Dom Dwyer lifted Roots late in the game, and Oakland stayed locked in defensively, shutting out visiting New Mexico United in the East Bay on Saturday afternoon, earning a 1-0 victory.
While the match on the field was intense from the outset, with both sides earning scoring chances in quick succession throughout the first frame, the stat sheet wouldn’t reflect it. Neither team could find an answer to the other’s backline and the match remained deadlocked at 0-0 heading into the half.
Neither team made halftime changes, and the evenly contested match continued until a hero emerged for Roots in the 75th minute when Memo Diaz sent in a corner kick from the left side that found a leaping Dom Dwyer who headed it home for his first goal in an Oakland Roots kit.
New Mexico pressed the Roots backline for the remainder of the match, desperate to find an equalizer that would never come, as the home side held on to the final whistle to earn a tight 1-0 victory.
Oakland will now head on the road for their next USL Championship action when they face North Carolina FC on Sept. 7th. Roots will return to the East Bay for their next home game versus San Antonio FC on Sept. 14th — Kickoff is scheduled for 7 PM PT.
Talking with Head Coach Gavin Glinton
Gavin, huge win and a grind it out type of victory. Just how did this win show that this team’s ready for the playoffs?
We’re not there yet, but I thought it was a fantastic performance on both sides of the ball for us, and that we were much better with the ball than we’ve been in the last few games. We were able to buy ourselves time. We know how good of a team New Mexico is — and you know you’re not going to be able to get through the match without having to defend it and hold on for a bit. But I thought it was as complete of a performance as we have put in in the last two months or so. So for us, a great three points to build off.
Seven weeks without a loss, wins against the top western side, top eastern side. Just what does that say about this team?
It says that we are very, very capable, and we know we can play with anybody. It’s going to be about continuing to combine things and put things together. But you’ve seen them — their ability to defend, their ability to bounce back, come through some tough results and regroup. So, you know, I think we’re getting there.
Oakland Roots SC vs New Mexico United
USL Championship | August 31, 2024
Venue: Pioneer Stadium, Cal State University East Bay, Hayward, California
Kickoff: 3:00 PM PT
Weather: 77°F , Sunny
SCORELINE:
OAK: 1
NM: 0
SCORING SUMMARY:
OAK: Dom Dwyer 75’
DISCIPLINE SUMMARY:
NM: Jacobo Reyes 3’ (yellow)
NM: Avionne Flanagan 44’ (yellow)
OAK: Daniel Gomez 51’ (yellow)
NM: Chris Gloster 56’ (yellow)
OAK: Johnny Rodriguez 57’ (yellow)
OAK: Neveal Hackshaw 63’ (yellow)
OAK: Trayvone Reid 73’ (yellow)
NM: Harry Swartz 86’ (yellow)
OAKLAND ROOTS LINEUP: Paul Blanchette, Niall Logue, Neveal Hackshaw, Gagi Margvelashvili, Justin Rasmussen, Daniel Gomez (Irakoze Donasiyano), Camden Riley (Napo Matsoso), Memo Diaz, Trayvone Reid (Miche-Naider Chéry), Johnny Rodriguez (Ilya Alekseev), Baboucarr Njie (Dominic Dwyer)
Unused subs: Etsgar Cruz, Ali Elmasnaouy, Thomas Camier, Tim Syrel
Shots: 7 | Shots On Goal: 1 | Corner Kicks: 3 | Fouls: 12 | Offside: 1 |
NEW MEXICO UNITED LINEUP: Alex Tambakis, Chris Gloster (Abu Danladi), Talen Maples, Will Seymore, Abdi Mohamed, Marco Micaletto, Avionne Flanagan (Harry Swartz), Nana Houssou, Jacobo Reyes (Dominick Hernandez), Mukwelle Akale, Greg Hurst
Unused subs: Kristopher Shakes, Anthony Herbert, Arturo Astorga, Jackson Dubois
Shots: 10 | Shots On Goal: 2 | Corner Kicks: 8 | Fouls: 13 | Offside: 2 |
