The Socceroos, coached by former player Tony Popovic, will take on the UEFA Path C winner in Vancouver on June 13, then face the U.S. Men’s National Team in Seattle on June 19, before returning to the Bay Area to close out their group against Paraguay on June 25 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. The Australian national team has qualified for seven FIFA World Cups, including each of the last six tournaments.

Popovic, who played for the Australian team in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, said he is looking forward to making Oakland and the San Francisco Bay Area home, calling it the team’s “top pick,” according to the team’s official website.

“The Oakland training base is ideal for our needs, and we are looking forward to making it our home throughout the FIFA World Cup,” Popovic said. “…The facility is elite, and the training pitches are fantastic. The local community, including everyone at the Oakland Roots and Soul Soccer Club, has been very accommodating and a pleasure to work with.”

Popovic went on to say, “Our team includes staff with previous World Cup experience who understand the importance of selecting the right base camp. A lot of work has gone into the selection process.” He noted that team staff will come back to the Harbor Bay facility in March to finalize details ahead of the team’s arrival in Alameda.

Alameda Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft extended a warm welcome to the team, saying, “We are so incredibly proud to be hosting such a prominent team in our city ahead of the biggest tournament in the world. We have been thrilled to be the home training base of Oakland Roots and Soul for almost five years and are excited to now welcome Australia to this fabulous facility and to our island.”

Roots and Soul President Lindsay Barenz added, “We are proud to host such a premier team in the world of soccer. Australia has an incredible fan base, and we look forward to welcoming them to our city and region.”

Football Australia Interim CEO Heather Garriock agreed that making the Harbor Bay facility their home base was a good choice. “We are delighted to call Oakland, Alameda, the San Francisco Bay Area and California home during the FIFA World Cup 2026. We look forward to forging close ties with the local community, both on and off the field,” she said. “Most importantly, [Popovic] and his high-performance team are pleased with the selection. Having Oakland confirmed as our official base camp provides the players with a first-class environment to prepare for the rigors of a World Cup. …“There are many synergies between the city of Oakland, the broader San Francisco Bay Area and the Socceroos. We look forward to building a lasting partnership and enjoying the passionate backing of Oakland Roots and Soul, and the local community.”

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee called the Australian national team’s choice of the Roots and Soul training facility as a home base for the 2026 World Cup “a proud moment for Oakland and the entire East Bay.” Lee said, “I’m excited they’ll be preparing for the world’s biggest tournament at this world-class facility, and so proud of the Oakland Roots and Soul and their partnership with the city to bring this incredible opportunity to our region—Oakland is on the move.”

Alameda County Board of Supervisors President David Haubert echoed the sentiment. “I’m honored to have our County selected as a home base site for the Australian national team,” he said. “Oakland Roots and Soul have been a beacon of community-driven impact in Alameda County.”

The post Harbor Bay Training Facility To Be Base Camp for Australian National Team appeared first on Alameda Post.

This prestigious designation positions Alameda to host one of the world’s national teams as they prepare for the prestigious tournament. National teams will select their TBC after the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Draw on December 5. The World Cup will feature 48 teams and 104 matches in 16 host cities throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

“Alameda is the perfect location for a national team to prepare for the 2026 FIFA World Cup games,” said Alameda Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft. “We are excited to welcome talented players and passionate fans to the Bay Area, which is currently experiencing a renaissance of business growth and revitalized retail and entertainment offerings. This event will shine a global spotlight on our beautiful waterfront community and the entire region.”

Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara is set to host six matches from June 13 to July 1, 2026.

As previously reported by Karin K. Jensen in the Alameda Post, financial support for hosting a FIFA World Cup team was unanimously authorized by City Council on July 15, in the form of a Transient Occupancy Tax (also known as a hotel tax) sharing agreement with the Roots and Soul in an amount not to exceed $150,000. Both Council and public commenters strongly supported this opportunity to showcase Alameda and support local businesses.

With more than 200 countries participating in qualification rounds and an estimated viewership of 6 billion people tuning in to watch the finals, FIFA World Cup 26 presents a substantial economic opportunity, the Post report stated. FIFA estimates a team base camp could attract 60,000 to 80,000 visitors and 30,000 hotel nights, significantly boosting local hotel and sales tax revenue.

