The Oakland Roots were unable to break through the visitors’ determined defense and had to settle for a scoreless draw with Phoenix Rising on Wednesday night. The match was Phoenix’s third consecutive 0-0 draw.
Oakland had been hoping to gain more ground in the playoff hunt in the final game of the season’s longest homestand, all against Western Conference playoff contenders. They ended up earning only four points in three matches, in spite of opening with a resounding win over El Paso.
The club faced an added challenge on Wednesday night, since goalkeeper Paul Blanchette and Head Coach Juan Guerra were both serving one-match suspensions after being red carded in last Saturday’s loss to Las Vegas.
Roots Assistant Coach Marcos Reina Torres said that his team was well prepared for Phoenix, switching to a 4-4-2 formation to counter Phoenix’s 4-3-3.
“I think we had our chances, maybe we could [have been] more precise in the last meters of the attacking third,” Reina Torres said. “That was the difference between winning or tying today.”
Chances, But No Goals in the First Half
After a slow start by both teams, Oakland began to assert itself midway through the first half, winning three consecutive corner kicks, beginning in the 19th minute. The sequence included a shot by José Hernández from inside the penalty arc that forced a save from Phoenix goalkeeper Ben Lundt.
Two minutes later, Juan Carlos Azócar took a shot from well beyond the arc that forced a diving stop by Lundt to deflect it over the endline. Azócar also had a shot from close range in the 28th minute, but it hit the side netting.
In the 41st minute, Edgardo Rito made a solo run along the right side and sent a short cross to Óttar Karlsson, whose one-timer went straight into Lundt’s hands.
Phoenix’s best chance of the first half came in the 28th minute, on a two-man break. Aodhan Quinn fed the ball to Richmond Antwi, but his shot sailed over the crossbar.
Phoenix’s Second Half Adjustments Keep the Match Scoreless
The visitors made defensive adjustments in the second half to try and blunt the Oakland attack.
“They tried to drop [back] a little bit more in defense but at the same time, they had some attackers that were not defending,” Reina Torres explained. “So every time we lost the ball or we didn’t finish, it was a possible counterattack for them. They have the kind of players that [can be dangerous on] long balls.”
In the 55th minute, Phoenix’s Santi Moar had a chance with a shot from the left side of the box, but Oakland goalkeeper Taylor Bailey made the easy save.
Bailey faced few challenges in keeping a clean sheet in his first USL Championship start since March 20. Reina Torres was impressed with Bailey’s performance.
“He did really well. He was really good with his feet and was calm trying to find the free man [when the team was building out of the back]. He helped a lot on those situations and also the [saves he had to make] as a goalkeeper.”
Oakland had a rare second half chance in the 62nd minute, when Azócar made a long run from midfield and fed an overlapping Karlsson, but his shot was deflected away by Lundt and a backpedaling Phoenix defender.
Phoenix had a chance to steal the three points in stoppage time, but Baboucarr Njie’s shot from outside the box was just over the crossbar.
The match got chippy in the fourth minute of stoppage time, when Phoenix’s Irakoze Donasiyano collided with Oakland’s Memo Diaz. Tempers flared and pushing and shoving ensued. Donasiyano was red carded, while Diaz received a yellow.
Now Oakland remains in 9th place in the Western Conference and has to play their next three matches at Detroit, San Diego, and Sacramento. They won’t play again at Laney until September 3.
“The points that we dropped at home, we need to get back on the road,” Reina Torres said. “It’s the only way we can be in the playoffs.”
