Quick Look:
Date: August 23, 2023
Time: 6:00 PM PT
Location: Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park, Albuquerque, New Mexico
How to Watch:
- KTVU Plus (Linear)
Watch Party:
- Philomena Pizza, 1801 14th Ave, Oakland, CA 94606
Match Preview:
Oakland Roots SC will look to bounce back on Wednesday evening when they hit the road to face New Mexico United.
The weekend’s nail-biting 3-2 loss to Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC dropped Oakland into 4th place in the Western Conference, the minimum spot needed to earn a home playoff game come October. Roots, however, have a game in hand over the three teams above them, but sit level on points and games played with 5th-place San Diego Loyal SC. With just 10 games remaining, it’s safe to say that every single match is crucial from now on if Head Coach Noah Delgado and his team seek to meet their goals for the regular season.
New Mexico United, on the other hand, could move back up into the Western Conference playoff spots with a win on Wednesday, but they have failed to find victory in any of their last four matches. Head Coach Eric Quill’s squad did Oakland a favor on Saturday when Salvadorian forward Armando Moreno scored a stoppage-time equalizer to deny the Loyal of all three points in San Diego. That goal subsequently kept Roots SC above their SoCal rivals in the table for the time being, and Oakland will look to regain 3rd position on Wednesday with what would be a 4th consecutive away victory.
In the one previous meeting between Oakland and New Mexico this season back on April 1st, Roots striker Johnny Rodriguez’s 63rd-minute goal, which he scored just moments after entering the match, earned a 1-0 victory at Pioneer Stadium. Rodriguez, the team’s top scorer, missed the Colorado Springs match through an injury sustained in Charleston. Although Oakland’s 6-match unbeaten streak came to an end against the Switchbacks, Wednesday night’s fixture in Albuquerque provides a great opportunity to regain that momentum heading into the home stretch of the USL Championship campaign.