The post Alameda Facility Officially Selected as FIFA World Cup 26 Team Base Camp appeared first on Alameda Post.

Lexington needed to win this match to punch their ticket to the 2025 USL Championship playoffs. In the early portion of the match, Lexington deployed an aggressive high press but Oakland defenders did a good job of disallowing the visiting team’s ability to turn that pressure into real scoring threats.

In the 19th minute of the match, the Roots opened the scoring in historic fashion when Bobosi Byaruhanga made a furious run up the right wing to keep a play alive before sending a cross to Wolfgang Prentice just outside the top of the box. Prentice chipped the ball past a defender, finding Peter Wilson, who also shook a defender before depositing the ball just inside the right post to give Oakland a 1-0 lead.

The goal was Wilson’s 18th of the regular season, and earned him the 2025 USL Championship Golden Boot award. It was also his eighth consecutive match with a goal, tying him with Hadji Barry for the all-time league record. And if that weren’t enough, the goal also pushed Wilson to 22 goal contributions in 2025, passing Óttar Magnús Karlsson to become the all-time single-season club leader.

Despite the desperation from Lexington following the goal, the Roots kept their foot on the gas, limiting opposition scoring opportunities, and continuing to find attacking pressure of their own.

Wolfgang Prentice scored one of his own to push Lexington’s season to the brink with only moments remaining in the match, when Camden Riley played a cross into the box, finding Prentice all alone with time to take a touch before putting a shot off the keepers gloves and into the twine to make it 2-0 Oakland in the 82nd minute.

The Roots put the game to bed in the 89th minute, scoring their third of the match when Peter Wilson capped off an otherworldly season by earning an assist on what turned out to be his very last play of 2025, teeing up Faysal Bettache for his first goal of the year to bring the score to 3-0.

Oakland’s season is over, but the club delivered one of the most exciting matches in club history to send 2025 out with a bang.

Talking with the Head Coach

After the match, Head Coach Benny Feilhaber told reporters he didn’t want to talk about the game, but he just wanted to say that this season has been an honor for him.

“I’ve told you guys this before,” he said. “It’s the first time that I’ve had the opportunity to coach a first team. I coached with Sporting’s second team, which is nothing like this. And I’m very appreciative of the opportunity that I was given. I’m extremely appreciative of the effort that the boys put in. I think we have a lot of top quality people, top quality professionals. I want to also thank the staff that came and worked tirelessly every single day—both the coaching staff and the support staff.”

Feilhaber added that it has been an honor getting to know the media as well. “I see you guys as part of the staff,” he said. “You guys push the product out there to the rest of the fans through the media.”

Last, but “definitely not least,” he added, “I feel connected to the fans in Oakland. I never lived in NorCal, I’m a SoCal guy, but I can honestly say that it’s a part of me now. And it’s been a great experience for me. I can relate to the fans. I think you guys probably know that from a lot of my press conferences and teams that I’ve rooted for and the highs and lows. These fans deserve a winning team, and I obviously hope that they get that. I think they will.”

The coach finished by saying, “Regardless of what happens this offseason or into next, I’ll forever be a fan and follow the Oakland Roots. So as much as it’s not the end that we necessarily wanted in terms of the season, I think it’s been an incredible ride with a lot of optimism for the future.”

Summary

Scoring:

• OAK: Peter Wilson 19’
• OAK: Wolfgang Prentice 82’
• OAK: Faysal Bettache 89’

Discipline:

• OAK: Peter Wilson 67’ (yellow card)
• OAK: Daniel Gomez 73’ (yellow card)
• LEX: Latif Blessing 75’ (yellow card)
• LEX: Joseph Hafferty 87’ (yellow card)

Oakland Roots SC

Lineup: Gagi Margvelashvili, Camden Riley, Daniel Gomez, Wolfgang Prentice (Morey Doner), Peter Wilson (EJ Johnson), Tyler Gibson, Neveal Hackshaw, Bobosi Byaruhanga, Kai Greene (Jürgen Damm), Raphael Spiegel, Faysal Bettache

