Bay Area sports team tries to fill Raider-sized hole

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Oakland Roots captain Emra Klimenta has been involved in many “football start-ups” throughout his career, but none have shined like this one.

“You see it every time someone comes to our facilities these days,” Clementa said at the Roots media day on Monday in Alameda ahead of the United Football League (USL) 2023 season. “Their eyes just light up. Majority [soccer players] you can go your whole life without having that experience.”

He’s referring to the state-of-the-art 16-acre practice facility on Farm Island in Alameda Bay, which the Roots now call home, abandoned by the NFL’s Raiders when they left for Las Vegas.

Similar to the settings shown in Ted Lasso or Welcome to WrexhamThe Roots enjoy an open space dedicated exclusively to their craft. Players, coaches and sales staff work side by side under the same roof overlooking the perfectly manicured football pitch.

The facility, jointly owned by the city of Oakland and Alameda County, was built in 1995, ironically, retroactively to lure the raiders back to Oakland from Los Angeles. This, on top of a $100 million debt that taxpayers are still paying off three decades later, was used to add Oakland Coliseum seats that are now most often covered.

As they say, garbage for one is treasure for another. In late 2021, The Roots went through a series of community college facilities before landing on their new professional digs, renting them out.

“We’re leveling up,” said co-founder and CMO Edris Arghandiwal, standing at his desk and looking out at the gym. “The right budget, vibes and players are finally coming together. There is no better year to finally win this league.”

“Games are fucking fun”

It’s no secret that the Roots capitalized on the void left by the departure of the Raiders, the Warriors, and possibly soon the A’s. Tickets for most home games at Laney College are sold out. The club’s beautifully designed crest, featuring an oak atop a stained-glass mosaic of roots and soil, can now be seen throughout the city and resonates with locals, football fans and celebrities alike.

Their success has also earned them city hall applause, which Oakland can confirm is not always taken for granted, as public-private partnerships can sometimes become hostile.

Former city councilman Lauren Taylor, who nearly became mayor in the last election, once explained to Oaklandside why he thinks the Roots project is thriving. “They are constantly showing up in Oakland and partnering with various non-profit organizations across the city, from east to west and from the plains to the hills. And the games are a hell of a lot of fun to go to,” Taylor said.

Argandival says that’s exactly what he wants to hear. When he co-founded the club in 2018, he said his goal was to turn the professional sports paradigm on its head. He believed that in order to build something lasting, Roots had to be a purposeful organization and not just some profit machine “parked in the community”.

“This club is in the public domain,” Argandiwal said. “We are built on the premise that people [in Oakland] I want it to exist. Therefore, we must live up to these expectations, not only by winning on the field, but also by being present; appearance at any time; do hard work while most sports teams gravitate towards a hashtag that probably leads to zero real world action.”

Purposeful

When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer, the Roots players donned T-shirts bearing the name of the Oakland Soul’s new women’s team and auctioned off the used shirts, sending the proceeds directly to local women’s rights organizations.

Then, in December, the club partnered with Fredrica Newton — widow of Hughie Newton, co-founder of the Black Panther Party — to make a special edition of Rooted in Power jerseys, the proceeds of which went to both her foundation and United Black. Players, which supports the work of underrepresented black youth, players, coaches, and administrators in the USL.

Roots technical director Jordan Ferrell, who oversees the club’s men’s, women’s and youth teams, is one of the very few blacks in his post in America. He told The Standard that the club’s focus is an important part of their recruitment policy.

“We’re looking for people who are tired of the work we do off the field,” Ferrell said as he watched the men’s first team practice. “In other clubs it may be seen as an added burden on top of the difficult life of a professional footballer, but here we pride ourselves on having a voice and taking action.”

But can they win on the field?

The Roots kicked off their 2023 season on Saturday against San Antonio, who accidentally knocked them out of the playoffs en route to winning the USL championship last season.

This will be the Roots’ third season in the 24-team Division Two. After barely making it to the postseason two years in a row, the players and staff have set themselves the goal of having a home playoff game this year. To do this, they will need to win more games than before at this level.

John Morrissey has done data analysis and scouting for legendary clubs such as Sacramento Republic and Tampa Bay Rowdies. He now runs the prominent USL Tactics website and says he admires how the Roots have weathered turbulent times.

Having pulled away from disruptions due to the pandemic, the Roots also went through a high-profile divorce midway through last season, with former coach Juan Guerra moving to Phoenix. Following this, assistant coach Noah Delgado temporarily took over and led the team to a playoff berth and upset victory over the San Diego Loyal.

His temporary label was removed during the off-season after what Ferrell called “an extensive search”.

“Oakland stands out for its tactical adaptability and the support of the entire team,” Morrissey said. “They lost a lot of stars in the off-season and didn’t replace them with infallible figures, but the addition of two youth team players symbolizes a long-term vision. They should be sniffing the playoff bubble.”

The new Oakland Soul women’s team is also set to debut in the USL W League in May. On Thursday, the team announced former Fordham and Boston University coach Jessica Clinton as its first head coach.

The Roots organization is also actively involved in the construction of a new stadium, which they could make their permanent home. In December, they announced they had settled on two possible locations: the Oakland Coliseum and the former naval base at Alameda Point.

Whereas the land that houses their shining gem of a learning center is currently being auctioned off by the county.

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