With their offseason only two days old, the Oakland Roots announced they had parted ways with Benny Feilhaber and began their search for the club’s seventh head coach for their seventh season in 2026.
Feilhaber came to the Roots in early June after a disastrous start to their 2025 campaign under previous manager Gavin Glinton. He was signed by the Roots only for the remainder of the 2025 season, with his primary goal being to qualify the team for the USL Championship postseason.
After a new coach bounce with the former US Men’s National Team midfielder in charge, where the Roots earned three wins, two losses, and a draw, the club managed only one win over an almost three-month period, while losing five games and tying six times. Eliminated from the playoff race, Oakland rebounded with perhaps their best performance of the season, winning in their season finale 3-0 over Lexington SC.
Despite winning his final game and the club showing improved consistency and play on the field, it wasn’t surprising that Feilhaber was dismissed because he failed in his primary mission to guide the Roots into the playoffs.
“We are very grateful to Benny; he took over in a difficult spot midseason for our club and made a substantial contribution to the team during his time here,” said Oakland Roots President Lindsay Barenz in a statement announcing the end of his contract with the club. “We thank him for his commitment to the job through the last whistle of the season and genuinely wish him all the best in his next chapter.”
Only a few weeks ago, in a postgame press conference after the Roots lost to Hartford Athletic 3-1, which effectively ended their postseason hopes, Feilhaber appeared resigned that he might not be back for the club but also made his case for remaining in charge.
“I give them a lot of credit for what they’ve done today, but also I hope it doesn’t get lost in the mix the way that this team and the players on this team have started to look like a completely different squad from the time that I came in here,” said Feilhaber in the October 8th press conference. “And I think that’s incredibly important for the players to realize, and I hope for you guys that send that message out to fans and people that follow the team to understand that that should be something very positive about how these guys have understood what we’ve tried to do here as a coaching staff.”
In the announcement of his departure from the club, Feilhaber was appreciative of the opportunity.
“It’s been an honor to coach for Oakland Roots. They took a chance on me and gave me my first-ever opportunity to coach at the first-team level,” said Feilhaber. “Thank you to all the staff and players for all the hard work and sacrifice. To the fans-thank you for accepting me as one of you. I will forever be a Root and hope I was able to make The Town proud of their team.”
And for the seventh time, the Oakland Roots once again begin their search for a new head coach. This time, at least, the next leader for the club will have a full off-season to put together a squad of their choosing heading into the 2026 campaign.
