Quick Look:
Date: October 7, 2023
Time: 7:00 PM PT
Location: Torero Stadium, San Diego, California
How to Watch: KTVU Plus
Where to Watch: The Good Hop, 2421 Telegraph Ave #102, Oakland, CA 94612
Match Preview:
Oakland Roots SC will hope to clinch their spot in the USL playoffs when they face San Diego Loyal FC on Saturday night.
This weekend’s match will be the last ever regular season meeting between these two clubs, as San Diego Loyal unfortunately announced that they will shut down operations at the conclusion of this season. It will also be the last regular season home game for Loyal, and a sell-out crowd is expected at the University of San Diego’s Torero Stadium. The hosts will have plenty to play for, though, as they currently sit 4th in the Western Conference, which would be enough to secure a home game in the first round of the playoffs. With Phoenix Rising still breathing down their necks, San Diego will fight tooth and nail on Saturday to ensure that this encounter with Oakland Roots SC is not the last game their home fans will ever see.
Roots, on the other hand, are simply trying to keep their heads above water. As it stands, Oakland would receive the 8th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, but Monterey Bay FC, New Mexico United, and Rio Grande Valley FC Toros all remain hopeful of snatching that postseason berth away should Oakland slip up in either of their last two matches. However, Oakland Roots can clinch a playoff spot with a win against San Diego on Saturday should the three aforementioned teams all drop points in their respective matches. Wednesday’s 3-1 loss in Irvine against Orange County SC did not help ease the current anxiety of Roots fans, but Oakland still have control over their own destiny nonetheless. They cannot afford any more losses, though, and must match the desire and commitment that San Diego will certainly exhibit this weekend.
The prior meeting this season between Oakland and San Diego went the way of Roots Head Coach Noah Delgado and his squad, as they walked away 2-0 winners. Goals from Johnny Rodriguez and Anuar Paláez were enough to secure all three points, and Delgado will hope that his top two goal scorers this season can deliver again and spoil San Diego Loyal’s goodbye party. Regardless of the result, Saturday’s match will be historic, and we hope to enjoy it with you at our official watch party at The Good Hop. We’ll see you there!
