"Anytime you tell anyone you want to put a professional team in Oakland there is always going to be red flags."
--
Edreece Arghandiwal, co-founder of the Oakland Roots, whose
strong branding and marketing campaign emphasizing deep roots in the East Bay city has caught on. The Roots hosted the first NISA match on Saturday evening, packing the Laney College football stadium
with a crowd estimated at 5,000 for the 3-3 tie with the California United Strikers.
Jack McInerney, who played 176 games in MLS, scored a hat trick in the first half for the Roots, who blew a
3-0 lead. (
San Francisco Chronicle)