Fans root for loyal sports teams in Oakland’s soccer clubs

OAKLAND — There’s only one place in this city where you can go watch salsa dancers perform, answer trivia questions posed by Jeopardy champion and longtime resident Amy Schneider, and hear drummers wearing Luchador masks pounding rhythms entire sections of bleachers chant to: an Oakland Roots game.
Most other professional sports teams that could muster anything resembling the warm community that is the Roots fanbase are gone from Oakland. But what sprouted in their place more than four years ago says it is here to stay.
As the Roots fanbase grows, the club is looking at sites for a permanent stadium, including the city-owned Malibu racetrack site on Hegenberger Road near the Coliseum. The possibility of the Roots leasing the racetrack site from Oakland was mentioned at an Oakland Coliseum Joint Powers Authority meeting, where it was noted talks are in very preliminary stages. For now, the Roots will keep playing at Laney while the Oakland Soul women’s soccer team will play at Merritt College when it launches next spring.
With the search for a new home for the team ongoing, fans who helped sell out Laney College’s football stadium this season voiced their perspectives on the first professional sports team to commit itself to Oakland since the Raiders came back from Los Angeles in 1995. In fact, some of them came to a recent game straight from the drumming sections at Athletics games and the Black Hole of a bygone Raiders era.
Juan Lepe held season tickets for both teams —spending 12 years tailgating in parking lot D at the Coliseum on Raiders game days — before joining Los Roots, one of many supporter groups of fans dedicated to generating fun and team spirit from Laney’s bleachers.
“When the Raiders left that had left a hole, and when we found the Roots it filled that,” Lepe said, adding that his supporter group’s relationship with Roots ownership is far more inclusive than what he experiences as a fan of other sports teams. “They give us so much access. They do a lot, compared to the A’s and the Raiders. They ask us, ‘What do you guys want? What do you guys need?’ It’s different. It’s a different atmosphere. I love going to Raiders games, you know. I’ve gone to Las Vegas to watch them. But this is just different.”
Jorge Bejarano held Raiders season tickets for 14 years and co-founded the Drummers at Left Field Bleachers group at A’s games. He says dozens of Roots supporters migrated directly from Athletics fandom, including members of the Oakland 68’s right field drum corps.
These days the visual artist designs and illustrates a new character and stickers to hand out at each game on behalf of his Abstract Oakland business. Bejarano says former A’s fans like him migrated specifically “because of the threats” the A’s have made to leave Oakland.
He contrasts that with how the Roots treat him and what he loves about the team: “How small it is, how dedicated to the community they are. They allow fans to dictate what they want to do. Anything that we want, they’ll provide. … The Roots man, it’s home. We can talk to the owners; we have all their numbers. It’s such a closer connection than what you feel with these bigger teams.”
Edreece Arghandiwal, Oakland Roots co-founder and chief marketing officer, says that’s part of his mission to create a different kind of sports model here.
“We’re all coming together to try and build something special here in Oakland, which is a sports model driven by humanity,” Arghandiwal said. “We believe in access not because that’s a cool thing to do but because it’s the right thing to do.”
Roots season ticket holder Elsa Seiwald scored an access upgrade when out-of-town friends offered her VIP sideline tickets to the Roots 0-2 loss to San Antonio F.C. in September. The Oakland resident said she’s been a fan since before the team played its first game.
“I was walking around Lake Merritt, I guess 2019, and I like saw somebody taking a photo in a shirt and it must’ve been some promotional photo shoot for their swag and I was like ‘What is that?’ and Googled it, and we were like, ‘Oh, my god, it’s an Oakland soccer team and we could pay $5.10 as a deposit for future membership,’ I thought that was so funny,” Seiwald said in reference to the deposit price equaling Oakland’s telephone area code.
As a Bay Area native who grew up playing soccer for Alameda Soccer Club and East Bay United Soccer and coached her younger sisters at Alameda, she’s now excited to see the women’s soccer team Oakland Soul debut next spring.
“We love supporting the team that’s local. I feel like that’s cliche but also it’s so nice to have somebody so close,” Seiwald said, adding that Laney is too small for the club now, as more than 5,090 fans roared from the college football stadium’s bleachers a few yards away.
“[Laney’s] expensive to play at but I think it would be a huge miss if they put a field where somebody couldn’t BART or the public transportation wasn’t there. So many of my friends that I brought into the Roots community are BARTing in” from San Francisco, she said.
Arghandiwal is keeping fan presence center-focused as the Roots hunt for their new home.