Unused subs: Kendall McIntosh, Julian Bravo, Ali Elmasnaouy, Thomas Camier, Alejandro Caracheo Luna, Ilya Alekseev

Line: Shots: 12 | Shots On Goal: 4 | Corner Kicks: 3 | Fouls: 15 | Offside: 2

Lexington SC

Lineup: Logan Ketterer, Kendall Burks, Joseph Hafferty, Elio Firmino (Michael Adedokun), Roderick Epps, Blaine Ferri, Jacob Greene, Alfredo Midence (Braudilio Rodrigues), Latif Blessing, Forster Ajago, Cory Burke

Unused subs: Xavier Zengue, Daniel Wu, Malik Henry-Scott, Brooks Thompson, Devon Williams

Line: Shots: 15 | Shots On Goal: 3 | Corner Kicks: 5 | Fouls: 15 | Offside: 2

The post Roots Shine in 2025 Season Finale, Defeat Lexington SC 3-0 at Coliseum appeared first on Alameda Post.

“We’re happy for the girls, they played their hearts out and came through,” said Hornets head coach Peter Ohno. “They’ve been wanting to do this for a while… Last year they beat us at their house, so this year was our turn.”

To start the game, the Hornets secured the first set victory against the Jets by a substantial margin. What started as a briefly contested set with both teams tied at 5-5, quickly turned in favor of the Hornets when they went up 13-5. Alameda High went on an eight-point run, fueled by a few momentous spikes from Hornet senior Sam Obot. With a safe lead, Alameda continued its impressive offense and defense by outscoring the Jets 12-7 and taking the first set 25-12.

When asked about their game plan for this matchup, Hornets assistant coach Monica Payumo said simply, “We play to win.”

“We practiced our sets last night,” Ohno added. “Everyone knows their jobs, we run the same offense with the same people, so it’s no big deal for them to step up.”

Although Alameda High captured the first set by a momentous margin, Encinal reversed course and took off to a brief 7-2 lead to begin the second set of action. Jets junior Kai Gordon accounted for several of Encinal’s points during that beginning stretch.

Despite the Jets’ lead, however, the Hornets were still buzzing, seeking an opportunity to strike. Alameda High would tie the game at 9-9 with consecutive spikes from senior Dahlia Reza. Then, shortly take the lead at 12-10 with back-to-back service aces from senior Bronwyn Brantley. The Hornets offensive surge gave them the momentum to comeback and take the set 25-18 after outscoring Encinal 13-8.

“Part of it was we gotta play our game, we play to win, and we knew at the end of the day we are the better team,” said Payumo on the Hornets second-set comeback.

The third and final set was the most competitive of the match. Alameda High and Encinal were neck-and-neck all the way through, as neither could muster up a comfortable lead until the end. The Jets were up at 15-14, but the Hornets started to break away. After a five-point run, the Hornets went up 19-15 and ultimately pushed their lead to 24-21. Then Bronwyn Brantley came in for the game-winning spike that won the Hornets the Island crown and brought both teams’ regular seasons to a close.

“Since the beginning of this season they’ve worked their butts off, they really deserve this win,” said Hornets assistant coach Monica Payumo.

Alameda High School ended its season with a 15-11 regular season record and Encinal High School ended its regular season with a 9-16 record. Both teams have playoff matches in the coming weeks.

Contributing writer Gabriel Caraballo covers local sports for the Alameda Post. Contact him via gabe@alamedapost.com. His writing is collected https://alamedapost.com/Gabriel-Caraballo.

The post Alameda High Hornets Win Queens of the Island Volleyball Tournament appeared first on Alameda Post.

The first set started with an early 4-3 Jets lead. However, Encinal errors and pressure from the Pilots quickly put the home team up 11-4. A key contributor during the eight-point run was Pilot sophomore Amelia Mnich, who served up a couple of aces during the stretch.

After trailing substantially, Encinal did shorten the deficit to five points at 12-7, with key plays from juniors Ninjin Bayasgalan and Kai Gordon. Despite Encinal closing the gap, the Pilots went on another eight point run and shortly captured the set 25-17.

