San Jose Earthquakes and Oakland Roots Face Final Gauntlets
Even with the forgiving playoff structure in place for the top two leagues in the United States soccer system, finishing a season strong is paramount. Both of the Bay Area clubs San Jose Earthquakes and Oakland Roots have provided for entertaining seasons up to this point, but cracks in their respective armors add some tension and anxiety into the mix heading into this final gauntlet.
Another Rollercoaster Finale
San Jose Earthquakes are currently 8th in the Western Conference in Major League Soccer with the goal of at a minimum finishing in the top 9 for a play in spot, but ideally they would like to finish in the top 7 to be assured of a Western Conference Quarterfinal berth.
Saturday, September 9 @ DC United (9th East)
Saturday, September 16 vs Real Salt Lake (4th West)
Wednesday, September 20 @ Portland Timbers (12th West)
Saturday, September 23 vs Nashville SC (7th East)
Saturday, September 30 @ Minnesota United (7th West)
Saturday, October 7 @ FC Dallas (9th West)
International Break
Saturday, October 21 vs Austin FC (10th West)
When you combine the San Jose Earthquakes’ struggles on the road, dropped points recently against the Western Conference opponents in this slate, and their trend of poor form to close the last few seasons, confidence is waning among the fanbase. I echo those sentiments, also I do believe they can make it to the playoffs. It won’t be easy, but I still have doubts if this group under Luchi Gonzalez can win a playoff game should they get there. For now, it’s about taking things one game at a time and finishing this season strong led by Cristian Espinoza, Jeremy Ebobisse, Rodrigues, and Daniel.
Keeping the Streak Alive
Oakland Roots are currently 6th in the Western Conference in the USL Championship with a marginal buffer above the challenging teams. The chance of hosting a home playoff game isn’t great with 4th place San Diego Loyal 3 points ahead with a game in hand, so like San Jose it’s all about consolidating a playoff spot and whatever happens, happens.
Remaining Schedule
Saturday, September 9th @ Las Vegas Lights (12th West)
Saturday, September 16th vs FC Tulsa (8th East)
Saturday, September 23rd vs Monterey Bay (9th West)
Saturday, September 30th vs San Antonio FC (2nd West)
Wednesday, October 4 @ Orange County SC (3rd West)
Saturday, October 7 @ San Diego Loyal (4th West)
Saturday, October 14 vs El Paso Locomotive (8th West)
In each of Oakland Roots’ first two seasons of USL Championship play, they won their first round playoff match before getting knocked out in the quarterfinals. Picking up a strong haul of points in this final stretch is key to allowing an opportunity to match or surpass that height to occur in 2023. The last five games in particular all feature opponents in or around playoff spots. The biggest issue for the Oakland Roots has been taking care of business against teams lower in the table, which makes the game in Las Vegas even more crucial. When this fixture last took place at home, the Roots barely overcame the lowly Lights. After extending Jeciel Cedeño, who they obtained from a trade with Hartford Athletic for Edgardo Rito, it’s clear they have expectations to compete at a high level. In order to do so with more regularity, they’ll need forwards Johnny Rodriguez and Anuar Pelaez to be efficient in front of goal, Paul “the wall” Blanchette to make his iconic big saves, and the Roots to maintain their unified fighting spirit. Even with their home stadium moved to Hayward (through 2024), Oakland fans have rallied around this team hard and will be giving the Roots the lift they need.
If you haven’t been tuning into local soccer here in the Bay Area, now is the time to do so. The quest for the playoffs will be bound to have emotions, big moments, and significant consequences for the futures of these clubs. That’s what you hope for when you’re invested in soccer: meaningful games, and these certainly are meaningful.
