Over my 16 years covering Bay Area Sports, I traditionally have been a glass half full and positive type individual. Well today my evil twin Neil Poulter has locked me in the basement and has the power of the pen today. He will be discussing and proposing what sell-off moves the Oakland Roots should make before the upcoming roster freeze. Think of this as a summer Baseball trade deadline trade candidate piece. I know San Francisco Giants and Athletics fans will be extremely familiar with this type of idea.
I want to stress this is all a thought experiment and none of these potential moves have any sourcing backing or that the Roots will sell at all! But let us dig into some spicy ideas! Rubs hands menacingly.
Peter Wilson: 29-year old Striker
Why Move Him?
Peter Wilson is likely in the final year of his two year contract with the Oakland Roots. If the Roots fall to Orange County this Saturday at the Oakland Coliseum, it may be time to call an end to this season. The next question is will Wilson be back next season? Wilson is a fantastic player, the best on this and last year’s teams, but does he fit the Ryan Martin future? That I am not sure. He has been benched the last two games and the Roots offense has seen some success. I am sure Oakland could receive a solid transfer fee for the star striker.
Europe- Rhode Island’s striker JJ Williams was just moved to Hearts in Scotland, with a rumored total of about $100,000 being the asking price for the veteran goal scorer. No offense to Williams, but Peter Wilson… the defending USL Golden Boot winner should be worth more than that in theory. At the end of last season I felt that Wilson appeared a little homesick, as the 29-year old was away from his newly married wife for most of the season. I wouldn’t be shocked to see a team in Scotland or Norway snap up the Roots legend.
Rhode Island- Speaking of Rhode Island, it appears that the Eastern Conference side could be in need of an attacking minded finisher to keep Rhode Island in the playoffs. Closer to Europe to see the family and in the Eastern Conference, so the Roots won’t have to play him in the future.
About two minutes after posting this article- #RIFC has announced the signing of forward Stas Korzeniowski on loan from Philadelphia Union pending league and federation approval.
Wolfgang Prentice: 26-year old Left Winger
Why Move Him?
This may come as a surprise, but Wolfgang Prentice potentially has the highest value of any player the Oakland Roots could move during this small remaining transfer window. The 26-year old has massive positional versatility and has proven earlier in this season that his ceiling could be higher than the USL Championship level. Prentice likely has one more year remaining on his contract after signing the contract extension in the middle of last season, so the Roots don’t have an expiring contract unlike most of the rest of this list.
San Jose Earthquakes– OK bear with me here. The San Jose Earthquakes have been in a massive rut since the FIFA World Cup break happened. Bruce Arena and the Quakes just announced the trade of midfielder Eduard Lowen from St. Louis City SC, but could really use some depth behind star winger Timo Werner and Ousseni Bouda. I would have originally thought of Sporting Kansas City as a home for Wolfgang, but unlike San Jose… Sporting Kansas City has decided to spend money during this transfer window. We all know John Fisher isn’t going to spend money, so a USL transfer makes sense. The Quakes have already done this once this season, when San Jose picked up Phoenix Rising’s Darius Johnson
Hartford Athletic- Hartford Athletic have ONLY scored 15 goals this season and could really use a connector on the outside in Wolfgang Prentice. Hartford are in 8th place in the Eastern Conference and will need to make another move to push them over the top, alongside pushing for back-to-back USL Prinx Tire Cup Titles.
Julian Bravo- 25-year old Left-Back
Why Move Him?
Julian Bravo has proved over this season that he can be a quality left-back or center-back at the USL Level. The Oakland Roots currently have six quality backline players and Bravo could be the odd man out heading into 2027. Jesus de Vicente should have the job on the left side, with Keegan Tingey on the right. If the Roots can’t make the playoffs, someone in the Eastern Conference will likely want one of these backup defenders.
Louisville City FC- Louisville City FC this season has had one massive issue and it has been their defense. Bravo would start for Louisville, as the former Eastern Conference power has been hit with the injury bug all season long. Bravo likely has more value over Neveal Hackshaw, as Bravo can play any spot on the backline for Louisville.
Lexington SC- Lexington SC have already made some moves this transfer window, but their backline still appears to be an issue that could cause them to be bounced early in the Western Conference Playoffs. The Kentucky side spent the most money this offseason and aren’t afraid to make a move. Wouldn’t be shocked AT ALL to see one of the Roots defenders head here if the Roots do sell.
Neveal Hackshaw- 30-year old Center-Back
Why Move Him?
Neveal Hackshaw is one of the all time USL championship defenders and his veteran nature and championship grit could be valuable to a team looking to push deep into the postseason. Hackshaw still struggles with speed, but still is elite in the air. He is also statistically still a great weapon with deep passes out of the backline.
Orange County SC- Orange County SC have had a nightmare last three weeks, as the former top team in the Western Conference have lost three games in a row by a margin of 11-3. Yes Orange County lost to three quality playoff bound teams, but for a side that made its calling this season on quality defense… It has been quite shocking to see the fall off. This team’s confidence is shot and they could use a veteran voice.
Faysal Bettache- 26-year old Striker
Why Move Him?
I enjoy Faysal Bettache a lot as a player. He is smart and overall brings a lot of solid positives to any lineup he is in. But the question is whether he is a Ryan Martin type of player. Bettache was brought in last summer to fill a hole that then coach Benny Feilhaber needed, but over this season Bettache has seen less and less playing time. Bettache has played less than a total of 90 minutes in the Roots past six games.
AC Boise
AC Boise is mainly here as a catch-all for the USL 1. Bettache made a name for himself over the last couple years at Tacoma Defiance, where he was seen as one of the top players in the MLS Next program. Maybe Bettache is just a USL 1 level player and he can dominate with AC Boise. The Idaho side seems to be pushing towards being a true player at the USL 1 level.
Won’t Be Traded
Danny Trejo- 28-year old Striker
A speed striker with a long injury history on the wrong side of 27?? Yeah even with his past glory, no one is taking this contract. Speaking of that, I don’t have the official contract numbers, but my understanding is that Danny Trejo is paid extremely well and his contract is definitely seen as one of the worst in the USL. The Roots would gladly move him if there was any interest, but that market is not there.