The Oakland Roots SC remained undefeated in their 2026 home opener at the Oakland Coliseum on Saturday night, March 14, with a victory over visiting New Mexico United by a final score of 2-1 in front of nearly 15,000 fans.
The Roots began the match hunting an early goal to reward the home crowd, earning a dangerous set piece in just the third minute of the match. It wound up being cleared away from danger by New Mexico, but the threat from Oakland continued in earnest.
In the seventh minute of the match, Roots fans received their reward, after an excellent series of ball movement in their attacking third wound up at the boot of Mark Fisher, who bagged his second goal contribution in as many games when he delivered an inch-perfect cross from the right side to just outside the middle of the six-yard box, finding Wolfgang Prentice who opened the scoring with a floating header that drifted just inside the top right corner and into the twine to make it 1-0.
The Roots continued to control the match with clever ball movement and well-timed runs, but starting near the 20th minute, New Mexico began to solidify their strategy, taking over the possession aspect of the game.
This possession-based game plan from New Mexico didn’t lead to frequent scoring opportunities, but the few that it did produce were of high quality.
Both sides traded a few great looks before halftime, but Oakland was able to build back into the attack near the end of the frame, when the Roots’ keeper Raphael Spiegel delivered his fifth straight clean half—dating back to the end of last season—as Oakland still held a lone goal advantage both teams headed into the locker rooms.
New Mexico continued to dominate possession coming into the second half, finding occasional attacking chances while limiting the Roots’ ability to put together anything of their own. But the game opened up in the 79th minute when Peter Wilson found himself beyond the back line once again, failing to get a shot off before being dispossessed, but delivering his side a much-needed spark in the match.
Wilson capitalized on his own spark the very next minute, when a rebounded Jackson Kiil shot attempt found Wilson in the right place at the right time, putting a wobbling header from just feet outside of the goal line trickling into the net before the New Mexico keeper could clear it, and giving his side a 2-0 cushion in the 80th minute.
New Mexico wasn’t willing to lie down, however, as they answered with a goal of their own in the 82nd minute to bring the deficit back to one as Jake LaCava delivered an assist just seconds after being subbed in, finding Justin Rennicks, who finished a strike from in close to make it 2-1 Roots.
Oakland fended off a desperate push from United in the waning moments of the match, but the back line held and the score remained tilted in the Roots’ favor at the final whistle.
The Roots will look to go 3-0 in 2026 when they travel to Arizona for their next game, as they prepare to visit Phoenix Rising FC on the road next Saturday, March 21, at 7 p.m.
Talking with the Head Coach
After the match, Head Coach Ryan Martin was asked about the Roots’ camaraderie that is making this 2-0 start so electric. He noted that it started during the recruitment process, which was about finding players who really want to be part of the Roots.
“They all have a belief that this is where they want to be, and that we can create something special here,” Martin said. “Throughout the preseason, we tried to put them in situations where they could interact and mingle and do different things where it was deeper than just a conversation. We’ve done some things where they’ve told their history and their journey and how they got here, their values and what they’re trying to become… some things we might not know, that they have in common with each other. Even something as simple as a pet peeve, you know, so you get a laugh out of what they’re looking to do. … We’ve tried to create deep, meaningful relationships, so when things do get hard and we’re up against it, they know that the guy next to him will have his back.”
The coach said he is “incredibly proud of the group in terms of what they were able to accomplish in the first two weeks here—but you also know we have a long road ahead of us.”
The coach was also asked how he felt about the crowd response and the atmosphere at the Coliseum.
“I was in awe, really, of what I saw,” Coach Martin said. “I’ve seen a lot of crowded stadiums in my journey, but I don’t think I’ve seen one with the passion, the collective energy, and the collective belief and passion for the city and the club. And I think it was just really a big celebration around what Oakland is. …It was a special evening for the city, I think, and for the club. Really proud to be a part of it.”
Summary
Scoring:
- OAK: Wolfgang Prentice 7’
- OAK: Peter Wilson 80’
- NM: Justin Rennicks 82’
Discipline:
- OAK: Peter Wilson 54’ (yellow card)
- OAK: Raphael Spiegel 90’+ (yellow card)
- OAK: Tommy McCabe 90’+ (yellow card)
Oakland Roots SC
Lineup: Tommy McCabe, David Garcia, Bobosi Byaruhanga, Wolfgang Prentice (Danny Trejo), Peter Wilson, Tyler Gibson (Neveal Hackshaw), Mark Fisher, Julian Bravo, Raphael Spiegel, Michael Edwards, Faysal Bettache (Jackson Kiil)
Unused subs: Kendall Mcintosh, Ali Elmasnaouy, Jesus De Vicente, Emilio Martinez, Bradley Roberson, Luka Rosić
Line: Shots: 10 | Shots On Goal: 5 | Corner Kicks: 0 | Fouls: 6 | Offside: 3|
New Mexico United
Lineup: Zico Bailey, Christopher Gloster, Dayonn Harris, Greg Hurst (Luther Archimede), Ousman Jabang (Justin Rennicks), Kipp Keller (Nicholas Hamalainen), Valentin Noel, Niall Reid Stephen (Jake LaCava), William Seymore, Kristopher Shakes, Gedion Zelalem (Arturo Astorga)
Unused subs: Raiko Arozarena Gonzalez, Cristian Nava
Line: Shots: 14 | Shots On Goal: 5 | Corner Kicks: 9 | Fouls: 11 | Offside: 5
