In Saturday night’s NorCal USL derby match, Oakland Roots tied 1-1 with the Sacramento Republic. It was the Roots’ third draw in its last four games.
In the first half the Roots attacked with gusto and the game seesawed between the two sides. Forward Derek Formella hit the post 10 minutes before the first half ended, but it was the Republic who drew first blood in the 42’ from goal box scrum following a Sacramento corner kick.
In the second half the Roots continued to search for an equalizer. The Republic defended their lead successfully until the 82nd minute when Republic’s goalkeeper Danny Vitiello brought down the Roots Lindo Mfeka in the box. Óttar Magnús Kalsson — dubbed the Iceman from Iceland by local supporters — nailed the penalty kick to tie the match at one apiece.
The Roots return to Laney College for a 7pm kickoff on Wednesday, June 1st when they face off against Orange County SC.
Talking to Head Coach Juan Guerra
How did the system that you coached tonight evolve throughout the match?
Juan Guerra: We started with our regular formation. Down a goal in the second half, we wanted to shift and be more aggressive and get more numbers up the field. We changed to a 4-4-2 and I think it looked good going forward. At times we were vulnerable in defense and it was dangerous but we had to finish with numbers up in the offensive half.
The problem was the first half — another set piece goal we gave up. We created chances even though we weren’t very sharp. I go home today bothered because I think we deserve better because of how much effort we put into the second half — especially the last 25 minutes. The games are 90 minutes, not 45. We didn’t utilize the first half as well as we should have.
There is a lot of history between these two teams. What did you tell the guys before the game about this matchup?
Juan Guerra: We know what this game means for the fanbase, the players and the organization. The reality is that every game is a final. We have the same levels of motivation and responsibility every week. Sac is a great team and they’re doing a lot of things properly. We faced a good rival tonight and we did a lot of things well but we need to keep on improving. We left two points for the taking tonight.
Oakland Roots SC vs Sacramento Republic FC
USL Championship | May 28, 2022
Venue: Laney College, Oakland, California
Kickoff: 7:00 PM PT
Weather: 70 degrees, clear
SCORELINE:
OAK: 1
SAC: 1
SCORING SUMMARY:
SAC: 42’ Luis Felipe
OAK: 82’ Ottar Magnus Karlsson (PK)
DISCIPLINE SUMMARY:
OAK: 14’ Daniel Barbir (yellow card)
OAK: 32’ José Hernández (yellow card)
OAK: 37’ Tarek Morad (yellow card)
OAK: 50’ Derek Formella (yellow card)
SAC: 69’ Keko Gontan (yellow card)
OAK: 82’ Mikael Tørset Johnsen (yellow card)
SAC: 85’ Maalique Foster (yellow card)
OAKLAND ROOTS LINEUP: Paul Blanchette, Tarek Morad, Emrah Klimenta, Danny Barbir (Jesús Enríquez), Juan Azocar, Edgardo Rito, Mikael Johnsen, José Hernández, Dariusz Formella, Charlie Dennis (Lindo Mfeka), Óttar Magnús Karlsson
Unused subs: Timothy Syrel, Memo Diaz, Alejandro Fuenmayor, Matias Fissore, Johnny Rodriguez
Shots: 14 | Shots On Goal: 4 | Corner Kicks: 2 | Fouls: 21 | Offside: 1 |
SACRAMENTO REPUBLIC FC LINEUP: Danny Vitiello, Jack Gurr (Ferrety Sousa), Conor Donovan, Dan Casey, Dami Viader, Lee Desmond, Matt LaGrassa, Luis Felipe, Rafael Jauregui (Rodrigo Lopez), Luther Archimede (Maalique Foster), Keko Gontan (Zeiko Lewis)
Unused subs: Carlos Saldana, Duke Lacroix, Nick Ross
Shots: 20 | Shots On Goal: 6 | Corner Kicks: 4 | Fouls: 15 | Offside: 2 |
