Oakland Coliseum: If you had told me three weeks ago that the Oakland Roots would end the stretch of Monterey Bay FC, San Antonio FC and Orange County SC with five points? I would have been thrilled, but it isn’t lost on me that the Roots left a few points on the table during this stretch. The Roots have only lost one game in their past five contests, but still find themselves in 11th place in the Western Conference. Playoffs is not out of the question still, as the Roots are only four points behind Lexington SC for 8th place. What is clear to me is that Oakland must win their upcoming “6-pointers” against Phoenix Rising, Lexington and Colorado Springs if they want to make the postseason this year.
Even with the points, the Oakland Roots fell to 11th place in the Western Conference with Phoenix Rising picking up a victory over the weekend. Oakland can still turn this team into a playoff contender that no one wants to play, but the Roots are rapidly running out of games in the 2026 campaign.
The Roots will return in two weeks, as Oakland will take on Lexington SC at the Oakland Coliseum.
Here are our top-10 player ratings from the 1-1 draw with Orange County SC.
1. Florian Valot, 8.1
Take a bow Florian Valot. The Frenchman seems to finally be comfortable in his own skin this season and is fully healthy for the Roots. Valot picked up the lone goal of the game for the Roots, with a well placed fake-out cross turned shot that truly confused Orange County’s Alexander Rando. This is the third goal of the season for Valot and it’s great to see his confidence blossom again.
2. Tommy McCabe, 7.6
HOLD THE PRESSES. For the first time since 2024 Tommy McCabe has picked up an assist. Call it lucky or not, but McCabe is officially on the stat sheet for the 2026 season. The 28-year old midfielder has been pressing forward more over the last month, as McCabe created three chances which led the team on Saturday. Overall I am enjoying this Mark Fisher/Tommy McCabe combo in the midfield for the Roots.
3. Neveal Hackshaw, 7.0
I am not sure people will want to hear this, but Neveal Hackshaw may have just won the starting job over Michael Edwards. Reportedly in practice Hackshaw won EVERY drill and competition this past week and alongside David Garcia have a defensive unit that have only surrendered four goals in their last six games. That SHOULD be good enough to start making a run towards the playoffs.
4. Kendell McIntosh, 6.9
Should Kendell McIntosh have held onto the ball or pushed it the opposite direction during Orange County’s lone goal? Yes, but McIntosh has still been the best goalkeeper for the Roots this season and has the ability to keep Oakland in games. McIntosh will be the starter the rest of the year unless something truly goes wrong and if that happens the season is already over. I have faith in McIntosh.
5. David Garcia, 6.9
My hot take. David Garcia will be on the All-USL First Team next season. I am that confident that if he is healthy anything is possible for 2027. Talking with Garcia postgame it is clear his drive to become better is exactly the type of player Ryan Martin covets.
6. Wolfgang Prentice, 6.8
The first 15 minutes of Saturday’s game were some of the best moments I have seen from Wolfgang Prentice in months. The triangle of Bruno Lapa, Florian Valot and Prentice were cooking during the early parts of the contest before eventually capping off with Valot’s goal. Though I would desire more shots from Prentice, as the 26-year old winger only had one total shot for the game.
7. Jesus de Vicente, 6.8
Jesus de Vicente struggled with ground duels, with the 25-year old defender putting up a 0-for-5 performance in the category. The Spaniard, as you would expect was solid on the offensive end, as de Vicente was 4-of-6 for accurate long balls. Two key weeks of practice ahead for de Vicente.
8. Mark Fisher, 6.7
Ryan Martin alluded that Mark Fisher had won the midfield spot next to Tommy McCabe over Bobosi Byaruhanga. Overall the energy is strong from Fisher and I am excited to see how he grows into the role for the rest of the season. He could be the future plan at the position for next season.
9. Julian Bravo, 6.4
An overall theme of Saturday was Oakland struggling on ground duels and winning aerial duels. Julian Bravo falls into this category with only 2-of-7 ground duels won against Orange County SC. No shots this week for Bravo, but just like Jesus de Vicente… this upcoming two weeks of practice will be key for his starting future with Keegan Tingey returning soon.
10. Bruno Lapa, 6.4
Bruno Lapa was great to start the game and we are starting to see what to expect from the Brazilian veteran. I still wish we would receive any time with Lapa and Peter Wilson on the field at the same time, but we may have to wait a few weeks for that combination. No shots for Lapa is something to monitor heading forward.