Oakland may soon have two professional soccer teams representing ‘The Town.’
On Monday, The Town FC announced its intentions to bring a professional soccer team to Oakland, possibly by next year. According to a club official, the team has contacted both third division leagues, NISA and MLS Next Pro. The club is in active talks with investors but has no formal announcement.
The Town FC also wrote that they plan to bring a women’s team to Oakland.
“We believe having our ear to the ground and involving ourselves at a grassroots level is a foundational viewpoint,” wrote ex-Oakland Roots player Saalih Muhammad on the club’s website. “The Town FC’s founding members reflect this desire, community members who embody the trailblazing spirit of Oakland.
“Soccer for societal change has become the new trend, exclusive merch drops and social media posts becoming the current marketing strategies. But not often followed by action, most teams aiming to please both the affluent profiteering class while using the working class as a shield for their lack of true interconnection,” Muhammad added, apparently referring to the Roots, who play in the second division USL Championship.
Muhammad is one of four former Roots players, including Oakland-raised Julio Cervantes, Yohannes Harrish, and the Roots’ first-ever player signing, Devante DuBose, who support the new endeavor.
Roots co-founder Benno Nagel, removed from that team’s board in 2020, is also part of The Town FC’s 18-person ‘Town Council,’ which has been meeting weekly on developing the club’s founding principles and identity.
In a section on the website labeled ‘The Pledge,’ the club states it wants to create a clear pathway for young soccer players from Oakland and the East Bay to a professional team.
“The road ahead will be long, and there is surely much work to be done, but the benefit of results come only to those who take action,” wrote Nagel. “And so the time is now Oakland, and the time is now for the Town FC to take action to deliver an authentically Oakland professional soccer team to our community.”
Soccer brand designer Chris Payne, who created the logos for Monterey Bay FC and Rochester’s Flower City, will be responsible for crafting the club’s visual identity.
“We begin in our humble journey asking for your support, your open-mindedness, and your willingness to engage in our movement of bettering the Town through soccer,” added Nagel. “The crossroads at which Oakland sits can no longer accept idleness.”
