Oakland got the get-back game they were looking for on a blistering near-100 degree evening in Arizona, defeating Phoenix Rising FC 4-3 on Saturday, with all seven goals in the match coming in the second half of what will go down as an instant classic in Roots’ history book.
As has been the case for Roots’ last few games, Oakland played the first forty-five minutes looking like the more dangerous side, but failing to reap the rewards as the match headed to halftime still deadlocked at 0-0.
But just minutes into the second half, Roots were awarded a penalty kick when a lob into the Phoenix box found Peter Wilson drawing contact before the ball arrived. Wilson lined up at the spot and banged it inside the right post past the keeper’s mitts to make it 1-0 Oakland, opening the floodgates for what would become an offensive heavyweight bout for the remainder of the match.
Oakland doubled their lead in the 56th minute courtesy of Danny Trejo bagging his first goal of 2026 after a perfect cross from Peter Wilson found him on the end of a run all alone with an easy tap in from the top of the 6-yard box to make it 2-0.
But Phoenix began a comeback just moments later in the 62nd after drawing a penalty of their own when Roots’ keeper Kendall McIntosh made a leaping punch on the ball to clear it from danger, but made too much additional contact in the eyes of the referee. Ihsan Sacko replicated Peter Wilson’s conversion almost exactly to make it 1-2.
Phoenix leveled the match at 2-2 in the 72nd minute when a through ball from midfield found Sacko on a run up the right wing. Sacko played a cross into the box to find Diego Gomez near the penalty spot, taking no time to put a strike low left and draw the game even.
Roots snatched back momentum just moments later, however, when in the 74th minute Oakland’s season leader in assists Wolfgang Prentice earned another with one of his first touches after getting subbed on, sending a great cross from the left side into the box to find Florian Valot who buried a header for his first of the year to return the lead to Oakland at 3-2.
Prentice earned his second assist within four minutes, this time playing it to Peter Wilson who buried it for his brace to make it 4-2 Roots in the 78th.
Phoenix began a desperate push to fight back into the match after Oakland regained their lead, and in the final minute of regulation brought it back to within one when a corner service was headed up high near the far post, taking McIntosh out of the play. The ball came down near the goal line where Kelvin Arase was there to head it home and make it 3-4.
Rising continued their aggressive push for an equalizer through ten minutes of stoppage time, but multiple stellar saves from McIntosh kept Roots in front as the match ended with a scuffle near the Phoenix goal that earned Oakland’s Danny Trejo a straight red card as the final whistle blew to snap Roots’ seven game winless streak in the all-time series with Phoenix and send Oakland to second-place in the Western Conference table.
Roots will now take some much needed rest, observing a bye-week before returning to league play on Saturday, July 4th for an Independence Day matchup on the road versus New Mexico United.
