After jumping out to an early lead, the Oakland Roots fell hard, losing 3-1 to the host Las Vegas Lights in 100 degree temperatures on Saturday night. It was Oakland’s fourth loss in the last five matches and earned last place Las Vegas their third victory of the 28-match season. They currently sit 14 points behind the team ahead of them in the standings.
The Roots were missing two of their foundational players: Bryan Tamacas and Neveal Hackshaw, who are away playing in the CONCACAF Nations League. (They will playing against each other on Sunday night, with Hackshaw’s Trinidad and Tobago taking on Tamacas’s El Salvador.)
Disaster struck for the already shorthanded defense in the 20th minute, when Tarek Morad went down with a head injury and was replaced by forward Trayvone Reid.
By the end of the match, the only substitutes still available were a recent college graduate in his rookie professional season (Ryan Her), and three players who were recently with the Project 51O development team (Etsgar Cruz, Kieran Bracken Serra, and goalkeeper Timothy Syrel).
The Roots Take the Lead in the First Half
At first, the outlook was bright. In the 10th minute, Oakland’s Wolfgang Prentice was taken down by Lucas Stauffer in the penalty area. Two minutes later, Johnny Rodriguez converted the subsequent penalty kick with a stutter step and a pause that had goalkeeper Leo Diaz going the wrong way.
Rodriguez had another chance in the 40th minute on a corner kick, but Diaz nudged away his soft header to give up another corner.
The Lights’ best first half chance came in the 42nd minute, when a shot from distance by Azriel González went straight into the arms of Roots’ goalkeeper Paul Blanchette. González would become a key figure in Las Vegas’s second half resurgence.
Second Half Disaster
The second half started out with another chance for Oakland.
In the 55th minute, Irakoze Donasiyano took a shot from outside the box that made its way through the box. Rodriguez tried to redirect the ball into the goal, but couldn’t quite get to it.
And then disaster came.
In the 56th minute, González received a pass from Danny Rios. He took a couple of dribbles to the edge of the penalty area and blasted a low, hard shot that caromed off of the inside of the post, eluding a diving Blanchette.
And then it happened again, a little over a minute later.
González set up the second goal, making a run along the right side from his own end to the edge of the penalty area. He sent in a cross to Rios, who headed it to Tyler Bagley, perched in front of goal. Bagley softly redirected it into the net, as Blanchette slapped at the ball, but could not keep it out.
The Roots had a couple of chances to equalize, including another shot by Rodriguez in the 60th minute, but his shot from just inside the penalty area trickled wide. Substitute Anuar Peláez also had a chance in the 82nd minute, but he blasted his left-footed shot way over the bar.
Finally, Bagley put the match away in the 89th minute with his second goal of the match. He took a couple of dribbles to get to the edge of the penalty arc and blasted a shot that ended up in the top left corner of the net as Blanchette looked on.
Oakland’s Emrah Klimenta nearly grabbed one back from distance in stoppage time, but the shot went wide.
Njie’s First Appearance
Baboucarr Njie made his first appearance in an Oakland uniform since the Roots acquired him on July 25 in the Darek Formella trade with Phoenix. He came on in the 82nd minute, replacing Wolfgang Prentice.
