San Diego Loyal take on Oakland Roots in The Bay
Oakland Roots SC vs. San Diego Loyal
Saturday, May 27 @ 7:00 pm
TV: ESPN+
San Diego Loyal SC take on Oakland Roots SC for the first time since round one of the playoffs last year. Oakland took down San Diego 3-0 in dominant fashion as both Alejandro Guido and Grant Stoneman got sent off with red cards. San Diego has been waiting for this matchup all year long.
Oakland has seen a ton of success against the Loyal the past few seasons, scoring 14 goals in the last five games combined. These two teams have played each other a ton since their existence, and Oakland has the advantage as of late. It will be interesting to see how head coach Nate Miller attacks this team, as they are yet again above them in the standings.
The Loyal are (6-3-2) on the season with 20 points and a (+5) goal difference which puts them in sole possession of third place in the Western Conference. SD trails El Paso Locomotive (22) and then Sacramento Republic FC (24) — who are not only in first in the conference but in the entire USL Championship. Reigning USL Champions, San Antonio FC sits in 4th place with 19 points.
Through 10 matches, Oakland is in 7th place in the conference with 14 points and (+3) goal difference. It seems not to matter where they are in the standings, as the Roots will show up to play when facing the Loyal. San Diego has been unable to win in their last five meetings.
Business and pleasure in the 305.
— San Diego Loyal (@SanDiegoLoyal) May 21, 2023
San Diego is coming off a win against Miami FC 3-2 in what was a come-from-behind performance.
Elliot Collier played hero as he nailed in the go-ahead goal in the 85th minute to give the Loyal the late lead. After going down 2-1, and own goal from Miami set up from Evan Conway allowed the Loyal to have a chance to win. That was a much-needed victory for the Loyal. They had previously lost at home to RGV Toros and won’t play another home match until mid-June.
Oakland fell to Sacramento 3-1 last time out, as everyone has had trouble stopping that team. On the season for the Roots, Tarek Morad actually leads the USL entirely with 693 passes, and Daniel Barbir is 7th with 625. Dariusz Formella leads the team with four goals which puts him tied for 10th overall in the USL. Johnny Rodriguez is second on the team with three goals. As a team, Oakland is tied for 10th in goals with 15.
As for the Loyal, they are tied with three teams for second place with 18 goals. Evan Conway leads the team with four USL goals, while Tumi Moshobane has four goals as well, with a few coming in the U.S. Open Cup. Ronaldo Damus, Joe Corona, and Adrian Perez all have two USL goals in the season.
Earlier Friday morning, San Diego Loyal signed loanee goalkeeper Alan Solorio to a 25-day contract. It is unclear the main intention for this signing, but it could have to do with Duran Ferree potentially getting added to the U-20 World Cup. Solorio played at Cal State University, Dominguez Hills, in college and recently played with LA Galaxy II.
Saturday night will be a big one for the Loyal. If they can take down Oakland for the first time in a long time, then that will give them confidence heading into a tough stretch of soccer.
Chris is a graduate of the University of San Diego. He is the former Sports Editor for the USDVista newspaper. Chris has covered the San Diego Loyal, and now covers San Diego State Men’s Basketball. He also contributes regularly about the Padres. Chris is an athlete and is a huge fan of San Diego sports.