It was a chilly evening at Laney College but the fans were out in the thousands on Wednesday $1 Beer Night to watch their Roots take on the Landon Donovan-coached San Diego Loyal.
The first half was a tight contest as both sides were locked in battle and neither could find the net. Just seven minutes into the second half, the Roots were caught in their own box with the ball and the Loyal pounced instantly to score the game’s opening goal.
Things took a turn for the worse in the 64th minute when Tarek Morad brought down a counter-attacking Loyal forward. He was sent off for his second yellow card offense and the Roots were reduced to ten men for the remainder of the match.
The Roots fought hard and finally found a breakthrough in the 86’ through Juan Azocar. Edgardo Rito won a 50/50 ball and played it out to Lindo Mfeka who swung in a cross to Azocar who buried his chance with authority.
The Loyal scored off a late corner and seemed to have secured the three points, but in the last minute of stoppage time, Roots center back Emrah Klimenta fired in a cross that found the head of Ottar Magnus Karlsson who beat the keeper from point blank range. Roots 2, Loyal 2. His header was the last action of the game.
The Roots continue their homestand when they face off against Loudon United this Saturday night.
Talking to Head Coach Juan Guerra
A lot of emotions tonight. Take me through your message to the guys at halftime when it was 0-0.
Juan Guerra: I thought it was a good first half. I think we can be better, we should be better, and we will be better. In the first half they gave us spaces that we could’ve exploited more often. It will come — every game we keep working harder and follow patterns and adapt and shift based on the opposition. We faced a very good team tonight with two good coaches and a lot of good players.
Our boys were magnificent. We must be better and we’ve gotta start winning now. We’re capable of it.
One takeaway from the last few games is missed opportunities. Tonight the finishing came through though — walk me through that.
Juan Guerra: This team has character, love for the community and the organization that we represent. We’re not going to quit or go down easily. With ten men we didn’t sit back — we kept the formation that allows for the opportunity to attack but to also be compact defensively.
The goal came — I knew at some point the goal would come. Sadly they scored on a set piece again. That’s another thing we need to be working on more than before. But the team had the character and the courage to keep fighting until the last minute. They got the goal and deserved it. The truth is that no one is going to give us absolutely anything.
We’re not going to get anything for free. It’s time to start getting it for ourselves because we’re not going to get it from anybody else.
Oakland Roots SC vs San Diego Loyal
USL Championship | April 13, 2022
Venue: Laney College, Oakland, California
Kickoff: 7:00 PM PT
Weather: 53 degrees, mostly cloudy
SCORELINE:
OAK: 2
SD: 2
SCORING SUMMARY:
SD: 52’ Collin Martin
OAK: 86’ Juan Azocar
SD: 90’ Grant Stoneman
OAK: 90’ + 4 Ottar Magnus Karlsson
DISCIPLINE SUMMARY:
OAK: 38’ Tarek Morad (yellow card)
SD: 41’ Grant Stoneman (yellow card)
OAK: 64’ Tarek Morad (yellow card and red card)
OAK: 76′ Jose Hernandez
OAKLAND ROOTS LINEUP: Benny Diaz, Edgardo Rito, Alejandro Fuenmayor, Danny Barbir, Tarek Morad, Juan Azocar, Matias Fissore (Emrah Klimenta), Jose Hernandez, Charlie Dennis (Lindo Mfeka), Dariusz Formella (Jesus Enriquez), Óttar Magnús Karlsson
Unused subs: Paul Blanchette, Memo Diaz, Johnny Rodriguez, Joseph Nane
Shots: 11 | Shots On Goal: 2 | Corner Kicks: 3 | Fouls: 17 | Offside: 4 |
SAN DIEGO LOYAL LINEUP: Jorge Ruiz-Ojeda, Grant Stoneman, Nikko Boxall, Elijah Martin (Kyle Adams) , Nick Moon, Evan Conway, Collin Martin, Alejandro Guido(c) (Camden Riley), Tumi Moshobane, Andrew Carleton (Thomas Amang), Kyle Vassell
Unused subs: Austin Guerrero, Morgan Hackworth, Taylor Crull
Shots: 16 | Shots On Goal: 7 | Corner Kicks: 6 | Fouls: 10 | Offside: 2 |