Oakland, CA — Spokane Velocity FC rallied from an early 0-1 deficit to defeat USL Championship side Oakland Roots SC, lifting Spokane to first place in Group 1 of the Prinx Tires USL Cup, and keeping its chances of advancing to the knockout stage alive.
Velocity FC head coach Leigh Veidman spoke on what the win meant for his side.
“I’m really proud and happy for the players and staff. Tough moments happen in life and football, but the reaction to those moments is the most important,” said Veidman.
With the win, Velocity FC finished group stage play with nine points and a 3-1-0 record. Spokane will clinch the group if Athletic Club Boise defeats Sacramento Republic FC later tonight.
Spokane was put in a hole early, with Oakland scoring in the 2nd minute off a corner kick to take a 1-0 lead. Midfielder Faysal Bettache sent the set piece into the box, with defender Neveal Hackshaw connecting on a point blank header to give Roots SC the lead.
Velocity FC created a promising attack moments later, with Luis Gil sending a cross into the backpost that Neco Brett received inside the box but missed a header on. The attack served as one of Spokane’s best chances of the first half.
Oakland forward Bradley Roberson had a great scoring chance in the 12th minute when he received a through ball from midfield and sent a strike outside the box on goal that was pushed wide by Spokane goalkeeper Carlos Merancio.
Merancio, who made his first start since May 2nd after recovering from injury, reflected on the match.
“We came here knowing that it would be a battle, and it would take everything to get a result. And it was a great team effort and our offensive players were great at executing our opportunities,” said Merancio.
Roots SC kept Merancio busy in his goal, with defender Julian Bravo sending two attempts on target in the 26th and 32nd minutes, both which were saved by Merancio.
Spokane found its equalizer in the 34th minute, with Brett tapping in a goal inside the box to level the score at 1-1. Oakland’s goalkeeper Raphael Spiegel came off his line to clear the ball out of his box, with the clearance deflecting off Gil back into the penalty area. Brett took advantage of the empty goal, knocking in his first score of the season.
Brett nearly had another goal in the 41st minute, missing an attempt inside the six yard box wide right. Spokane forward Medgy Alexandre sent in a service which Spiegel mistimed his catch on, leading to Brett’s rebounding attempt.
Spokane started the second half strong, with Brett finding his second goal in the 55th minute to give his side a 2-1 lead over Oakland. Alexandre started the play with a nice run towards the box, passing it to Gil who sent the final service to Brett, who fired a right-footed rocket to secure a brace.
Brett spoke on the team’s win over Oakland following the match. “Today’s win was massive for us, especially with a couple of tough games the past couple of weeks. I think our hard work paid off for us. It’s all teamwork that helped us and luckily I got two goals,” said Brett.
Forward Anuar Peláez put the finishing touches on the match for Spokane, scoring a goal inside the six yard box to give Velocity FC its third goal of the match. The goal was a welcome sight for Peláez, who made his first appearance since May 10th after recovering from injury.
Coach Veidman spoke on what the players’ mindset has been as his side endured a tough couple of weeks leading up to Saturday’s win.
“The players kept their heads down, kept working and believing in each other and they got what they deserved today,” said Veidman.
Following Saturday’s cup win, Spokane will head to Virginia for a League One tilt against the Richmond Kickers. The match is set to kickoff at 4:00 PM PT and can be streamed on ESPN+. For tickets to Spokane Velocity FC’s next home match on July 22 in a USL League One league match against Charlotte Independence, visit Velocity FC Tickets – USL Spokane.
