Oakland Roots Victorious in Home Opener, Beat Indy Eleven 2-1

March 10, 2024 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Oakland Roots News Release

Oakland got off to a blazing hot start in their season opener at Pioneer Stadium, scoring their first goal of the season less than three minutes after the opening whistle courtesy of Jeciel Cedeño en route to a 2-1 victory over visiting Indy Eleven.

Cedeño got the sold-out crowd roaring just moments into the game when he found a fortuitous bounce off of an Indy player right in front of the net. Cedeño made the most of the early opportunity, slotting an easy ball past the Indy keeper just inside the right post.

Indy nearly had the equalizer in the 21st minute after a perfectly placed free kick from just outside the box. But while the shot was good, the save was great, as Paul “The Wall” Blanchette continued to earn his nickname with a diving save to keep the sheet clean for the time being.

The run of play started to turn in Indy’s favor for much of the remaining first half, and the visitors capitalized on this pressure with an equalizer in the 43rd minute when a cross from the right side found Jack Blake in perfect position in front of Blanchette. Blake made no mistake with the strike and leveled the match at 1-1 in the waning moments of the first frame.

Despite Indy’s attacking pressure, it was Oakland who would find twine next. Baboucarr Njie found himself in a scrum in front of the Indy net, but was able to slot a perfect pass through the Indy defenders to Bryan Tamacas who won the one-on-one matchup with the Indy keeper in-close and deposited the ball into the back of the net in the 51st minute to give Roots their second, and final, lead of the night.

Indy continued to apply pressure, nearly equalizing for a second time on multiple scoring chances in the second half. But Oakland was able to weather the storm, keeping all of Indy’s scoring contained to the first forty-five, as Roots maintained their lead to the final whistle.

Oakland will be back at home for their next USL Championship matchup when they host Charleston Battery back on the campus of Cal State East Bay next Saturday, March 16th. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 PM PT.

Talking with Head Coach Noah Delgado

Okay, Noah, big win – snaps a winless streak from last season, just talk about what it means to you and the team to get this result.

Yeah, new season, fresh start. It was a long offseason for players and staff and a lot of people in the club I assume. It didn’t end well last season but to come out on our front…