The Oakland Roots made Gavin Glinton’s first match as head coach a memorable occasion, scoring a late goal to earn a 2-2 draw at San Antonio FC on Saturday night.
The Roots accomplished two goals simultaneously, earning a point on the road against one of the best teams in the USL Championship while also resting many of their regulars before Tuesday’s first ever US Open match against the San Jose Earthquakes.
Project 51O affiliated players were all over Saturday’s starting lineup, which marked the first match appearance of Kieran Bracken Serra and the first start for Thomas Camier. The lineup also included a number of players who had previously played more limited minutes, including Timothy Syrel, Ali Elmasnaouy, and Etsgar Cruz.
But the Roots regulars were not completely absent; in the final 30 minutes of the match, Glinton used several of them as substitutes.
Roots Dodge a Bullet in Scoreless First Half
The Roots narrowly avoided giving up the first goal of the match in the 9th minute, when Machop Chol put the ball in the net, but was judged to be offside. The play was set up by a poor clearance by Camier, which went straight to San Antonio’s Kevon Lambert.
There were only scattered chances for both teams in the remainder of the half.
San Antonio’s best was in the 28th minute, when a long ball from the back by Trova Boni found Kameron Lacey in a one-on-one situation with Camier. Lacey cut the ball back to his right foot and got a shot on goal, but the ball when straight into the arms of Syrel.
The Roots’ only real first half chance came in stoppage time, when Trayvone Reid dribbled to the edge of the penalty arc and fired a blast that was headed for the top right corner. But San Antonio goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega went into full extension to guide the ball over the crossbar for a corner.
Second Half Fireworks
Reid was also instrumental in the Roots’ first goal, in the 65th minute. Reid made a run down the left side, maneuvered around San Antonio’s Shannon Gomez, and sent in a cross to the far post that Miche-Naider Chéry headed into the net. Chéry’s goal was the first by an Oakland striker other than Johnny Rodriguez this season.
The Roots nearly grabbed a two goal advantage in the 67th minute. Neveal Hackshaw’s blast from distance was too hot for Sisniega to handle, but the San Antonio defense was there for the clearance.
But the home side produced a sudden equalizer in the 73rd minute. Juan Agudelo slipped in between a pair of Roots defenders and was able to redirect Bura Nogiera’s cross into the net while sliding onto the turf.
San Antonio nearly took the lead in the 77th minute, when Jorge Hernández’s free kick sailed over the four man wall, but Syrel was able to slap it over the bar.
And one minute later, they took the lead. The Roots were able to clear away the subsequent corner kick, but Hernández sent in another cross. Syrel came out to the edge of the six-yard box, but Lambert got there first and headed it toward goal, as Hackshaw made a vain attempt to clear it off the line.
But the Roots had one more comeback left. In the 82nd minute, the referee called Lambert for a handball, after he blocked a shot by Camier in the box. Two minutes later, Rodriguez blasted the subsequent penalty kick into the upper lefthand corner.
And so the Roots leave San Antonio on a high note, ready to face their biggest test in franchise history, a date with the San Jose Earthquakes on Tuesday night.
