The third time was the charm for Benny Feilhaber as the Oakland Roots earned their first victory in his third match since he joined the club on June 2nd, and the club’s first since their win at San Antonio on May 10th.
The Roots’ formula in their 1-0 victory at Birmingham Legion FC was similar to what we’ve seen so far: another strong defensive performance combined with an opportunistic offense hoping to take advantage of one of the few chances the club is able to generate.
This week, the club showed some promise in their efforts to try and create more chances without giving up goals at the other end.
Oakland first put the ball in the net in the 39th minute, as Jürgen Damm made a run down the right side and sent in a ball that skipped toward the goalpost, where Peter Wilson went into a slide to redirect the ball into the net. But the sideline referee held up his flag for offside, saying Wilson had left too early.
The game winner came in the 53rd minute, when they were able to force the Birmingham defense into an error. A cross from Morey Doner found Ali Elmasnaouy unmarked as he approached the penalty area. Edwin Laszo pursued Elmasnaouy and crashed into him from behind as he approached the 6-yard box.
Kai Greene scored on the ensuing penalty kick with a stutter step that caused goalkeeper Matt Van Oekel to tip his hand. Van Oekel dove right, so Greene slotted the ball just inside the opposite post.
Oakland nearly had a second (or perhaps third) goal in the 75th minute, off of a corner kick by Panos Armenakas. Gagi Margvelashvili’s header hit the crossbar, and his rebound attempt was blocked.
First Half Starts Slowly, Ends with Disputed Offside Call
Birmingham’s lineup was filled with USL veterans with a history of generating goals, including Daniel Trejo, Enzo Martinez, and Ronaldo Damus. And there was a familiar face on the Birmingham sideline, former Sacramento Republic Coach Mark Briggs.
But Oakland was able to keep them mostly quiet throughout the match.
Birmingham had their first decent chance in the 11th minute, but Oakland goalkeeper Kendall McIntosh had to go to ground to save it.
In the 21st minute, Birmingham’s Kobe Hernández-Foster made a long run down the middle of the field, but his shot from beyond the arc went wide.
Three minutes later, the Roots had their first chance of the match, with Elmasnaouy making his first step into the box and firing a shot that beat Van Oekel, but went wide.
In the 29th minute, a loose ball bounced to Trejo in the box and he blasted a shot toward the near post. McIntosh reacted quickly, diving to the ground and deflecting the ball over the endline for a corner kick.
Wilson had another chance in the 44th minute, when José Luis Sinisterra’s pass caught Wilson as he entered the box, but his soft shot went straight into the hands of Van Oekel.
Oakland Defense Clamps Down in Second Half
The second half was largely uneventful after Greene’s penalty kick goal.
Birmingham was only able to get off a couple of shots in the final 15 minutes of the match, but attempts by Sebastián Saucedo in the 79th minute and Tyler Pasher in the 89th minute were both blocked.
Next Week
The Roots return to action in the USL Jägermeister Cup, returning home to face Monterey Bay FC next Saturday, June 28th at 7 PM.
