The Oakland Roots return home to The Town playing at the Oakland Coliseum in 2025. On Wednesday, Nov. 27, the club announced its initial offseason roster moves as it prepares for next season.
Longtime Roots players Paul Blanchette and Memo Diaz look set not to return next year. However, the club did announce that former Roots defender Kai Greene is returning for the 2024 season.
Soccer Bay Area will track all the moves, including any other additions or subtractions, and update this article all off-season.
CURRENT 2025 OAKLAND ROOTS ROSTER
(new signings in bold)
GOALKEEPERS: Tim Syrel, Kendall McIntosh
DEFENDERS: Ilya Alekseev, Kai Greene, Neveal Hackshaw, Gagi Margvelashvili, Baboucarr Njie, Justin Rasmussen
MIDFIELDERS: Rafael Baca, Daniel Gomez, Camden Riley, Tyler Gibson
FORWARDS: Etsgar Cruz, Dom Dwyer, Johnny Rodriguez, Miche Naider-Chéry, Wolfgang Prentice, Jose Luis Sinisterra
Rodriguez, who scored 12 goals, and Hackshaw, who led the Roots defense, have both signed new contracts with the team for the 2025 season.
PLAYERS LEAVING
OUT OF CONTRACT: Paul Blanchette, Memo Diaz, and Irakoze Donasiyano
CONTRACT OPTIONS DECLINED: Niall Logue, Napo Matsoso, and Trayvone Reid
PLAYERS ARRIVING
DEFENDER: Kai Greene
After leaving the club following the 2022 season, Greene returns after playing for Monterey Bay FC the last two years.
“Kai is a no-nonsense, hardworking defender who always puts the team above all else,” said Oakland Roots Head Coach Gavin Glinton during the announcement. “I know how good he was here in Oakland in 2021, and now he’s become an even bigger leader, having served as a captain in 2024. We expect Kai to step right into a leadership role back here in Oakland and make a big impact on our defense.”
MIDFIELDER: Tyler Gibson
Having played in over 230 USL and NASL games, Gibson should be a welcome addition to a Roots midfield that needs veteran quality.
“His experience over more than a decade at this level in US Soccer will be invaluable to us. His leadership and knowledge of the league is going to be huge to our 2025 team,” said Glinton.
Gibson might be best known to Bay Area soccer fans as an instrumental cog in the San Francisco Deltas midfield during their title-running season in 2017. He most famously scored a dramatic strike from distance in the NASL semifinal match to defeat North Carolina FC 1-0 and lead the team to the Championship.
“I enjoyed my previous time in the Bay Area,” said Gibson. “I can’t wait to get to Oakland and get started playing for the fans and the community there. I’m gonna do everything to show them what I am about and that starts with how much winning means to me.”
GOALKEEPER: Kendall McIntosh
A Bay Area native, McIntosh has played in the USL and MLS.
“Kendall comes to us with experience at the highest level of our game here in the United States,” said Glinton. “His experience, work ethic, and connection to this city makes him a great fit for our Club.”
