Oakland Roots 0–0 Pittsburgh Riverhounds: Discovery of Depth

As the CONCACAF Gold Cup begins next weekend and other international qualifiers and competitions occur worldwide, both the Oakland Roots and Pittsburgh Riverhounds had to adjust their lineups. For the Roots, three players represented their nations this window: Irakoze Donasiyano for Burundi’s African Cup of Nations Qualifiers, Bryan Tamacas for El Salvador, and Neveal Hackshaw for Trinidad and Tobago. Pittsburgh Riverhounds would be without their starting goalkeeper Jahmali Waite. With most of these absences affecting defensive areas, Noah Delgado and Bob Lilley might be pleased in some aspects of a 0–0 draw at Pioneer Stadium on Saturday, June 17th. Seeing USL Championship sides discover their depth in similar ways that Major League Soccer coaches have to shuffle the deck on international breaks can only mean good things for where we are at in American soccer’s development, but what does this game mean for Oakland Roots who are in the thick of a playoff race? Pittsburgh won’t mind the point as they are more comfortable in their position in the Eastern Conference. Another point in their resume is Riverhounds being one of the two USL Championship sides that went the furthest (quarterfinals) in this year’s US Open Cup along with Birmingham Legion.

Both sets of players come out for the start of the game.

Lineups

Oakland Roots XI (Noah Delgado 3–4–3)

GK 20 Paul Blanchette

CB 21 Emrah Klimenta

CB 4 Joseph Nane

CB 14 Danny Barbir

RM 23 Memo Diaz

CM 7 Napo Matsoso

CM 22 Jeciel Cedeño

LM 3 Kevin Wright

RW 10 Lindo Mfeka

ST 18 Anuar Pelaez (12’ Yellow Card)

LW 9 Dariusz Formella

Subs

70’ 11 Trayvone Reid for Mfeka

70’ 17 Johnny Rodriguez for Pelaez

79’ 19 Wolfgang Prentice for Wright

Remaining Bench: 6 Tarek Morad, 16 Ryan Her, 38 Etsgar Cruz, 47 Taylor Bailey

International Duty: 8 Irakoze Donasiyano (Burundi), 13 Neveal Hackshaw (Trinidad and Tobago), 30 Bryan Tamacas (El Salvador)

Pittsburgh Riverhounds XI (Bob Lilley 5–4–1)

GK 77 Luis Zamudio

RWB 13 Luke Biasi

CB 12 Michael DeShields

CB 29 Joseph Farrell (10’ Yellow Card)

CB 6 Nathan Dossantos (21’ Yellow Card)

LWB 4 Dani Rovira

RM 11 Kenardo Forbes (60’ Yellow Card)

CM 2 Daniel Griffin

CM 23 Marc Ybarra (90+1’ Yellow Card)

LM 8 Junior Etou

19 ST Edward Kizza

Subs

45’ 24 Tola Showunmi for Dossantos (81’ Yellow Card)

45’ 20 Trevor Zwetsloot for Farrell

79’ 7 Langstock Blackstock for Kizza

79’ 16 Burke Fahling for Forbes

Remaining Bench: 3 Patrick Hogan, 28 Illal Osumanu, 32 Jonathan Gomes

International Duty: 26 Jahmali Waite (Jamaica) their usual starting goalkeeper. Luis Zamudio was loaned from DC United right before this game.

Oakland Roots were the more aggressive team in the first half, albeit most of their chances came from set pieces. While Kevin Wright was the most influential player on the wings (the pace setter role occupied by Edgardo Rito prior to his trade and Bryan Tamacas when not on international duty), Pittsburgh were able to deal with each attack. Sometimes dealing with them meant fouling often, but that meant more set pieces opportunities that the Roots failed to take advantage of. Matsoso was winning a midfield battle against Ybarra while Forbes was the main threat for the Riverhounds. Joseph Nane grew into his adjusted role as a center back from his usual central midfield position as the game went on, with the nerviest moment being a ball hitting his shoulder and Pittsburgh players calling for a handball. While Oakland was on the front foot in the opening period, the roles reversed in the second half.

Much of the game was a midfield battle as neither side often conceded an inch.

The second half got off to a tense start with tempers flaring a bit after Blanchette collected the ball and a few other players collided. The main feud was between Emrah Klimenta and halftime substitute Tola Showunmi which foreshadowed the main player for the Riverhounds in this second half. His introduction gave Pittsburgh the offense jolt they were looking for as he showed off his strength not just by holding off Klimenta but barreling over one of the signboards.

Joseph Nane stepped up his game during a sequence where he controlled the ball well with his head to keep Kenardo Forbes at bay and Blanchette came over to safely collect. Napo Matsoso and Kevin Wright continued their great game as the former expertly winning the ball in midfield and the latter getting the attack going. However the move stalled out as Pelaez held it up too long and then loses the ball. Perhaps he didn’t have the angle to shoot.

Oakland Roots almost received instant impact from Trayvone Reid off the bench. Dariusz Formella got things going with the free kick and Reid gave Zamudio his toughest shot of the day albeit still solidly held. However, Reid was a little shaky on the other end fouling Forbes. The free kick met Showunmi’s head but he’s off target. Showunmi proved to be a game changer despite not scoring in this game, and Dani Rovira also grew in confidence being their metronome shifting further in midfield.

In the final stages of this game, Formella nearly picked out super sub Johnny Rodriguez but the final ball was just beyond him. The Final whistle blew. Ultimately this was a positive result for the Roots against the team second in the East but they’ll hope to get back to winning ways in a home rematch against Phoenix Rising. Had Oakland held on in Phoenix to their 2–0 lead to collect 3 points, this result would’ve been even better. Sometimes those are the breaks though.

My view from a few rows behind the Oakland Roots supporter groups who set the energetic tone throughout the game.

The lack of victory didn’t dampen the spirits of the Oakland Roots supporters as the 3,466 in attendance applauded the efforts of their players.

“Give a lot of credit to Pittsburgh. They’re very solid defensively, very organized.”-Noah Delgado

One of the things I appreciate about Noah Delgado is that whatever the result is, he has a good energy about him. At the beginning of the press conference, somebody walks behind us and shouts “we love you coach” and he acknowledges them with a thank you. With player availability concerns and a tough battle, Delgado would be forgiven for not being at his best, but he always gives the Oakland Roots community his best. That also goes for the way he talks about both his players and the opposition with humility. He fully supports his players going out on international duty acknowledging how much it means to be recognized while playing in this up and coming league still growing its reputation.

“To beat a team like this, we need everybody. We need Hack (Neveal Hackshaw) there.”-Joseph Nane on the caliber of opposition.

I appreciated Nane’s realistic outlook. Oakland Roots is a good team and can compete with the best teams in USL Championship, but it takes everyone they’ve got and potentially more reinforcements this summer. Just because Nane can play center back doesn’t mean Delgado wants him there ideally. The biggest concern remains the goalscoring and Pelaez and Rodriguez are a capable 1–2 punch regardless of who starts, but the connection with new recruit Cedeño will be key to that next evolution. This match helped in our discovery of depth but also furthering our appreciation of the players who are currently representing their countries.

Two more home games on the horizon hosting Phoenix Rising and Rio Grande Valley before heading out to Tampa. Oakland Roots need to keep picking up points, ideally in bunches of 3 with more regularly, to keep up with the crowded Western Conference playoff picture.