It was a wobbly start for Roots in the 2025 USL Championship season opener. But despite falling 2-4 to Orange County SC in Irvine on Saturday night, Oakland showed flashes of brilliance that illustrate why Roots are still primed for success in the near future. As Roots prepare to face Monterey Bay FC for their second match of the 2025 campaign, we first look back on the opening fixture of the new year and draw some conclusions from Oakland’s match versus OC.
Roots Showed Heart in Late Comeback Bid
After falling behind 0-3 early into the second frame, Roots could have easily dropped their playing gear into neutral and coasted to the final whistle – as evidenced by the three 0-5 losses Oakland suffered a season ago. But to the contrary, the new-look 2025 Roots only looked more determined to claw their way back into the match as the minutes ticked on, scoring twice in the final 20 minutes to put pressure on the opposition until the very end.
Wolfgang Prentice Looked Dangerous in Return to Oakland
Prentice played his first minutes for Roots since September 30, 2023 on Saturday night. In his career with Oakland, he has logged 774 minutes across 17 appearances, and before Saturday’s home opener in Irvine had scored only twice. Back with Oakland for the 2025 season however, it only took him 15 minutes on the pitch to find the back of the net. His speed and keen sense for finding open space will make him a dangerous addition to the lineup moving forward.
Oakland Still Operating at Less Than Full Strength
When a roster evolves as much as Roots has, growing pains can be expected. Many of the players on the pitch Saturday were playing with each other at true competition speed for the first time, still building trust and feel for one another. In addition, Roots are still without a number of their new weapons on match day. As players like Jürgen Damm and Peter Wilson prepare to make their Roots debuts, and the team continues to go to battle for one-another, the cohesion and strength of the club as a whole will only continue to rise.
