At this point in the season, I’m not going to complain about three points. The Roots are running out of time and every win matters. Still, I found myself with more questions than answers after the Roots 1-0 victory on Sunday.
Loved: Kendall McIntosh
Where would the Roots be without McIntosh?
Time and time again, McIntosh has kept Oakland alive in matches. Opposing offenses have kept him busy. He currently ranks fifth in the league in saves per 90 minutes with 3.4. His save percentage ranks ninth.
Sunday was no different. Indy’s xG was 2.03. They scored none. McIntosh was a big reason for that. He made six big saves in the match, with five of those coming inside the box.
Sunday’s match was a strong representation of McIntosh’s play since gaining control of the starting role. After the Birmingham match, Martin stated that he would decide on his full-time starter after the Roots’ break. He decided on McIntosh.
Since then, McIntosh has recorded three clean sheets in eleven matches. They had two in the previous fourteen matches. Beyond that, he has kept the Roots in matches with his shot-stopping. In those eleven matches, the Roots have only conceded multiple goals four times. Prior to that, they had given up multiple goals in six of fourteen matches. While it is impossible to separate the team-level goals prevented metric between McIntosh and Raphael Spiegel, Oakland’s goalkeepers rank among the best in the Western Conference with 1.63 goals prevented. Given McIntosh’s recent performances, it is reasonable to conclude that he has been responsible for a significant share of that success.
These performances have come at a critical time. As the Roots’ streak of matches without multiple goals extended to eleven matches, the need for strong keeper play has only increased.
At midseason, we wrote about how the offense walked onto the pitch each week with the pressure of knowing that they need to score multiple goals to secure three points because of the defensive struggles. Ironically, things have now reversed. Now, the defense goes into match with the increased pressure of knowing that they probably cannot concede to secure three points. And time and time again, McIntosh has answered the call.
Unsure: Is the Offense Any Closer to Finding an Answer?
Kendall McIntosh’s strong play has come at the right time, as the offense has failed to score multiple goals in three months. Seeking to ignite the offense, the Roots made three changes to the lineup: Bruno Lapa, Michael Edwards, and Bobosi Byaruhanga all started.
Interestingly, the Roots returning starters shifted around. Lapa lined up as the CAM and Valot shifted to the midfield with Bobosi. Mark Fisher took the right back spot, while Julian Bravo went to the bench. There was a large shuffling of the lineup looking for answers.
I’m not sure the Roots found any.
Although the Roots felt more threatening throughout much of the match, Indy had the most dangerous moments. They outshot the Roots (17-13) and their shots on target more than doubled Oakland’s (7-3). Indy, a team willing to concede possession and territory to opponents, more than doubled the Roots’ touches in the opposition box (41-16).
The Roots’ offensive output largely mirrored their season averages. The three shots on target slightly fell behind the average of 3.5 per match, while the sixteen touches in the box only slightly trailed the 19.88 average. The Roots created zero big chances, well below their average of 2.08 per match.
It’s become a bit of a broken record at this point, but the Roots’ strongest moments came in transition. After Wolfgang Prentice secured a loose ball in the midfield, he pressed the advantage and ran at the Indy Eleven defense. Prentice forced Nabi Kibunguchy into stepping up, which created space for Peter Wilson to run behind. Prentice delivered the pass and Wilson converted the opportunity.
Looking back at the last month, the Roots’ goals haven’t been the product of a particularly repeatable attacking process. Against San Antonio FC, the referee awarded Peter Wilson a penalty in the final moments of the game after a grievous decision by San Antonio’s goalkeeper. Florian Valot’s goal against Orange County came largely because of a mistake by the Orange County keeper, where he appeared to play Valot’s shot as a pass. And the last two weeks have seen Peter Wilson score after the Roots turn their opponents high up the pitch and attack quickly.
There’s nothing wrong with scoring those goals. Good teams take advantage of mistakes.
The problem is that many of Oakland’s best attacking moments come from a style they do not consistently play. The Roots press aggressively in spurts, but they have yet to show they can rely on that approach for 90 minutes.
And the larger problem is that the Roots haven’t shown the consistent ability to generate opportunities when those mistakes aren’t available.
With Wilson’s looming absence (more on that in a second) and the less-than-convincing nature of some of Oakland’s goals over the past month, the question remains, as it has for the last three months: where will the offense come from?
Sunday felt like Ryan Martin taking another swing at the question. Despite the win, I’m not convinced he found the answer.
Hated: Liberia Needs Peter Wilson Too
I don’t hate the news for Peter Wilson. I really don’t. But I do hate it for the Roots.
Over the weekend, the Roots announced that the Liberian National Team called up Peter Wilson for international duty.
Looking at their schedule, Liberia has at least two upcoming matches: Friday, September 25 against Rwanda and Tuesday, September 29 against Mali for Africa Cup of Nations Qualifying. At the time of publication, these are the only matches on the Liberian National Team’s website.
I am happy that the Liberian National Team has again recognized the newly-crowned Roots’ all-time goal scorer’s strong play.
Still, the timing could hardly be worse.
Wilson will miss the critical upcoming match against Phoenix. It’s a six-point match, with Phoenix sitting 9th in the Western Conference at 33 points and the Roots sitting in 11th with 30. His availability for the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC match is also in question.
After being benched for four matches, Wilson started the last two and scored in each of them. On Saturday, Wilson made the most of limited opportunities. In the match, Wilson only had two shots and four touches in the box, but he made the most of them. He calmly converted in the 59th minute after a beautiful pass from Wolfgang Prentice.
And that’s what the Roots will miss. As the rest of the team struggles to convert chances, Wilson remains the club’s most clinical finisher. Beyond that, Wilson secures easy scoring opportunities for a team that struggles to score. He leads the league in penalties awarded with four and has converted all of them. For a team that struggles to score from open play, those moments are invaluable.
Good for Liberia.
Good for Peter Wilson.
Probably terrible for the Roots.