The Roots left Saturday with a point, but not necessarily with more clarity. While Florian Valot’s recent form continue to provide encouragement, many of the same issues remained on display. As the playoff race enters its final stretch, here is what stood out from Saturday’s match:
Loved: Someone on the Team Finally Passed the Opposition
It took 23 matches, but someone finally did it.
With Florian Valot’s goal in the 20th minute, a player on the Roots finally surpassed the opposition as the Roots’ third leading goal scorer in league play.
After New Mexico’s own goal in the home opener and Tampa Bay’s own goal in the April 11 match draw against the Roots, the opposition firmly entrenched themselves into the position as the Roots’ third top scorer with two goals.
Danny Trejo, Faysal Bettache, Julian Bravo, Mark Fisher, and Tucker Lepley all threatened to overtake the opposition with one goal. Bertin Jacquesson even tied the mark two weeks ago with his second goal of the season against Monterey Bay.
But on Saturday, Florian Valot finally overtook the opposition with his third goal this season. It was his third goal in his last nine matches.
All sarcasm aside, the fact that it took four months for someone to accomplish the feat is indicative of the larger problems the Roots have faced in attack.
Things are compounded by the scoring swoon that Wolfgang Prentice is in. Wolfgang was extremely dangerous on Saturday. He was a constant threat on the outside and offered some dangerous crosses that no one got on the other side of. He led the team in touches in the opposition box. Still, he has not scored in three months.
Peter Wilson, the defending Golden Boot winner, has come off the bench in the last two matches and hasn’t scored a goal from open play since the Fourth of July.
With these circumstances, Valot’s goal-scoring is extremely important. Still, his contribution extends beyond goal-scoring. The past three matches have been the best stretch of the season for the Frenchman. During that span, he has created seven chances for the Roots. He’s been the Roots’ highest-rated player on Fotmob in two of those matches.
His strong form comes at a pivotal point for the Roots. Six of their last seven matches come against teams above them in the Western Conference playoff picture.
If he continues to help the offense tread water while either Wilson or Prentice re-emerge, the Roots may just have a chance.
Unsure: Has Anything Significant Changed with the Offense?
While Valot’s run of form is something that has definitely changed with the offense, Saturday’s result begs the question: with all the changes, has anything significant changed with the Roots offense?
Yes, the interplay between Jesus de Vicente, Florian Valot, and Bruno Lapa has created dangerous moments on the right side. The same holds true on the other side between Julian Bravo, Wolfgang Prentice, and Lapa.
Still, at the end of the day, the same pattern emerged on Saturday: the Roots played well for one half and then got outplayed in the other. Fans once again ended a half wondering if the Roots should have scored more than they did.
With all the changes in the lineup, the most glaring of which is the decision to bench Peter Wilson, the statistics largely remain the same.
They failed to score more than one goal, a mark that stretches back two months and nine matches.
In the past two weeks since Wilson’s benching, the Roots’ attacking output has largely mirrored what they produced for most of the season. They recorded 10 shots against San Antonio and 14 against Orange County, a side happy to concede possession and play in their own defensive third. Both figures neared the pre-change average of 11.1 shots per match.
The shots on target were similarly in line with season-long trends, with two against San Antonio and four against Orange County compared to a season. Even the big chances remained largely unchanged. The Roots created two changes against SAFC and one against OC, both below the pre-change average of 2.8. While the lineup has changed, the underlying production has not.
Martin’s decision to start a different lineup to light a fire under the team makes sense. The Roots had scored once in four matches prior to the lineup change.
Two weeks later, however, the results remain mixed. The attacking numbers have changed little, and the Roots still have not scored more than once in a match since June.
The challenge for Martin is that two things can be true at once: the attack may not be producing significantly more chances, but the players currently starting may still give the Roots the best opportunity to do so.
With a bye week ahead, Martin has time to decide whether the changes are worth sticking with or whether it’s time to try something else.
Hated: Realizing We Have to Become Scoreboard Watchers This Upcoming Weekend
With the Roots on a bye, we’re all going to become scoreboard watchers this weekend.
With the Roots potentially needing help to make the playoff, having a week where they have no control over their position in the standings is something to hate.
Some matches to pay attention to in the coming week:
- Loudoun United vs. Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (7th in the Western Conference, four points ahead of the Roots)
- Sporting JAX vs. Lexington SC (8th, four points ahead)
- Monterey Bay FC vs. Phoenix Rising FC (10th, two points ahead)
- Orange County SC vs. Sacramento Republic FC (6th, five points ahead)
- Las Vegas Lights FC (9th, two points ahead) vs. New Mexico United
None of these results will make or break the Roots’ playoff hopes for on their own. If anything, they will further crystallize what the Roots need to do since they will no longer have a game-in-hand on most of their opponents. The Roots will spend the weekend hoping for help. However, when they return from the bye, the reality will remain the same: if Oakland wants to control its playoff destiny, it has to take points from the teams directly above it.