The Oakland Roots announced the hiring of former USMNT player Benny Feilhaber on Monday, moving quickly after dismissing head coach Gavin Glinton.
“We are excited to have Benny Feilhaber take over through the end of the season,” said Oakland Roots President Lindsay Barenz. “We believe there is still a lot to fight for this season and we believe we have the players to make a strong run into the playoffs.”
Feilhaber had a long playing career in Europe and MLS from 2005 to 2020. He also made 44 appearances for the United States Men’s National Team from 2007 to 2017.
Feilhaber was born in Brazil and moved to the USA with his family as a child. He played youth soccer and eventually attended UCLA, where he was a walk-on for the team. His play was noted by the USA youth national team and eventually by European scouts. It earned him a contract with Hamburger SV in Germany. He initially featured with their reserve team in the third division before playing for the first team in the Bundesliga.
He then played for Derby County in England and AGF Aarhus in Denmark. His European play got him called up to the US Men’s National Team. His most significant moment with the team was scoring a golazo against Mexico in the 2007 Gold Cup final.
He continued with the national team, playing in the 2009 Confederations Cup and being on the USA’s World Cup roster for the 2010 World Cup. He played his last game for the first squad in 2017.
In 2011, Feilhaber moved to MLS and played first for the New England Revolution. However, his longest stint with any MLS team was with Sporting Kansas City from 2013-17 and at the end of his pro career from 2019-2020. He ended up with 50 goals in 386 pro games.
After hanging up his cleats, Feilhaber transitioned into coaching. First in college as an assistant for his alma mater, UCLA. He then joined the technical staff at Sporting Kansas City and was the coach for the team’s MLS Next Pro side, Sporting Kansas City II, from 2022 to 2024. Over his three seasons in charge, the team won 32 games, tied 15, and lost 33 games.
Feilhaber will have his work cut out with the Oakland Roots to make a run up the table. The team has issues on both sides of the field, having only scored thirteen times in eleven games while conceding twenty-two goals in the league, the most in the USL Championship. The uneven performances contrast with the excitement of the fans who packed the Oakland Coliseum on several occasions this season, wanting to support the team in their new home.
Feilhaber’s first game in charge will be this Saturday, June 7, when the Roots take on El Paso Locomotive at 7 pm at the Oakland Coliseum.
