The Roots refused to let their season end in Tulsa. Two late goals secured three points and gave Oakland a shot at the playoffs.
Loved: Grit
The East Bay loves grit.
It’s one of the defining characteristics of the area. Living in the shadow of our richer, flashier neighbors across the Bay has created a need for it and a love of anyone who displays it.
It’s why the Moneyball A’s resonated. It’s why the 70’s Raiders became icons. It’s why Steph Curry is a legend here.
That’s why Saturday’s performance resonated so deeply with me.
The Roots went down twice against Tulsa, once in each half. Each time, the Roots responded.
Coming back twice on the road against one of the league’s stingiest defenses was a testament to the team’s resilience. But on Saturday, resilience alone wasn’t enough. The Roots needed three points to keep their season alive.
They needed to win.
For stretches, things looked dire. For long stretches of the match, they didn’t threaten Tulsa’s goal. But they kept themselves in the game and, eventually, they found a way through.
Oakland scored two goals in five minutes to secure three points and kept their season going for seven more days.
The team had the opportunity to go silently into the night.
They didn’t.
They made sure they would go down swinging.
After the Lexington match, I wrote that I felt the Roots had folded in that match. I still feel like they did.
What’s impressed me most since then is how they’ve responded.
They haven’t lost since. They’ve gone on the road and earned difficult results against teams either in the playoffs or fighting for a spot. They’ve won three of their last five matches.
And now, through that resilience, they’ve given their fans all they could have wanted a month and a half ago: a chance.
Unsure: The Starting Lineup
On Saturday, the Roots continued their trend of conceding possession. They held the ball for just 47% of the match against a Tulsa side that typically averages only 44% possession.
The starting lineup telegraphed the strategy.
The Roots started a midfield of Bobosi Byaruhanga, Tommy McCabe, and Tyler Gibson, with Gibson operating at the CAM in possession. The thinking was understandable: sacrifice some creativity in exchange for defensive solidity.
The problem was the Roots got almost nothing from the attack.
The attack generated just four touches in Tulsa’s box during the first half, produced only one shot on target, and failed to create a big chance.
The midfield struggled to link play. Gibson completed just 53% of his passes (10/19). The number would be easier to forgive if he were attempting difficult long balls consistent with the strategy of conceding possession and attacking in transition.
He wasn’t. Gibson only attempted three long passes and completed none.
Byaruhanga completed only 77% of his passes, while McCabe finished at 84%, well below his season average.
By the time Martin substituted Gibson and Keegan Tingey in the 56th minute, the Roots were trailing 2-1 and chasing the game.
To be fair, the Roots were without Florian Valot and Bruno Lapa. Ryan Martin’s options were limited. Still, other combinations that may have offered more attacking upside, like Mark Fisher in the midfield or Jacquesson starting with Trejo in the CAM.
Ryan Martin has a tough needle to thread.
The Roots have finally embraced the identity that emerged with David Garcia’s return: defend, win the ball, and attack in transition. Martin deserves credit for recognizing it and adapting accordingly. The decision has kept the season alive.
But a transition-based attack only works if you can take advantage of the opportunities on the counter.
Saturday’s first half showed how difficult that can be. The Roots conceded possession, but struggled to create meaningful attacks in transition.
Against Sacramento, with the playoffs possibly on the line, Martin will need to thread that needle.
Hated: San Antonio’s Result Against New Mexico
I like options.
Who doesn’t?
That’s why I kept checking my phone throughout Saturday’s match. Specifically, I kept looking at the match between San Antonio FC and New Mexico United.
I was disappointed when I saw San Antonio score in the 29th minute.
When the Roots’ match ended, I switched over to that match and watched the final half hour. San Antonio won 1-0 and employed all the dark arts necessary to see out the result. After last week’s shenanigans at the Coliseum, watching San Antonio get a win left a sour taste in my mouth.
The taste was even worse because the result mattered.
Had San Antonio drawn, they’d be sitting at 40 points. Had they lost, they would have remained at 39 points. With San Antonio facing 8th place Orange County (39 points) this week, the Roots would have had a more realistic path toward the seventh or eighth seed.
Instead, San Antonio moved to 42 points, putting itself out of the Roots’ reach. The Roots can now only obtain the eighth seed.
As someone who loves options, I hate that.
The Roots can only reach the playoffs in the following scenarios:
- If the Roots win: Phoenix (home versus Lexington) and Orange County must both fail to win.
- If the Roots draw: Phoenix and Orange County must both lose
Luckily for the Roots, Lexington and San Antonio both have something to play for. Lexington can secure a home playoff game with a positive result. San Antonio is playing to clinch a playoff spot.
There’s a chance. Just fewer ways for it to happen.
In the grand scheme of things, I’m happy.
In mid-August after the home draw against Monterey Bay, it felt like the season was over.
If you had told me then that Oakland would enter the final match of the season with a chance to make the playoffs by winning on the road against its biggest rival, I’d have taken that deal every time.
See you all in Sacramento Saturday.