Oakland Roots settled into the match early with a majority of possession in the opening ten minutes of play. Their control led to a penalty when Wolfgang Prentice was pushed from behind in the box. Johnny Rodriguez stepped up for Oakland, converting the penalty and giving Roots a 1-0 lead.
Coach Noah Delagado had to make an early substitution and adjust his system when Captain Tarek Morad went down with a head injury 20 minutes into the game. Tryavone Reid replaced the defender, offering Oakland a different attacking approach.
The pace of play slowed in the first-half heat as Oakland Roots lost some control but managed to maintain their 1-0 advantage heading into halftime against Las Vegas.
Oakland suffered two quick blows from Las Vegas at the start of the second half when Azriel Gonzalez and Tyler Bagley scored in the 56th and 57th minutes, respectively. This flipped the game on its head, giving the home side a 2-1 lead.
Roots fought until the end as Coach Delgado brought in Anuar Peláez and Baboucarr Njie to shake things up, but it was a stunner from Tyler Bagley in the 89th minute that sealed Las Vegas’s 3-1 victory in the end.
Oakland Roots now return home for a three game home stand over the next three Saturdays starting with FC Tulsa on September 16th at California State University, East Bay.
Oakland Roots SC vs Las Vegas Lights FC
USL Championship | September 9, 2023
Venue: Cashman Field, Las Vegas, Nevada
Kickoff: 7:30 PM PT
Weather: 95 degrees, clear
SCORELINE:
LV: 3
OAK: 1
SCORING SUMMARY:
OAK: 12’ Johnny Rodriguez
LV: 56’ Azriel Gonzalez
LV: 57’ Tyler Bagley
LV: 89’ Tyler Bagley
DISCIPLINE SUMMARY:
LV: 27’ Alexander Romero (yellow card)
OAK: 45+’ Irakoze Donasiyano (yellow card)
LV: 54’ Marcelo Lage (yellow card)
LV: 70’ Tyler Bagley (yellow card)
LV: 75’ Andrés Jiménez (yellow card)
OAK: 88’ Napo Matsoso (yellow card)
LV: 90’+ Jordan Ayimbila (yellow card)
OAKLAND ROOTS LINEUP: Paul Blanchette, Danny Barbir, Tarek Morad (Trayvone Reid), Emrah Klimenta, Irakoze Donasiyano (Anuar Peláez), Napo Matsoso, Memo Diaz, Wolfgang Prentice (Baboucarr Njie), Lindo Mfeka, Jeciel Cedeño, Johnny Rodriguez
Unused subs: Ryan Her, Etsgar Cruz, Kieran Bracken Serra, Tim Syrel
Shots: 9 | Shots On Goal: 2 | Corner Kicks: 6 | Fouls: 13 | Offside: 0 |
LAS VEGAS LIGHTS FC LINEUP: Leo Diaz, Lucas Stauffer, Marcelo Lage, Timothie Zali, Alexander Romero, Azriel Gonzalez (Zach Carrol), Mitrano, Danny Ríos (Josh Dolling), Jordan Ayimbila (Pablo Soares), Tyler Bagley, Andrés Jiménez
Unused subs: Andre Zuluagal, Emmanuel Ledesma, Andrew CarletonShots: 7 | Shots On Goal: 3| Corner Kicks: 2| Fouls: 20| Offside: 2|