establish possession in dangerous areas.
For a team that so often has struggled to generate offense, the first half offered more evidence for the Roots’ blueprint for offensive success: win the ball around midfield or higher, attack before the defense is set, and turn recoveries into chances to prevent those empty-calorie sequences.
The only question is whether the Roots can play that way for 90 minutes. The evidence is beginning to strongly point to “no.”
Unsure: Is the Roots’ Roster Built for Its Best Style?
It’s become a bit of a broken record, but the match was a story of two halves.
The second half saw Monterey control possession while the Roots seemed content to absorb pressure and try to see out the win.
Monterey penetrated that arc surrounding the penalty box that the Roots established in the first half. Monterey logged seven shots, with four of them on target, and created 14 touches in the opposition box.
Monterey’s second-half touch map paints a different picture than the first:
When asking about the Roots’ inability to put together a complete performance, our own Jon C. asked, “do you think it’s a mentality thing … or fatigue?” Martin responded with “a little bit of both.”
Looking at Martin’s response, it makes sense.
It also brings up a difficult tension: the style producing their best moments is also a style that places greater physical demands on a veteran-heavy roster.
Florian Valot is 33 and spoke at length about the need to adapt from back-to-back ACL injuries in an Instagram post. He spoke about the need to learn to adapt “when you’re losing speed, losing mobility.” Danny Trejo is 28 and possesses a lengthy injury history. Tyler Gibson, a player whom Martin noted as important to have on the field because of his leadership, is 35 and has dealt with multiple injuries this season.
At the start of the season, the Roots’ roster made sense. The vision was clear. The Roots wanted to possess the ball and build up the attack. They wanted to break defenses down and punish them with Peter Wilson, Trejo, and Valot. Distributors and smart players like McCabe would aid in that as well.
As Martin said before the season, “we want to be one of the top attacking teams in the league… We have some pretty good firepower.”
That firepower has not materialized often enough this season.
The keg is dry.
The Roots need to adapt. Their strongest style has become increasingly obvious. The only question is whether they can find a way to sustain it with the players on-hand.
Hated: The Same Issues Rearing Their Head
Saturday saw the Roots playing all the hits that have led to their swoon. Besides the already-discussed issue with playing two completely different halves, Oakland underperformed its 1.68 xG largely because it failed to convert any of its three big chances.
The Roots are fourth in the league and first in the Western Conference with 48 big chances created. They have missed 32, failing to convert 67% of their big chances.
Oakland’s attack isn’t suffering from a lack of opportunity. The Roots have proven capable of generating dangerous looks at goal. What’s held them back is the inability to translate those opportunities into goals, turning promising attack performances into narrow wins, frustrating draws, and missed points.
Saturday was one of those nights.
The worst thing about it is that the Roots’ issues compound.
They deal with maddening inconsistency within matches. When the attack is functioning, they struggle to capitalize on those chances. They can’t build a comfortable lead in those moments. When the attack stalls, they struggle to create chances at all. One problem feeds another.
It’s the perfect recipe for a seven-match winless streak.