For the first time this season, Oakland left the pitch without picking up a point, as the Roots fell 1-0 to visiting Orange County SC at the Coliseum, despite a dramatic second half push.
Photo by Oakland Roots SC.
The match kicked off with a big early save from Raphael Spiegel in the fifth minute after an Orange County set piece led to an open shot from in close. Spiegel made a spectacular reflex read on what would turn out to be perhaps the best scoring chance for either side in the first half, clearing the ball to keep the match scoreless.
The Roots had a great look of their own in the 30th minute when early club goals leader Wolfgang Prentice intercepted a pass just outside the 18-yard box, making a run towards the net but being dispossessed from behind just before he could release a strike.
Both squads generally kept each other in check through the first 45 minutes, and while Orange County held a slight lead in possession, the few scoring opportunities traded by the clubs were for naught as the game entered halftime with zeroes still on the board.
Oakland faced their first scoreboard deficit of 2026 in the 47th minute of the match, when Spiegel misjudged a ball coming back towards him and pressed too far forward, allowing Orange County’s Mataeo Bunbury to intercept it and slip behind before depositing an empty netter to make it 1-0 in favor of the visitors.
Following the Orange County goal, the Roots dominated the remainder of the contest, unleashing a torrent of attacking opportunities that didn’t cease until the final whistle. The home team nearly tied it up on the last play of the match when a set piece opportunity found Michael Edwards donning a keeper’s kit after Spiegel was shown a red card in added time. Edwards took a mid-air touch just feet from the goal line, but the shot went wide right and the match ended with Roots suffering their first loss of the season.
The Roots will now observe a bye week before returning to action vs. the Tampa Bay Rowdies on Saturday, April 11, at Al Lang Stadium in Petersburg, Florida.
Talking with the head coach
After the match, Roots head coach Ryan Martin was asked to share his overall thoughts about the match and result. He started by saying he was “disappointed in our first half, and our approach to the match,” noting that the energy level wasn’t great.
‘One of our themes, or who we want to be in terms of our identity, is being proactive. We felt like we were very reactive, especially in the first half. We thought we were a little bit disjointed. We couldn’t find a rhythm. Some of that—well, a lot of it—was because of how direct Orange County was, and they made it very difficult for us. And I think when we struggled to find second balls, and we got kind of a little bit stretched, it became very reactive. And I think that was our disappointment.
“Obviously, the goal was, you know, a mistake. And in this league you can’t make mistakes and shoot yourself in the foot and have to claw out of the hole for the next 45 minutes. …We created a number of really good chances and looks, but to be honest with you, we shot ourselves in the foot and just need to be better. …I’ll reflect on myself first, and how can I be better and make sure we’re more prepared to go into a game and have more energy. But overall, we’re disappointed with the result—disappointed with the performance, more importantly—and now we have two weeks to fix it.”
Summary
Scoring:
Discipline:
OC: Garrison Tubbs 65’ (yellow card)
OAK: Danny Trejo 67’ (yellow card)
OC: David Palomino 90’+ (yellow card)
OAK: Raphael Spiegel 90’+ (red card)
Oakland Roots SC
Lineup: Tommy McCabe, David Garcia, Bobosi Byaruhanga, Wolfgang Prentice (Bradley Roberson), Tyler Gibson (Jesse Maldonado Jr.), Neveal Hackshaw (Jesus De Vicente), Julian Bravo (Jackson Kiil), Raphael Spiegel, Michael Edwards, Faysal Bettache, Danny Trejo (Bertin Jacquesson)
Unused subs: Ali Elmasnaouy, Emilio Martinez, Luka Rosić
Line: Shots: 13 | Shots On Goal: 5 | Corner Kicks: 6 | Fouls: 19 | Offside: 1
Orange County SC
Lineup: Alexander Rando, Nicholas Benalcazar, Tom Brewitt, Garrison Tubbs, Christopher Hegardt, Yaniv Bazini (Lyam MacKinnon), Kevin Partida, Mataeo Bunbury (Ousmane Sylla), Mouhamadou War, Ryan Doghman (David Palomino), Stephen Kelly
Unused subs: Grayson Doody, Apolo Marinch, Efren Solis, Oliver Kurnik, Tetsuya Kadono
Line: Shots: 10 | Shots On Goal: 4 | Corner Kicks: 2 | Fouls: 17 | Offside: 0