April 16, 2023 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Oakland Roots News Release
Oakland Roots SC on game day
(Oakland Roots)
Oakland saw more shots and had more possession than its East Coast rival, but former U.S. Men’s National Team Player Tab Ramos’ Hartford Athletic capitalized on a few transition opportunities to flip the script at Cal State, East Bay in Hayward on Saturday night.
Oakland Roots started on the front foot with Edgardo Rito finding space down the right flank and swinging in a few dangerous crosses. On the opposite side, Memo Diaz also found some joy, but there was a lack of penetration through the middle of the field for Oakland.
In the 31st minute, Hartford jumped on a counterattack by isolating Oakland’s right side, which led to an easy finish for Hartford forward Prince Saydee. Five minutes later, Roots’ defense was undone again, this time by a nice individual effort by Jeciel Cedeno.
In the second 45 minutes, Oakland Roots urged on by 4,036 fans in attendance, pushed into Hartford’s half, searching for a way back into the game. The breakthrough came in the 73rd minute when Darek Formella scored a penalty for his second goal of the season. Oakland Roots pressed on for an equalizer, but time ran out as Hartford came away with all three points.
Next up for Oakland Roots is a trip to Leesburg, Virginia, for a USL league match against Loudoun United on Sunday, April 23. Roots will then return to California for a knockout round Open Cup match against Sacramento Republic (April 26) before returning home to Cal State, East Bay to face Miami FC on Saturday, April 29.
Hearing from Head Coach Noah Delgado
Tough loss, Noah. What were your takeaways from the match?
There were some errors early on and we let through some chances. We created a lot of chances tonight, in the second half we were pretty dominant. I’m happy with the team and the way we reacted – to come back from two goals is always tough.
What was Hartford able to do that exploited the Roots’ defense?
We knew they transitioned well and are good at getting numbers ahead. They did a good job at that and had some good counter movements with their wing players and players centrally. Daniel Barrera came in underneath in a central area and made our center backs work really hard.
Oakland Roots SC vs Hartford Athletic
USL Championship | April 15, 2023
Venue: Cal State University, East Bay, Hayward, California
Kickoff: 7:00 PM PT
Weather: 56° degrees, clear
SCORELINE:
OAK: 1
HFD: 2
SCORING…