After a second straight match in which Oakland dominated possession and looked like the better side for a majority of the night, the Roots played to a draw at the Coliseum for the second time in a five-day span, for a final score of 1-1 versus Birmingham Legion FC.
The afternoon match began with Birmingham showing an aggressive high press that was shortly abandoned when the Roots were able to deal with the pressure without looking overly concerned. Oakland then took control of the match, sustaining pressure in the attacking third and holding possession for long stretches of the first frame, although seldom finding scoring opportunities.
Against the run of play, with the Roots controlling nearly 70% of possession in the first half, it was Birmingham that opened the scoring when a through ball from near midfield found Peter Vasell at full speed behind the defense, finishing a top corner strike at the end of his run to take a 1-0 lead.
Desperate to avoid a loss in a game in which they had been carrying momentum, the Roots continued to pose a threat to the Legion defense in the second half, but were repeatedly thwarted.
In added time, Oakland’s stubborn pressure finally found an outlet when a Jesus De Vicente corner service found Peter Wilson on a bounce near the top of the box. Wilson’s strike froze the Birmingham keeper and snuck just inside the right post to level the match at 1-1 just moments before the final whistle.
The Roots will now head to Arizona for a league fixture versus Phoenix Rising FC this Saturday, June 20, at 7:30 p.m. Pacific Time.
Talking with the head coach
After the match, Roots head coach Ryan Martin said, “we felt really good about the performance overall. We thought the start of the match was good, the first half was really dominant. I think we took a very valuable lesson about the margins of error, and a turnover in the middle of the field leading to a counterattack against a team that sits in a low block, how difficult that makes a second half for us. And I think they scored at a critical moment in the first half to make it really difficult for us.
“With that being said, I think we created more than enough to get a win. But at the same time, looking at the resiliency and the belief that the team showed to score in added time, I think they just kept believing, kept fighting, and knew our chances were going to come again. And you know, we got one to fall.”
Summary
Scoring:
- BHM: Peter Vassell 45’+
- OAK: Peter Wilson 90’+
Discipline:
- OAK: Keegan Tingey 11′ (yellow card)
- BHM: Samuel McIllhatton 30′ (yellow card)
- OAK: Neveal Hackshaw 67′ (yellow card)
- BHM: Gevork Diarbian 68′ (yellow card)
- OAK: Michael Edwards 77′ (yellow card)
- BHM: Serge Ngoma 89′ (yellow card)
Oakland Roots SC
Lineup: Tommy McCabe, Bobosi Byaruhanga, Wolfgang Prentice (Danny Trejo), Peter Wilson, Florian Valot (Faysal Bettache), Jesus De Vicente, Keegan Tingey, Tucker Lepley (Bertin Jacquesson), Julian Bravo (Neveal Hackshaw), Raphael Spiegel, Michael Edwards (Jackson Kiil)
Unused subs: Kendall McIntosh, Tyler Gibson, Bradley Roberson
Shots: 13 | Shots On Goal: 3 | Corner Kicks: 10 | Fouls: 18 | Offside: 0
Birmingham Legion FC
Lineup: Jassem Koleilat, Phanuel Kavita, Samuel McIllhatton, Sebastian Saucedo Mondragon (Gevork Diarbian), Peter Vassell (Samuel Shashoua), Romario Williams (Ronaldo Damus), Seth Antwi, Sebastian Tregarthen, Amir Daley, Bryce Washington (Keegan Hughes), Nicolas Brown (Serge Ngoma)
Unused subs: Kadeem Cole, Trevor McMullen
Line: Shots: 8 | Shots On Goal: 2 | Corner Kicks: 4 | Fouls: 9 | Offside: 7