“We fixed the serve receive, that was the biggest issue…and had some decent attack and defense,” said Pilots head coach Sam Howard.

In the second set, the most competitive of the game, the Jets started by taking off to an early 8-3 lead, during which Encinal won the longest rally of the night. The Jets seemingly had all the momentum going forward, but St. Joe’s kept themselves at arm’s length. The Pilots briefly tied the set at 15-15, but Encinal quickly scraped away. The Jets outscored the Pilots 6-2, with three momentous spikes coming from Kai Gordon. However, at 21-17 the Pilots called a timeout that changed course. During the timeout, St. Joe’s positioned Amelia Mnich to win the set.

“Amelia’s always a huge component in terms of sighting out,” said Howard. “I think we just fixed the sets in certain scramble areas giving her more options.”

In the final stretch, St. Joe’s outscored the Jets 8-2, completed an exhilarating comeback and stole the set win 25-23. Amelia Mnich accounted for five of those points and the set-winning spike.

The third and final set of the game was dominated by the Pilots. St. Joe’s had all the momentum going in and jumped out to an early 11-4 lead. The Pilots did not look back as they outscored the Jets 14-5, flew to a 25-9 third set win and ultimately won the game.

“This win feels great… I’m mostly happy for the girls, and glad everyone got to see it,” said Howard.

The current standings for the Queen of the Island Tournament are: Alameda High 1-0, St. Joe’s 1-1, and Encinal 0-1. After the win against Encinal, St. Joe’s regular season came to a close. However, Alameda High will host Encinal on Friday, October 24, at 5:45 P.M. to close out their regular seasons and the tournament.

The post St. Joseph Pilots Defeat Encinal Jets in Second Match of Queens of the Island Volleyball Tournament appeared first on Alameda Post.

The Roots might have been eliminated from playoff contention prior to the opening kickoff, but from the way the players fired out of the gate, it looked more like a team protecting home-field advantage. Within the first five minutes of the match, Oakland had rung the left post twice, and the offensive pressure kept coming through much of the first phase of play.

Against the run of play, however, Mukwelle Akale delivered New Mexico the first lead of the contest when a sloppy turnover from Roots near their own penalty area gave United space to work in the box, eventually leading to a gut-punch goal that made it 1-0 in favor of the home team in the 13th minute.

That lead would not last, though, as the Roots were awarded a penalty kick when Gagi Margvelashvili, who had committed the turnover leading to the New Mexico goal, worked into the box and was tripped from behind.

Club scoring leader Peter Wilson took Margvelashvili’s place at the spot, scoring his 16th goal of the season in the 16th minute to tie it up at 1-1.

United earned one back just moments later when Neveal Hackshaw put an awkward touch on the ball in his own box, inadvertently sending it into the back of the net for an own goal to give United a 2-1 lead in the 19th minute.

New Mexico stretched their lead to 3-1 when they were awarded a penalty of their own after Ali Elmasnaouy was beaten in the box and tried to compensate with a challenge that caught a bit more of the attacker than the ref was willing to allow. Jon-Talen Maples converted from the dot in the 28th minute to give his side a two-goal cushion.

In the 39th minute, the Roots earned their second penalty kick of the match after Wilson found space in the back and the United defender made a decision to prevent the one-on-one with a hard foul from behind. Wilson converted once again to take sole possession of the Golden Boot race lead with his 17th goal of the season, making it 3-2 in the 41st minute.

New Mexico looked rejuvenated in the second half, spending much of the final frame trying to extend their lead. But the Roots were steadfast in their game, leaving everything out on the pitch despite playing only for pride.

Oakland leveled the match in the waning moments of regulation time after Peter Wilson settled the ball off his chest in the New Mexico box, leaving it at the feet of Gagi Margvelashvili, who sent the ball into the top twine in the 82nd minute to tie the match at 3-3.

The Roots scrapped until the final whistle, desperately searching for a winner to spoil New Mexico’s night completely, but the match ended without any further scoring.

