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Monterey Bay FC

Monterey Bay Remains Home for Western Conference Matchup with Oakland Roots SC

July 14, 2023 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Monterey Bay FC News Release


SEASIDE, California - Monterey Bay F.C. (7-6-6, 27 points) hosts Oakland Roots SC (6-6-6, 24 points) at 7 p.m. PT on Saturday night at Cardinale Stadium in Week 18 of the 2023 USL Championship regular season, presented by Cannery Row. Saturday's match will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2 and locally via KION on FOX 35 (46.2 over the air, 35 Dish, 47 DirecTV and 3/702 HD Xfinity). Live streaming is available on ESPN+, Hulu, FuboTV, and YouTubeTV.

The Crisp and Kelp and Oakland Roots SC last met in the regular season on June 4, 2022 in Seaside. After earning the Club's first-ever victory in the inaugural matchup between the sides in March, Monterey Bay looked for more of the same in the home leg. Roots SC had other plans however, and staved off a season sweep with a 2-0 win. The head-to-head record is even at one win apiece, but Oakland currently owns a slight one-goal advantage on goal difference.

Monterey Bay heads into the matchup on a seven-game unbeaten streak at home, a run that the Crisp and Kelp have sustained for three and a half months dating back to April 1. But after climbing as high as third in the Western Conference table, the Union have begun to slide after finishing a three match week with two road losses and a home draw. Now, Monterey Bay will look to get back in the win column against their rivals from just up North, Oakland Roots SC.

Oakland Roots SC enters the weekend following a 1-1 draw at home against Memphis 901 FC, the club's sixth match in a row without a win. Currently sitting in ninth place in the Western Conference table, Oakland remains just three points behind sixth place Monterey Bay, with a game in hand. With that in mind, the Union have a chance to go six points ahead with a win on Saturday with 14 games left to play.

In addition to Monterey Bay F.C. defender Kai Greene having former ties to Oakland Roots SC, winger Jesus Chuy Enríquez played for the team up North as recently as last season. Enríquez recorded four goals and tallied four assists in 44 appearances, including goals in both of the final two must-win regular season games to help Oakland clinch the final playoff spot in 2021 before recording the game-winning assist in a win over El Paso in the Western Conference Quarterfinals the following week. Now calling Seaside home, Greene and Enríquez are solely focused on securing the Club's eighth win of the campaign.

"We're excited and we're ready," said Enríquez. "We haven't won in the past three, so we want to come in with everything. We want to come in strong, we want to attack. We want to score goals and give the fans something to celebrate. Hopefully we have a great game and we beat the Roots."

"We just need to get back to our scoring. We've scored one set piece goal in the last three games, and for us that's unusual," said Head Coach Frank Yallop. "We've got to get back to our best attacking-wise. We have to get back to finishing our chances and scoring - all of the exciting things that win games. That's what the fans want to see. We've been doing a lot this week on that, we've been working on our finishing and our creativity around the box."

"We're playing fine, but now we need to be super dangerous around the goal. Be dynamic, brave, take risks, do the things that good teams do and be precise. If we get a good chance we've got to hit the target, we have to score. And we've had those chances, we just haven't finished them off. It's been unusual for us, but we want to get back at it on Saturday."

Monterey Bay F.C. vs. Oakland Roots SC

Cardinale Stadium; Seaside, California

Tuesday, July 11, 2023; 7:00 p.m. PT

2023 Records

Monterey Bay F.C. (7-6-6, 27 pts, 6th West); Oakland Roots SC (6-6-6, 24 pts, 9th West)

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