USL Monterey Bay FC

Monterey Bay Heads to Hayward for Must-Win Matchup against NorCal Rival Roots SC

Published on September 22, 2023 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Monterey Bay FC News Release


HAYWARD, California - Monterey Bay F.C. (11-12-7, 40 points) hits the road to Hayward for a local derby against Roots SC (11-11-7, 40 points). Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. PT on Saturday at Pioneer Stadium in Week 29 of the 2023 USL Championship regular season. Live streaming of the match will be available on ESPN+.

Monterey Bay enters the weekend on the heels of a whirlwind of a week that started with erasing a two-goal deficit to beat Las Vegas 3-2 on Saturday before losing a two-goal lead to fall 3-2 to San Diego four days later on Wednesday. The midweek match against Loyal SC saw the Union in fifth place in the live table as late as 88 minutes in before a miraculous finish by San Diego flipped the evening on its head and left the Cardinale Stadium crowd stunned in silence. Monterey Bay now remains in eighth place heading into a must-win contest this weekend against seventh place Roots SC. Any derby between these NorCal rival sides would be highly-anticipated on its own, but with both teams on equal points and fighting for a playoff spot this late in the campaign, suddenly this weekend's fixture has a lot more than pride on the line.

Back in July, the Roots stormed into Seaside and stole a 3-1 win, giving themselves a 2-1-0 advantage in the all-time series head-to-head. The Union scored a late game-winner in the inaugural meeting between these club's back in March 2022 to secure the first win in Club history, but Roots SC has managed to win each meeting since - both in Seaside - and has outscored Monterey Bay 5-1 in those two games. Heading into this one, on top of playoff implications abound, the Crisp-and-Kelp will look to steal one back in Hayward and even the all-time series at two wins apiece against a Roots side currently in the midst of a four-match losing streak.

SportsClubStats Playoff Predictor (47.6%)

Chance of playoffs with a WIN: 79.2%

Chance of playoffs with a DRAW: 47.9%

Chance of playoffs with a LOSS: 30.2%

Weekend Fixtures to Watch:

PIT vs NM - Saturday, 4:00 p.m. PT

- Best outcome: Pittsburgh win

COS vs SAC - Saturday, 5:00 p.m. PT

- Best outcome: Sacramento win

SA vs OC - Saturday, 5:30 p.m. PT

- Best outcome: San Antonio win

ELP vs PHX - Saturday, 6:30 p.m. PT

- Best outcome: Draw or Phoenix win

SD vs LV - Sunday, 3:00 p.m. PT

- Best outcome: Las Vegas win

Roots SC vs. Monterey Bay F.C.

Pioneer Stadium; Hayward, California

Saturday, September 23, 2023; 7:00 p.m. PT

2023 Records

Roots SC (11-11-7, 40 pts, 7th West); Monterey Bay F.C. (11-12-7, 40 pts, 8th West)

Check out the Monterey Bay FC Statistics

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from September 22, 2023


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