The Roots will be home for their final contest of 2025 when they host Lexington SC at the Oakland Coliseum this Saturday, October 25, at 7 p.m.

Summary

Scoring:

• NM: Mukwelle Akale 13’
• OAK: Peter Wilson 16’ (PK)
• NM: Neveal Hackshaw 19’ (OG)
• NM: Jon-Talen Maples 28’ (PK)
• OAK: Peter Wilson 41’ (PK)
• OAK: Gagi Margvelashvili 82’

Discipline:

• NM: Gedion Zelalem 32’ (yellow card)
• NM: Kalen Ryden 39’ (yellow card)
• NM: Valentin Noël 53’ (yellow card)
• OAK: Daniel Gomez 55’ (yellow card)
• OAK: Jürgen Damm 83’ (yellow card)
• NM: Christopher Shakes 83’ (yellow card)
• NM: Ousman Jabang 85’ (yellow card)

Oakland Roots SC

Lineup: Kendall McIntosh, Gagi Margvelashvili, Camden Riley (Morey Doner), Daniel Gomez, Peter Wilson, Tyler Gibson, Neveal Hackshaw, Kai Greene (Jürgen Damm), Ali Elmasnaouy (Bobosi Byaruhanga), Faysal Bettache, Danny Trejo (Wolfgang Prentice)

Unused subs: Julian Bravo, Raphael Spiegel, Ilya Alekseev

Line: Shots: 15 | Shots On Goal: 8 | Corner Kicks: 8 | Fouls: 10

New Mexico United

Lineup: Kristopher Shakes, Kalen Ryden, Jon-Talen Maples, Chris Gloster (Jaylin Lindsey), Kipp Keller, Valentin Noël, Gedion Zelalem (Sergio Rivas), Zico Bailey (Ousman Jabang), Greg Hurst (Luther Archimede), Dayonn Harris (Marlon Vargas), Mukwelle Akale

Unused subs: Kyle Hofmann, Will Seymore, Alexandros Tabakis

Line: Shots: 10 | Shots On Goal: 2 | Corner Kicks: 2 | Fouls: 11

The post Roots Claw Back in 3-3 Road Thriller in New Mexico appeared first on Alameda Post.

Neither side started the match looking entirely convincing, as both keepers went without any true tests for the first 25 minutes of the game. The Roots were dominating possession though, and were keeping the ball within the attacking third for much of the first frame.

Oakland was rewarded in the 29th minute, moving the ball upfield quickly with Danny Trejo using some nifty footwork to beat a defender down the left side before working into the box and sending a cross to Peter Wilson on the far post, Wilson redirected the ball off his chest and into the back of the net for his club record sixth consecutive match with a goal, and made the score 1-0 in favor of the Roots.

But Oakland hardly had time to celebrate, as the Roots conceded a set piece in their own end that led to a 31st-minute shot from the top of the box by former Roots forward Johnny Rodriguez. The shot took a massive deflection, lofting over the head of Kendall McIntosh to draw the match level at 1-1.

Oakland nearly regained the lead in the 50th minute when Peter Wilson was fouled just on the top right corner of the box. Faysal Bettache’s direct free kick rang the right post before being cleared from danger.

Danny Trejo returned the lead to Oakland in short order, after an excellent series of passing moved the ball beautifully from box to box. Bettache had a number of options at the end of his run into the attacking third, but played a short pass to his left, finding Trejo, who finished his shot off the crossbar and in, to make it 2-1 Roots in the 56th minute.

The remainder of the match saw some excellent defending from the Roots. That looked like it would be enough to earn them the win and all three points in the Western Conference table. But in an unfortunate turn, Oakland would let a late lead slip through their fingers.

The Roots conceded a leveler in the 87th minute when a cross into the box bounced off a Las Vegas chest before winding up at the feet of Stefan Stojanovic who let one fly to find the top right corner, That goal drew the Lights even at 2-2, with only minutes remaining in the contest.

On the very last play of the match, a net-front scrum led to multiple point blank shots from the Roots, none of which found their way through traffic as the final whistle blew with the score still deadlocked.

