Benny Feilhaber Named Oakland Roots Head Coach
Contract Until End of USL Championship Season
Well gotta admit, I didn’t see this announcement coming.
Oakland Roots announced around an hour ago that former USMNT player Benny Feilhaber has been announced head coach of the Oakland Roots until the end of the season. He takes over a side 11th in the Western Conference.
This will be Benny’s first coaching job in the 2nd tier of the US pyramid. From 2022-2024, Feilhaber was the manager over Sporting KC 2 in MLS Next Pro. He was not retained after the 2024 season after amassing a record of 39 wins and 42 losses (no draws in MLS Next Pro). This works out to a 1.44 points per game.
Oakland Roots Lindsay Barenz seems very confident in this squad. “We are excited to have Benny Feilhaber take over through the end of the season. We believe there is still a lot to fight for this season and we believe we have the players to make a strong run into the playoffs.” The problem is he and maybe those in the coaching room maybe the only ones.
The biggest problem Oakland Roots had under Gavin Glinton was conceding multiple goals a match. In 9 of the 42 games in charge under Glinton Oakland conceded 3 or more goals in a match. That is a problem Feilhaber has to immediately resolve. The hope is Feilhaber can help the midfield play, as it has looked multiple times this season caught between helping in defense and pushing forward. There is goal scoring power in this squad, but they’ve run hot and cold this season (as shown in being blanked in 4 of 14 games).
Oakland is also smart in making this signing until the end of the season. Feilhaber, fresh off helping Des Moines Menace in the US Open Cup, is looking to move up the coaching ranks. If he can turn Oakland Roots around it will turn alot of heads.