Oakland Pro Soccer announced they are forming a soccer team in ‘The Town’ and it will be named ‘Oakland Roots.’
SFGATE interviewed the team’s co-founder and president Benno Nagel earlier this year about the nearly two-year process it has taken to bring a professional soccer team to Oakland. “We always say Oakland is a big city but a small town,” Nagel said at the time. “The reason we got a lot of people interested in what we were doing was because we brought them into the conversation and asked then ‘What do you want to see?’”
Oakland Roots rebranded their social media last week and yesterday announced the initial front office staff. It includes: Co-founder Edreece Arghandiwal as an advisor for brand development and marketing, Mike Geddes as Senior Vice President of Impact and Social Enterprise, Benjamin Aziz as Senior Adviser on Club Affairs, Tommy Hodul as Press Officer and Director of Fan Engagement, Ezra Gonzalez as Director of Sales and Sponsorship, and Devante Dubose and Hailai Arghandiwal as Club Ambassadors.
The team already has several investors on board and is finalizing an investors group. They plan to launch in the Spring of 2019. It is not yet clear what league the team will play in. Oakland Roots also plans to launch a women’s professional soccer team starting as well in 2019.
USL 2 East Bay gives up on Oakland, focuses on Concord
Initially hoping to build a stadium at the Oakland Coliseum complex, USL East Bay owner Mark Hall told the San Francisco Examiner that the team is giving up its plans for Oakland, and instead focusing on building an 18,000 seat stadium in Concord.
“We’re really confident about [attracting the whole East Bay],” Hall said. “There were a lot of people who questioned Concord but have never even been to Concord and have not been to the downtown and seen how much Concord has improved over the last 10 or 15 years. It’s really a beautiful environment.”
USL 2 East Bay plans make it to the field in the USL Division 2 league by 2021.
Street Soccer USA SF Cup in Union Square this weekend
The annual Street Soccer USA SF Cup will return to Union Square in San Francisco this weekend Saturday, July 28th and Sunday, July 29th between 9 am and 5 pm.
This weekend’s event is a major fundraiser for Street Soccer USA which brings free soccer to disadvantaged youth in the SF Bay Area and around the country. The all-ages event will include teams celebrating soccer’s social impact and diversity in the Bay Area.
Registration for 4×4 teams is still available for this weekend.
On Sunday, the finals for the tournament will be held along with a charity match featuring San Jose Earthquakes forward Chris Wondolowski.
Click here for more information.
Quakes look for new start after Man United draw
After tying Manchester United 0-0 in a friendly at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on Sunday, the Earthquakes look to turn around their season with two crucial home games this week. On Wednesday they host the Seattle Sounders at Avaya Stadium at 7:15 p.m. Then on Saturday, Real Salt Lake arrives in San Jose for another 7:15 p.m. start time.
Newly signed defender Guram Kashia played his first match for the Quakes against Man United, as did several other players including 16-year-olds Jacob Akanyirige and Gilbert Fuentes.
“I saw some great things in today’s game, and if we can bring Wednesday these things, we can get a result,” said Kashia after the game. “I’m trying to focus on the next game and not think about the end of the (season). This team cannot be in last place because we have the talent to have at least 20 or 15 points more to be in the middle of the league.”
