Oakland Roots forced to play next 3 home games in Livermore

After promising fans that the Roots’ new turf field would be ready for the team’s July 10th home game at Laney Stadium, Oakland backtracked and announced instead they will play their next three home games in Livermore at Las Positas College

Oakland’s upcoming July 10, July 14, and July 17 home games will be on the same field the Roots played their June 26 home game against Austin Bold.

The move to Livermore was in response to turf issues the Roots had at Laney Stadium in Oakland. For their season opener on June 19 the team’s current portable turf field was deemed unplayable. It is comprised of 2900 rectangular panels of field turf that are laid out and connected together to cover the existing track and football field at Laney Stadium.

The portable turf field is necessary to create a soccer field at least 110 yards long by 70 yards wide, the minimum field requirement size for a USL league match.

SFGATE has learned that the Roots new turf field, which should meet league standards, has arrived in the East Bay after being delayed due to shipping issues and the pandemic. The hope is to play their first home game at Laney Stadium on July 31.

At Las Positas, the Roots are erecting a temporary 1,200 seat bleacher for fans to watch the games. There is also a grass hill right next to the field that fans will be able to purchase five-dollar tickets and sit on.

Las Positas soccer pitch, where the Roots practice, has an excellent grass field used by international teams for their training field when visiting the San Francisco Bay Area.

Oakland returns to action facing off against the Sacramento Republic on the road on Wednesday night.