In its third game in seven days, Oakland Roots battled to the end at Pioneer Stadium in Hayward but couldn’t quite muster a game winner against eastern conference opponent Miami FC.
The first 45 minutes went scoreless as both teams jousted and jostled for possession. Edgardo Rito provided some dangerous counterattacking moments, but it was defender Danny Barbir who came closest to scoring the opener. He blasted a long shot that was tipped over the crossbar by Miami FC’s second-choice goalkeeper, Jake McGuire. Apart from a few corners that Paul Blanchette caught with ease, the Roots’ goal remained unthreatened.
The second half kicked off, and the Roots immediately pressed Miami. Lindo Mfeka had a shot blocked, which elicited shouts from the stands for a handball. With half an hour to go, the Roots had seven shots to Miami’s zero. Still, the 4,665 fans at Pioneer Stadium urged them on.
In one nervous sequence around the 65th minute, Bolu Akinyode found himself open with the ball on top of the box after a ricochet of blocked shots. His inch perfect shot was dropping into the top corner until Blanchette made an elite diving save and tipped the shot over.
Oakland marched on, pushing numbers forward and seeking that crucial opening goal. The right side — Rito’s side — was where they found the most joy, but clearcut opportunities were hard to come by against a disciplined Miami backline.
Roots battled to the last second but a share of the spoils was all that was in the cards on Saturday night in the East Bay.
Oakland Roots next head to Birmingham before returning to Pioneer Stadium on May 13th for an exciting Oakland Soul and Roots doubleheader. Oakland Soul faces off against San Francisco’s The Olympic Club at 5:00 PM PT and the Roots against Orange County SC with a kickoff at 8:00 PM PT.
Hearing from Head Coach Noah Delgado
It was good to grab a point, but it felt like a goal was coming in the second half. How frustrating was it to not get that goal?
Yeah, we had some good chances. Some good looks. I thought — I felt — it was coming. The team was playing well enough and creating enough. Shoutout to the boys for getting a shutout defensively, I think that’s important. Playing well and creating chances and getting shutouts will only lead to better things.
There’s been a bit of a scoring drought lately — anything you want to change tactically?
Yeah, we’re always looking at different things. We ended the game with a different formation than we usually do. We’re getting good service into the box and getting in behind — now it’s about finishing off some of those opportunities in transition.
Oakland Roots SC vs Miami FC
USL Championship | April 29, 2023
Venue: Cal State University, East Bay, Hayward, California
Kickoff: 7:00 PM PT
Weather: 65 degrees, clear
SCORELINE:
OAK: 0
MIA: 0
DISCIPLINE SUMMARY:
OAK: 17’ Neveal Hackshaw (yellow card)
OAK: 74’ Irakoze Donasiyano (yellow card)
MIA: 89’ Ryan Telfer (yellow card)
OAKLAND ROOTS LINEUP: Paul Blanchette, Emrah Klimenta (Kevin Wright), Neveal Hackshaw, Danny Barbir, Bryan Tamacas, Napo Matsoso, Joseph Nane (Irakoze Donasiyano), Memo Diaz (Anuar Peláez), Edgardo Rito, Darek Formella, Lindo Mfeka.
Unused subs: Tarek Morad, Trayvone Reid, Daniel Gomez, Taylor Bailey
Shots: 14 | Shots On Goal: 1 | Corner Kicks: 4 | Fouls: 10 | Offside: 1 |
MIAMI FC LINEUP: Jake McGuire, Paco Craig, Curtis Thorn, Mark Segbers, Aedan Stanley, Dennis Dowouna, Florian Valot, Bolu Akinyode, Ryan Telfer, Christian Sorto (Michael Salazar), Claudio Repetto (Michael Lawrence).
Unused subs: Adrian Zendejas, Moises Hernandez, Benjamin Ofeimu, Lorenzo Dimercurio
Shots: 6 | Shots On Goal: 2 | Corner Kicks: 3 | Fouls: 13 | Offside: 2 |
