For those who missed it in the Bernardez thread.... “Optimism reigns” at Oakland Roots first practice - The Beautiful Blog
Oakland Roots head coach Paul Bravo explains how the technical staff put the team together and their style of play @oaklandrootssc #knowyourroots #bayareafutbol pic.twitter.com/nSM5pFdQfu— Douglas Zimmerman (@zimpix) July 26, 2019 Ex SJ Earthquakes defender Víctor Bernárdez talks about joining the Oakland Roots as a player/coach @oaklandrootssc #quakes74 #knowyourroots #bayareafutbol pic.twitter.com/sa53aQFMYi— Douglas Zimmerman (@zimpix) July 26, 2019 The only thing dumber than a schedule with only two league home games separated months apart is team names that are so vague and/or generic that you have to use parenthesis to identify the metropolitan area they will be played in.
I think the league is lucky to even exist at this point. While Oakland seems to have their act together, the other teams may not. I'm hoping I'm wrong, but this feels like if it makes it to a 2nd season it will be considered a success.
NISA gets started this week. 2019 NISA Showcase Week 1 Saturday, August 31 Oakland Roots v. Cal United Strikers 9:00 pm
San Diego certainly doesn’t. It’s first home game is in 2.5 weeks and they’ve yet to post ticket info or even get on their supposed stadium’s schedule.
The Roots hosted the first NISA match on Saturday evening, packing the Laney College football stadium with a crowd estimated at 5,000 for the 3-3 tie https://www.socceramerica.com/publications/article/83491/what-theyre-saying-edreece-arghandiwal.html
Good crowd! I think its better than the SF Deltas ever got with the exception of their soccer bowl , championship game...
Like the shirt sponsor. Portland punk Jack McInerney? He sure has fallen. Those are fans that should have been at Avaya that night.
Why? Oakland isn’t San Jose. That said we’ll see how long this lasts. NISA in California at least has set itself up in direct competition with both MLS and USL Championship (or both) in every market... which to me seems just crazy for a budding D3 league. USL East Bay launches in 2021 with their own soccer specific stadium supposedly (nevermind the Quakes). LA Force and Cal United are having to deal with Galaxy’s, LAFC, OCSC, and Galaxy 2 all of which are long existing (OCSC in the exact same venue no less). And 1904FC, in addition to a shit name and stadium choice, are having to compete with Landon Donovan’s new San Diego USL side possibly as early as next spring (and they’ve a much better stadium for lower div footie.
Well that and they’re not in Oakland anymore That and their new ticket prices are even more outrageous. And they’ve not had the fortitude to identify with any city they’ve called home for the last 40 years.
The Quakes represent the entire Bay Area. Oakland soccer fans should be supporting them, just like San Jose fans support the Warriors, the A's and the Raiders. Oaklandish is the Roots' shirt sponsor, yet I know their owners to be Quakes fans. Not sure why the Roots couldn't select a different night for the inaugural so that they would not conflict with the Quakes. I might have attended. But now that you tell me that Oakland is not San Jose, maybe I won't attend the next Roots game that doesn't conflict. If we're going to Balkanize the Bay Area, that isn't going to work out well in the end for those smaller burgs to the north. Just sayin'.
I mean it’s not a new concept for particularly the east bay. Until the Giants built Pac Bell and won 3 World Series you generally found A’s fans in Oakland and Giants fans across the bay and a mix down south. Football too had been Balkanized as you say until the Raiders spent 20 years sucking and then moved to Vegas, but until then their fan base was largely confined to Oakland. And even in the sports where there is only one team it was kinda hit or miss that you’ll find an appreciable number of fans in the other of the two regional bases. Sharks fans aren’t exactly plentiful the farther north you go. And until the Warriors recent runs the last decade they didn’t have much of a foothold in points south. Base point, Bay Area sports have always been Balkanized. That’s the end result of an odd area that has three large, and fiercely independent cities, that do not want to be seen as secondary to either of their two neighbors, including in sport. Kind of explains why the Warriors have kept the gutless but savvy “Golden State” moniker all these years.
I mean I wouldn’t either with MLS as an option. And NISA hasn’t been making good moves strategically if you ask me. Its staying power is questionable at best. That said I’m going to give my now local 1904FC a gander and see if there’s anything there. But I have no illusions and I fully expect Donovan’s new USL side to curb stomp them in short order.
I’ve always assumed the Balkanization is due more to geographically isolating property of the SF Bay. I would try going to an Oakland Roots game if it were easy to get there, but it’s pretty far from a BART station. And instead, I can just drive 20 minutes to RWC for a JASA game on a rec field where I stand on the touchline.
Lake Merritt Station is right next to Laney. IDK who controls the schedule, but some of the dudes helping out with the Roots are Quakes supporters, and they get down to avaya. But they trying to rally around Oakland and its community. They trynna get everybody. My sister, who's been out in oakland for a minute, who can't stand soccer, even asked me if I would go. I really hope they succeed.