The opening chance of the game came for El Paso Locomotive when they struck the post in the first minutes. In the first half-hour, Oakland’s best opportunity came from a free-kick by Lindo Mfeka, forcing El Paso keeper Benny Diaz to make a punch-out off the cross.
The most significant chance of the first half occurred in the 39th minute when Benny Diaz made a crucial save to deny Oakland’s Napo Matsoso and Roots the lead heading into halftime. Paul Blanchette, the goalkeeper for Oakland Roots, also made an important save minutes later to keep his team from falling behind.
The second half began with a strong start for El Paso, as Petar Petrovic found the net with a shot that deflected off Emrah Klimenta, resulting in an own goal and giving El Paso the 1-0 lead early in the second half.
Oakland Roots managed to level the game at 1-1 in the 65th minute when Lindo Mfeka executed a spectacular chip over the goalkeeper. Shortly after, Johnny Ridriguez scored off a corner kick to give Oakland a 2-1 advantage.
Oakland took control of the game as three substitutes for Roots brilliantly combined, resulting in a Wolfgang Prentice cross to Anuar Peláez, securing a decisive 3-1 victory in favor of Oakland.
Oakland Roots next return home for back-to-back games at CSU, East Bay next Wednesday, July 26th at 7:00 PM PT and Saturday, July 29th at 7:00 PM PT.
Oakland Roots SC vs El Paso Locomotive FC
USL Championship | July 22, 2023
Venue: Southwest University Park, El Paso, Texas
Kickoff: 6:30 PM PT
Weather: 99 degrees, sunny
SCORELINE:
ELP: 1
OAK: 3
SCORING SUMMARY:
ELP: 47’ Emrah Klimenta Own Goal
OAK: 65’ Lindo Mfeka
OAK: 69’ Johnny Rodriguez
OAK: 85’ Anuar Peláez
DISCIPLINE SUMMARY:
ELP: 29’ Petar Petrovic (yellow card)
ELP: 51’ Ricasrdo Zacarias (yellow card)
OAK: 54’ Bryan Tamacas (yellow card)
ELP: 72’ Eder Borelli (yellow card)
OAK: 74’ Napo Matsoso (yellow card)
OAKLAND ROOTS LINEUP: Paul Blanchette, Danny Barbir, Neveal Hackshaw, Emrah Klimenta, Memo Diaz, Napo Matsoso (Daniel Gomez), Joseph Nane, Bryan Tamacas (Wolfgang Prentice), Lindo Mfeka (Trayvone Reid), Johnny Rodriguez (Anuar Peláez), Jeciel Cedeño (Ryan Her)
Unused subs: Tarek Morad, Taylor Bailey
Shots: 9 | Shots On Goal: 7 | Corner Kicks: 4 | Fouls: 11 | Offside: 6 |
EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE FC LINEUP: Benny Diaz, Bence Pavovic, Erik Mccue, Eder Borelli, Marc Navarro (Miles Lyons), Petar Petrovic (Luis Solignac), Liam Rose (Herrara Chapa), Eric Calvillo, Denys Kostyshyn (Christopher Garcia), Ricasrdo Zacarias, Aaron Gomez (Emmanuel Sonupe)
Unused subs: Jose Carrillo, Javier Garcia
Shots: 13 | Shots On Goal: 5 | Corner Kicks: 2 | Fouls: 12 | Offside: 0 |
