Oakland Roots SC lose unbeaten record after goalkeeper’s viral red card against Orange County
Saturday was kids’ night at the Oakland Coliseum.
And it was two moments of childishness from their most experienced player that earned Oakland Roots a 1-0 defeat against Orange County.
Goalkeeper Raphael Spiegel, who at 33 is the Roots second eldest player and counts five years with English Premier League side West Ham United on a long resume, handed OC victory in the USL Championship clash.
If the mistake for the game-deciding goal a minute into the second half was forgivable, the red card Spiegel earned in the 92nd minute was anything but.
It goes down as the most freakish red card in Roots’ seven-year history and arguably one of the most peculiar anywhere in recent memory.
Two balls!
With the Roots chasing the game, Spiegel ventured into the OC box at a free kick. As the ball dropped to an OC defender, Spiegel, with the Roots’ goal gaping, darted behind the OC net to retrieve a spare ball.
With OC now breaking toward the unguarded Roots goal, Spiegel punted the substitute ball onto the field in a presumed attempt to force the referee to halt play.
International football rules state that the referee must stop play if an extra ball, other object, or animal enters the field during a match, but crucially, only if they are judged to be interfering with play.
In this instance Spiegel’s ball, although it cleared halfway, did not stop OC from rolling a long-range bobbler toward the Roots goal or prevent Tommy McCabe from sliding in to clear it.
Referee Corbyn May made the correct call in not stopping play. And, after some consultation with his assistants, showed Spiegel a deserved, and perhaps unparalleled, red card.
Having used all their substitues Roots ended the game with defender Michael Edwards wearing a goalkeeper jersey and a first defeat of the season.
Spiegel’s bizarre attempt to stop OC from scoring certainly puts him in rarefied company.
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone was dismissed during a La Liga game against Malaga in 2016 after an additional ball was thrown onto the field.
Has anyone earned a similar red card to Spiegel’s?
Roots Swiss keeper is now suspended for Roots next two Championship games with Kendall McIntosh expected to deputize. McIntosh certainly has a chance to make a claim for the Roots’ starting keeper spot given his teammates’ travails here.
And while the red card will not be quickly forgotten, it was Spiegel’s earlier error of judgment that had a more direct impact on the result of this game.
Gamechanger
Less than two minutes into the second half, a ball over the Roots defense released OC’s lively attacker Mataeo Bunbury. Spiegel first advanced outside his box to intercept the ball, then retreated back inside to catch it. In the end, he did neither and could only make a forlorn slide as Banbury rolled the ball into the empty net.
“Rafa should’ve stayed where he was in the goal and let his defenders handle the situation,” Roots manager Ryan Martin told reporters after the game. “There was enough pressure on the ball, we didn’t think he had to go for it. When you don’t communicate effectively and leave things to interpretation, it opens the door for mistakes.”
Both sides entered this game unbeaten after three games. This result placed OC on top of the Western Conference standings with the Roots three places down in fourth.
Town Biz?
The good news for Oakland fans is that, despite the goalkeeping errors, there were enough encouraging signs in this game to suggest that the team is responding well to new coach Martin’s methods.
The team changed formation after struggling in the first half and were much better in the second. Faysal Bettache and Wolfgang Prentice showed flashes in attack where they supplied most of the Roots’ threat in the absence of last year’s Championship top scorer, Peter Wilson.
New signing Bertin Jacquesson, a substitute here, provided impetus as Roots chased the game.
“He was great,” Roots captain Tyler Gibson said of the new recruit. “He had a bunch of energy running at the defenders. I think he had more crosses and entries into the box than anyone. He added the spark we were missing. I think he’s going to be a key piece for us this year.”
Another sub, Jackson Kiil, came closest to equalizing, and the former Stanford Cardinal should have done better when released by a cute Edwards through ball.
With several new players yet to make their debuts due to injury and the team still adjusting to a new coach’s methods, Roots can be satisfied with their start to the season.
The result against OC, and the circumstances that delivered it, were certainly not ideal, but grounds for optimism remain.
OC are a well-organized side, with several impressive young players, and a coach, in Danny Stone, who knows how to craft an obdurate team. Losing any unbeaten record stings, but defeat here was no disgrace.
The attendance on kids’ night, that saw any ticket purchased come with two free seats for children, was 6,724. If the club can maintain that figure, it would put Roots on course for a new average attendance record.
Spiegel’s antics will ensure that those who saw the 1-0 defeat to OC will have something unique to remember the experience by.
