Oakland came to play on Saturday night in Las Vegas, defeating Lights FC 2-0 in a group stage fixture of the Prinx Tires USL Cup to keep their chances of advancing alive.
Roots fired out of the gate after the initial whistle, eager to take advantage of the matchup to reverse their recent fortunes on the pitch, playing with speed and aggression despite the over 90 degree temperature at kickoff.
While Las Vegas had a few spurts of momentum, the pitch was generally tilted in favor of Oakland for most of the first half.
This momentum bloomed in the 41st minute when Oakland opened the scoring with a goal for the ages. Lining up for a corner kick on the right side, Jesus De Vicente took matters into his own hands, curling the service off his left foot and placing it perfectly into the top left corner of the goal over the leaping Vegas keeper to finish his stunning Olimpico and make it 1-0 Oakland.
Las Vegas nearly leveled it on their best look of the night immediately after the second half began when a 20-yard strike forced Oakland keeper Raphael Spiegel to leap and push the ball into the crossbar before Roots could clear the ball from danger.
Oakland, however, continued to look like the better side, now holding the lead and showing their patience on the pitch. Roots moved the ball meticulously around the field, maintaining possession and looking for cracks in the Lights defense.
They found one in the 59th minute when Wolfgang Prentice dribbled in the attacking third to draw a few Las Vegas defenders before slotting a through ball into the area. Tucker Lepley picked it up in stride before beating a defender and poking one past the keeper to make it 2-0 Oakland.
With a two goal lead in their pockets, Roots continued to look dangerous for the rest of the match, and steadfast on their back line thwarting any Las Vegas chances that developed to earn their first clean sheet in 13 matches to break the second-longest streak in club history.
The win gives Roots an outside chance to advance to the knockout stage of the tournament with help from other results within the group.
But for now, Oakland will look to take the momentum of the match back to the USL Championship and build a winning streak in their next contest on Saturday, June 13th when Roots host Miami FC at 7 PM PT.