Las Vegas’ postseason hopes ended with the result, while Oakland’s own playoff dreams remain an outside possibility with the point earned.

The Roots will remain on the road for one more away game, as the club now heads to the desert to face New Mexico United in what is now a must-win matchup next Sunday, October 19 at 2 p.m. Pacific Time.

Summary

Scoring:

• OAK: Peter Wilson 29’
• LV: Johnny Rodriguez 31’
• OAK: Danny Trejo 56’
• LV: Stefan Stojanovic 87’

Discipline:

• LV: Rory O’Driscoll 42’ (yellow card)
• LV: Gennaro Michael Nigro 49’ (yellow card)
• OAK: Camden Riley 52’ (yellow card)
• LV: Anthony Herbert 88’ (yellow card)
• LV: Younes Boudadi 89’ (yellow card)

Oakland Roots SC

Lineup: Kendall McIntosh, Gagi Margvelashvili, Camden Riley (Jürgen Damm), Daniel Gomez, Peter Wilson, Panos Armenakas (Wolfgang Prentice), Tyler Gibson, Neveal Hackshaw, Ali Elmasnaouy (Kai Greene), Faysal Bettache (Morey Doner), Danny Trejo (Ilya Alekseev)

Unused subs: EJ Johnson, Raphael Spiegel

Line: Shots: 14 | Shots On Goal: 4 | Corner Kicks: 4 | Fouls: 11 | Offsides: 0

Las Vegas Lights FC

Lineup: Raiko Arozarena, Elias Gärtig, Anthony Herbert, Gennaro Michael Nigro, Younes Boudadi, Thomas McNamara, Rory O’Driscoll (Patrick Leal), Giorgio Probo, Johnny Rodriguez, Vaughn Covil (Nighte Pickering), Stefan Stojanovic

Unused subs: Nicholas Ammeter, McKinze Gaines, Christopher Pearson, Jack Singer, Turner Humphrey

Line: Shots: 13 | Shots On Goal: 4 | Corner Kicks: 2 | Fouls: 17 | Offsides: 2

The post Roots, Las Vegas Lights FC Draw 2-2 in Nevada appeared first on Alameda Post.

Hartford came out of the gate on their front foot, playing a high press that initially gave the Roots’ back line some trouble. But the Roots quickly adjusted to the scheme, and shortly after the opening whistle began to dictate the tempo and spacing of the match.

The Roots seemed to live in the attacking area for extended stretches, creating a string of scoring opportunities that eventually led to the first goal of the game in the 31st minute. Peter Wilson capped off an excellent series of ball movement in the attacking third after Camden Riley sent a low cross to Wilson in front of the net, needing only a single touch to tally his 11th goal in his last ten appearances.

Oakland’s dominance continued throughout the first half of the match, as the Roots kept the Athletic from attempting a single shot through 45 minutes, and were clear winners of the possession game.

Hartford made a few halftime subs that seemed to turn the tide, as they began finding space of their own in the attacking third, and finally putting some shots toward the target.

The visitors got on the board with just their second shot on target when a corner kick service from the right side found Joshua Belluz, who buried a header just under the crossbar to level it at 1-1 in the 56th minute.

Hartford then stunned Roots in the 64th minute, when a turnover at midfield led to an odd man rush up the field, resulting in an easy pass from Jack Panayotou to Kyle Edwards in the box who buried the wide open shot, giving Hartford a 2-1 lead.

The Roots fought desperately to salvage at least a draw from the match, but despite threatening on multiple occasions, the Oakland team could not find the back of the net before time expired.

Hartford added another goal in the last few seconds of the match. Samuel Careaga slotted a ball through a scrum in the Oakland area to Beverly Makangila, who was all alone in front, to deliver a strike that gave his side a 3-1 victory.

The Roots will now head out on the road for two must-win matches versus Las Vegas Lights FC and New Mexico United before returning to the Oakland Coliseum to close out the 2025 regular season at home versus Lexington SC on October 25.

Talking with the Head Coach

After the match, Roots’ Head Coach Benny Feilhaber asked the media at the press conference to “make this a dialog.”

