Roots are back in the win column following their successful east coast road trip which resulted in a 2-0 clean sheet victory over Loudoun United FC.
The victory represents Oakland’s fourth win in five contests, and Roots will have a chance to make it five of six when Orange County SC comes to town for a USL Jägermeister Cup Group Stage fixture this Saturday, July 26th at the Coliseum. Until then, we look back at Roots most recent victory to draw some conclusions:
Kendall Can’t Be Beat
Oakland has boasted a very strong defense recently, limiting opposition scoring chances and making it very tough to get shots on target.
Loudoun found success where others have failed, putting seven shots on goal. But it did not matter. Roots keeper Kendall McIntosh played the game of his life, making highlight reel saves one after another en route to earning his sixth clean sheet of the year.
It seems like a foregone conclusion that McIntosh could be up for save of the week, the real trouble will be choosing between his saves.
Finishing Strong
Oakland improved their finishing massively in Saturday’s contest. Scoring two of their three shots on target, Roots were efficient at getting the ball into the twine when the opportunity presented itself.
Ideally, Oakland will find ways to bolster their overall shots on target numbers, but as a first step, scoring them when you can is a great move in the right direction.
Four of Five
Winning is the cure to all ails in the sporting world, and Roots have been able to figure it out as of late. Oakland have now come out on top in four of their last five contests, and with better finishing in their game versus Phoenix Rising FC, could easily be looking at a five game winning streak right now.
Whatever system coach Benny Feilhaber has implemented since his arrival, it is clear that the team has bought in.
