“Are you wondering how our local soccer team was just a star this season? Well here I have to answer that is the Oakland Roots!”--Ethan Hajduk, 6th grade
The Oakland Roots soccer club was founded in 2018 by a group of Oakland natives and has since become a beloved sports fixture in the Bay. This year they enjoyed a successful season, however were defeated by Orange County in the Western Conference Semifinals in a tough game. It came down to sudden death penalties. The Roots needed to score one point if they were to win against Orange County.
The Roots traveled down to SC the Western Conference SF, it was their 5th game against OC this season. The Roots came into the semifinals with 3 straight wins and were feeling confident. The crowd was excited that the Oakland Roots were representing.
“It’s one thing to come down for a playoff game, it’s another to come in full voice like they did. There were moments of the game where they were far louder than any OC fans and that shows how much the entire support off the field believes that the group on the field is fighting as much as they can. We’ve been lucky to build this not just this year in the USL but I think this year you see that on the stage is where we belong. The fans, they have a stronger connection to their team than teams that have been here for longer,” says Head Coach Jordan Ferrell in an article on the USL Network.
The first half of the game, the two teams were not playing very aggressively and the Roots had some missed opportunities. At the second half of the game, both of the teams could not break away to score points which forced them to play into extra time. There was the first yellow card of the game from Akhem Ward, defender of the Roots. They exchanged fouls and free kicks which did not give the teams any extra points. Then followed the penalty shoot outs. It was the 1st penalty shoot out in Roots' history. Paul Blanchette, the Roots' goalie, was called in the 6th shootout for coming off his line too early which gave Orange County an advantage and scored the winning point.
“It’s a tough way to cap off the season but only one team is happy at the end of the season and we hope to be that team next year,” says Head Coach Jordan Ferrell.
The Roots played 35 total games this 2021 season for a total of 9 losses in first half of season, 1 win, and 4 ties. In the second half of the season they had 6 losses, 11 wins, and 4 ties. Something changed in the second half of the year for the Roots, which led to the opportunity to play in the Western Conference Semifinal. The Oakland Roots season is now over, but they have really done well this year!
Interview with former player
I got the chance to interview Nana Attakora, who was a former team captain on the Roots, and is now in the coaching industry. I was curious about his history with the team and where he is now.
Ethan: Why did you decide to play for the Roots?
Nana: I decided To play for the roots because they are big in the community and that is something that fits my purpose iv always wanted to play for a club that was more than a soccer team in Oakland roots provided me that the club is one big family and playing for a team like that makes life and playing much easier.
Ethan: Tell me about a challenging situation that you had to deal with this year.
Nana: Covid 19 in 2020 was a huge challenge not being able to play in front of family and friends was something that no one had dealt with before and it was extremely tough mentally and emotionally to deal with. As a captain it was very demanding to keep the group motivated in 2020 but the group responded well and we were able to make it to the finals.
Ethan: Do you have any pre-game rituals?
Nana: I like to just give thanks before every game. I give thanks to the opportunity to play the game I love and good health. Soccer has been a huge blessing to my life and just having an opportunity to do what I love is something I have always been grateful for apart from that I try to stay as calm and relaxed as possible.
Ethan: And how does it feel to get to be on a team that got to play in the Western Conference Semifinals?
Nana: It was a great success especially because it was our first season in the USL Championship. The USL is a very demanding league and to get there with a young, first year team in the league was very special. The club had put so much time, energy, and effort into the year and a lot of challenges came our way. To end the season the way we did was both sad, and very exciting at the same time. It gives me a lot of hope of what is to come next for the club, and the town.
Thank you, Nana for the interview!
The Roots traveled down to SC the Western Conference SF, it was their 5th game against OC this season. The Roots came into the semifinals with 3 straight wins and were feeling confident. The crowd was excited that the Oakland Roots were representing.
“It’s one thing to come down for a playoff game, it’s another to come in full voice like they did. There were moments of the game where they were far louder than any OC fans and that shows how much the entire support off the field believes that the group on the field is fighting as much as they can. We’ve been lucky to build this not just this year in the USL but I think this year you see that on the stage is where we belong. The fans, they have a stronger connection to their team than teams that have been here for longer,” says Head Coach Jordan Ferrell in an article on the USL Network.
The first half of the game, the two teams were not playing very aggressively and the Roots had some missed opportunities. At the second half of the game, both of the teams could not break away to score points which forced them to play into extra time. There was the first yellow card of the game from Akhem Ward, defender of the Roots. They exchanged fouls and free kicks which did not give the teams any extra points. Then followed the penalty shoot outs. It was the 1st penalty shoot out in Roots' history. Paul Blanchette, the Roots' goalie, was called in the 6th shootout for coming off his line too early which gave Orange County an advantage and scored the winning point.
“It’s a tough way to cap off the season but only one team is happy at the end of the season and we hope to be that team next year,” says Head Coach Jordan Ferrell.
The Roots played 35 total games this 2021 season for a total of 9 losses in first half of season, 1 win, and 4 ties. In the second half of the season they had 6 losses, 11 wins, and 4 ties. Something changed in the second half of the year for the Roots, which led to the opportunity to play in the Western Conference Semifinal. The Oakland Roots season is now over, but they have really done well this year!
Interview with former player
I got the chance to interview Nana Attakora, who was a former team captain on the Roots, and is now in the coaching industry. I was curious about his history with the team and where he is now.
Ethan: Why did you decide to play for the Roots?
Nana: I decided To play for the roots because they are big in the community and that is something that fits my purpose iv always wanted to play for a club that was more than a soccer team in Oakland roots provided me that the club is one big family and playing for a team like that makes life and playing much easier.
Ethan: Tell me about a challenging situation that you had to deal with this year.
Nana: Covid 19 in 2020 was a huge challenge not being able to play in front of family and friends was something that no one had dealt with before and it was extremely tough mentally and emotionally to deal with. As a captain it was very demanding to keep the group motivated in 2020 but the group responded well and we were able to make it to the finals.
Ethan: Do you have any pre-game rituals?
Nana: I like to just give thanks before every game. I give thanks to the opportunity to play the game I love and good health. Soccer has been a huge blessing to my life and just having an opportunity to do what I love is something I have always been grateful for apart from that I try to stay as calm and relaxed as possible.
Ethan: And how does it feel to get to be on a team that got to play in the Western Conference Semifinals?
Nana: It was a great success especially because it was our first season in the USL Championship. The USL is a very demanding league and to get there with a young, first year team in the league was very special. The club had put so much time, energy, and effort into the year and a lot of challenges came our way. To end the season the way we did was both sad, and very exciting at the same time. It gives me a lot of hope of what is to come next for the club, and the town.
Thank you, Nana for the interview!