“You guys watch this team as much as I do,” he said. “So I’m curious about what you thought about today.”

The result was an honest look at the issues the Roots face and why they seem to start out well and then lose. See the video above for the complete conversation.

Feilhaber started by saying the team again and again gets a lead that then “kind of evaporates away. We see these glimpses of how things can look when things are really firing on all cylinders, when you have all the right pieces to your puzzle. But there seems to be just a degradation in quite a few of these matches where you hold a lead, and then it goes away.”

He asked, “In the 16 games I’ve been here in the league, do you know how many dropped points we’ve had from, not a winning position, but a position where we scored the first goal? …Fifteen. This game included. So before this game, it was 12. So, the question isn’t whether that happens, it’s why?”

Then he said the first half of the match against the Athletic “was our best first half of soccer since I’ve been here. In my opinion, it was phenomenal.” Noting that the Athletic is arguably the best team in the league right now, he said, “For an entire half, we dominated them in every aspect.”

But as was obvious, the second half was another story. Why does that keep happening? The discussion about that problem lasted more than a half-hour.

At one point, Feilhaber said simply, “Our team is not quite strong enough to withstand 90 minutes of subjective soccer. …At the end of the day, you’ve got to not only be good when you’re good, you’ve got to be good when you’re bad. And by that I mean not conceding goals, winning games, and right now we’re not there, unfortunately.”

However, he added, “From my perspective, when I got here this team wasn’t a soccer team, and this team now is a soccer team that still needs to grow. It’s in a phase of improvement. And anyone that expects a team where it was four months ago to be consistently not only turning in these performances but also turning them into wins, has an unreasonable expectation.”

At the end of his remarks, Feilhaber said, “I can’t tell you how proud of the guys I was today. …I give them a lot of credit for what they’ve done today. …this team and the players on this team have started to look like a completely different squad from the time that I came in here.”

Summary

Scoring:

• OAK: Peter Wilson 31’
• HFD: Joshua Belluz 56’
• HFD: Kyle Edwards 64’
• HFD: Beverly Makangila 90’+

Discipline:

• OAK: Gagi Margvelashvili 6’ (yellow card)
• HFD: Adrian Diz Pe 14’ (yellow card)
• OAK: Panos Armenakas 43’ (yellow card)
• OAK: Neveal Hackshaw 65’ (yellow card)
• OAK: Danny Trejo 71’ (yellow card)
• HFD: Kyle Edwards 83’ (yellow card)
• HFD: Joshua Belluz 86’ (yellow card)
• OAK: Camden Riley 90’+ (yellow card)

Oakland Roots SC

Lineup: Gagi Margvelashvili, Camden Riley, Daniel Gomez, Peter Wilson, Panos Armenakas, Tyler Gibson, Neveal Hackshaw, Raphael Spiegel, Ali Elmasnaouy (Morey Doner), Faysal Bettache (Wolfgang Prentice), Danny Trejo

Unused subs: Kendall Mcintosh, EJ Johnson, Jürgen Damm, Kai Greene, Ilya Alekseev

Line: Shots: 15 | Shots On Goal: 6 | Corner Kicks: 6 | Fouls: 16 | Offside: 0

Hartford Athletic

Lineup: Baboucarr Njie, Beverly Makangila, John Berner, Joseph Farrell, Jack Panayotou (Marlon Hairston), Jonathan Jimenez (Michee Ngalina), Thomas John Presthus, Adrian Diz Pe, Joshua Belluz, Adewale Obalola (Kyle Edwards), Elhadj Barry (Samuel Careaga)

Unused subs: Sebastian Anderson, Junior Moreira, Gerold Antony Siaha

Line: Shots: 8 | Shots On Goal: 5 | Corner Kicks: 2 | Fouls: 14 | Offside: 2

The post Roots Fall 3-1 to Hartford Athletic at Coliseum appeared first on Alameda Post.

Selected by the athletes and coaches of the team that competed at the 2025 World Rowing Under 23 Championships in Poznan, Poland, Hondrogen will be recognized at the 2025 Golden Oars Gala on November 13, along with teammate Phoebe Wise, who was named Under 23 Female Athlete of the Year.

