Oakland controlled the match heading into the second half, but a disastrous stretch leading to three straight Monterey Bay goals proved insurmountable as Roots fell 2-3 to pacific rival Monterey Bay FC at Cardinale Soccer Stadium in Seaside, California on Saturday night.
The majority of the first half came with little fanfare in terms of scoring as both midfields played lockdown defense, limiting play within the center third of the pitch for long stretches. Despite this, Roots never looked timid, looking to move that ball up the pitch with urgency whenever they were in possession of the ball.
EJ Johnson, getting his first start for Oakland, was tenacious on the forward line, hounding the Monterey Bay keeper whenever he looked to play the ball.
This tenacity eventually led to a premium scoring chance in the 40th minute when Johnson found space outside the top of the penalty area and sent a screamer towards the low right post, requiring a diving save from Monterey’s Nico Campuzano to keep the score deadlocked at 0-0.
As the match looked destined to enter halftime scoreless, Roots earned a 44th minute free kick from the right side of the pitch near midfield. José Luis Sinisterra delivered a perfect ball on the set piece, sending it into the box and finding a leaping Camden Riley who headed the ball home to give Oakland a 1-0 lead as the halftime whistle loomed.
Monterey Bay nearly leveled the match in added time, as the ball trickled past the goal line, but the referee ruled the attempt to be the result of a hand ball, earning Monterey a yellow card instead of a leveling score.
Monterey didn’t take long in the second half to redeem themselves. In the 56th minute Mayele Malango took a touch to shake an Oakland defender before bending a shot from outside the left side of the box into the top right corner of the goal, finding twine past a diving Kendall McIntosh to bring the contest back to 1-1.
Moments later in the 65th minute, Monterey was awarded a penalty kick following a foul inside the box from Roots’ Neveal Hackshaw. Ilijah Paul made no mistake from the spot to give Monterey a 1-2 lead.
Monterey doubled their lead after only a few more ticks of the clock when Anton Søjberg sent one home in the 69th minute to make it 1-3.
Not to be outdone, however, Roots had something to add to the flurry of scoring, earning one back in the 71st minute when Panos Armenakas sent a cross into the box, finding Peter Wilson who laid the ball off and allowed José Luis Sinisterra to send a strike into the back of the net to bring the score to 2-3.
Despite going up a man following a straight red card to Monterey’s Joel Garcia Jr. in the 84th minute, Roots were unable to claw a goal back before the final whistle, falling 2-3 to Monterey Bay FC.
Roots now hold an 0-0-2 record on the young USL Championship season and will look to reverse their fortunes as they return to friendly ground to play in front of an historic crowd at the Oakland Coliseum for their home opener versus San Antonio FC on March 22nd at 7 PM PT.
Oakland Roots SC at Monterey Bay FC
USL Championship | March 15, 2025
Venue: Cardinale Stadium
Kickoff: 7:00 PM PT
Weather: 53 degrees, clear skies
SCORELINE:
MB: 3
OAK: 2
SCORING SUMMARY:
OAK: Camden Riley 44’
MB: Mayele Malango 56’
MB: Ilijah Paul 65’
MB: Anton Søjberg 69’
OAK: José Luis Sinisterra 71’
DISCIPLINE SUMMARY:
MB: Jacob Muir 43’ (yellow card)
MB: Adam Larsson 45’+ (yellow card)
MB: Pierce Gallaway 84’ (yellow card)
MB: Joel Garcia Jr. 84’ (red card)
OAK: Danny Gomez 84’ (yellow card)
OAK: Abdi Mohamed 90’+ (yellow card)
OAKLAND ROOTS LINEUP: Kendall McIntosh, Camden Riley (Abdi Mohamed), Daniel Gomez, Wolfgang Prentice (Jürgen Damm), Panos Armenakas, José Luis Sinisterra (Ilya Alekseev), Tyler Gibson, Justin Rasmussen (Baboucarr Njie), Neveal Hackshaw, EJ Johnson (Peter Wilson), Kai Greene
Unused subs: Gagi Margvelashvili, Ali Elmasnaouy, Thomas Camier, Tim Syrel
Shots: 6 | Shots On Goal: 3 | Corner Kicks: 1 | Fouls: 15 | Offside: 1 |
MONTEREY BAY LINEUP: Nico Campuzano, Nico Gordon, Jacob Muir, Wes Fonguck (Pierce Gallaway), Adrian Rebollar, Adam Larsson (Xavi Gnaulati), Mayele Malango (Carlos Guzmán), Grant Robinson, Ilijah Paul (Alex Dixon), Anton Søjberg, Joel Garcia Jr.
Unused subs: Sam Gomez, Ethan Bryant, Miles Lyons
Shots: 10 | Shots On Goal: 5 | Corner Kicks: 4 | Fouls: 17 | Offside: 1 |