Hondrogen clinched silver in the men’s lightweight single sculls, delivering a gutsy performance, USRowing stated in its announcement. Midway through the race, he surged ahead in the third 500 meters, setting a blistering pace and daring the rest of the field to keep up.

Known for his relentless determination, Hondrogen chose to train alongside the athletes at selection camp after his victory at Trials in June, constantly pushing both himself and his teammates to new limits. A member of the Under 19 team in 2023, he’s already proven himself at the highest levels. As only a sophomore at Dartmouth, Hondrogen is definitely one to watch in the years ahead, USRowing stated.

“I’m so honored to be named the Under 23 Male Athlete of the Year,” Hondrogen said. “It feels incredibly special to receive this award from a group of athletes and coaches I’ve looked up to for years. The U23 team this year was filled with so many incredible athletes and coaches, and it was truly a privilege to be able to train with them throughout the summer in Oklahoma.”

Hondrogen credited his coaches, family, and the rowing community.

“I owe so much to my college coach, Trevor Michelson, for his immense support and guidance, as well as my high school coach, Jovan Jovanovic, who has inspired my growth as both an athlete and a person,” he said.

“I also want to thank Noah Axford, who coached me through the summer as the selection camp intern and played a huge role in my development in the single. I’m deeply grateful to my family, who have supported me at every step, as well as the Dartmouth Rowing community for providing me with such a strong support system and being just a group of awesome people. I am so thankful for this experience.”

The post St. Joe’s Alum Cosmo Hondrogen Named USRowing Under 23 Athlete of the Year appeared first on Alameda Post.

El Paso opened the scoring early, with Amando Moreno slotting home a cross in the first minute to give the home side a 1-0 lead. The hosts then doubled their lead within five minutes, as a deflected shot off the foot of Eric Calvillo found the back of the net to make it 2-0 in favor of El Paso.

Oakland did begin to find their footing after the slow start, but the score remained 2-0 at halftime.

The Roots came out after the half with two changes, bringing in Danny Trejo and Danny Gomez to try to turn the match, but El Paso extended their lead to 3-0 with a bicycle kick and a second goal from Amando Moreno.

Oakland fought until the end and finally got one goal back in the 90th minute through Peter Wilson, as the game ended 3-1 in favor of El Paso.

The Roots return home to host Hartford Athletic at the Oakland Coliseum on Tuesday, October 7, at 7 p.m.

Summary

Scoring:

• ELP: Amando Moreno 1’
• ELP: Eric Calvillo 5’
• ELP: Amando Moreno 65’
• OAK: Peter Wilson 90+’

Discipline:

• OAK: Camden Riley 45+’ (yellow card)
• ELP: Beto Avila 64’ (yellow card)
• ELP: Sebastian Mora-Mora 81’ (yellow card)

Oakland Roots SC

Lineup: Camden Riley, Wolfgang Prentice (Faysal Bettache), Peter Wilson, Panos Armenakas, Tyler Gibson, Neveal Hackshaw, Bobosi Byaruhanga (Abdirizak Mohamed), EJ Johnson (Danny Trejo), Morey Doner (Jürgen Damm), Raphael Spiegel, Ali Elmasnaouy (Daniel Gomez)

Unused subs: Kendall Mcintosh, Kai Greene

Line: Shots: 9 | Shots On Goal: 3 | Corner Kicks: 3 | Fouls: 9 | Offside: 5

El Paso Locomotive FC

Lineup: Jahmali Waite (Sebastian Mora-Mora), Ricky Ruiz, Tony Alfaro, Kofi Twumasi (Wahab Ackwei), Memo Diaz, Robert Coronado, Eric Calvillo (Emiliano Rodriguez), Gabi Torres, Amando Moreno, Beto Avila (Frank Daroma), Wilmer Cabrera (Christian Sorto)

 Unused subs: Bryan Romero, Kenneth Hoban, Joseluis Villagomez, Omar Mora

 Line: Shots: 8 | Shots On Goal: 5 | Corner Kicks:5 | Fouls: 12 | Offside: 4

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