“We do not exist if fans do not show up. We do not exist if fans do not love us. We do not exist if Oakland, which is in our name, does not want us to represent it,” Arghandiwal said. “So a lot of everything we do leans into our tagline: Oakland First Always, and knowing your roots. I’m a firm believer that you have to tap into your roots in order to know where you’re going, and every decision we try to make is with the lens of Oakland first and always. Whether it’s how we communicate with people, how we treat people, the decisions we make every single day.”
To Arghandiwal’s point, first-timer Lena Gaazarin, who said friends invited her to a late July game with 3,335 other fans where the Roots played a scoreless match against Phoenix Rising F.C., said that she would definitely return:
“No offense to the A’s.”
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – JULY 27: Oakland Roots’ Ottar Magnus Karlsson, center, tries to go for the ball on a corner kick during a United Soccer League game against the Phoenix Rising at Laney College soccer field in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, July 27, 2022. The Roots is looking for a new stadium to fit its growing fan base. Matches at Laney College average 4,300 fans a night, with a maximum capacity of 5,500 while multiple games have sold out, said Roots spokesman Tommy Hodul. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 3: Oakland Roots goalie Paul Blanchette makes a save against San Antonio’s Connor Maloney (31) during a United Soccer League game at Laney College soccer field in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. The Roots is looking for a new stadium to fit its growing fan base. Matches at Laney College average 4,300 fans a night, with a maximum capacity of 5,500 while multiple games have sold out, said Roots spokesman Tommy Hodul. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 3: Oakland Roots Soccer Club fans cheer during a United Soccer League game against San Antonio FC at Laney College soccer field in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. The Roots is looking for a new stadium to fit its growing fan base. Matches at Laney College average 4,300 fans a night, with a maximum capacity of 5,500 while multiple games have sold out, said Roots spokesman Tommy Hodul. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 3: Oakland Roots’ Juan Carlos Azocar (18) fights for the ball against San Antonio’s Connor Maloney (31) during a United Soccer League game at Laney College soccer field in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. The Roots is looking for a new stadium to fit its growing fan base. Matches at Laney College average 4,300 fans a night, with a maximum capacity of 5,500 while multiple games have sold out, said Roots spokesman Tommy Hodul. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – JULY 27: An Oakland Roots flag waves in one the corners of the soccer field before the start of a United Soccer League game against the Phoenix Rising at Laney College soccer field in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, July 27, 2022. The Roots is looking for a new stadium to fit its growing fan base. Matches at Laney College average 4,300 fans a night, with a maximum capacity of 5,500 while multiple games have sold out, said Roots spokesman Tommy Hodul. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 3: Oakland Roots’ Mikael Johnsen (77) dribbles against the San Antonio FC during a United Soccer League game at Laney College soccer field in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. The Roots is looking for a new stadium to fit its growing fan base. Matches at Laney College average 4,300 fans a night, with a maximum capacity of 5,500 while multiple games have sold out, said Roots spokesman Tommy Hodul. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – JULY 27: Oakland Roots Soccer Club fans cheer during a United Soccer League game against the Phoenix Rising at Laney College soccer field in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, July 27, 2022. The Roots is looking for a new stadium to fit its growing fan base. Matches at Laney College average 4,300 fans a night, with a maximum capacity of 5,500 while multiple games have sold out, said Roots spokesman Tommy Hodul. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – JULY 27: The Oakland Roots Soccer Club huddle before the start of a United Soccer League game against the Phoenix Rising at Laney College soccer field in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, July 27, 2022. The Roots is looking for a new stadium to fit its growing fan base. Matches at Laney College average 4,300 fans a night, with a maximum capacity of 5,500 while multiple games have sold out, said Roots spokesman Tommy Hodul. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 3: Oakland Roots announcer Matthew Hurwitz introduces players before a United Soccer League match against San Antonio FC at Laney College soccer field in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. The Roots is looking for a new stadium to fit its growing fan base. Matches at Laney College average 4,300 fans a night, with a maximum capacity of 5,500 while multiple games have sold out, said Roots spokesman Tommy Hodul. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 3: Oakland Roots’ Alejandro Fuenmayor (30) controls the ball against San Antonio’s Sam Adeniran (14) during a United Soccer League game at Laney College soccer field in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. The Roots is looking for a new stadium to fit its growing fan base. Matches at Laney College average 4,300 fans a night, with a maximum capacity of 5,500 while multiple games have sold out, said Roots spokesman Tommy Hodul. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 3: Oakland Roots’ Juan Carlos Azocar (18) fouls San Antonio’s Connor Maloney (31) during a United Soccer League game at Laney College soccer field in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. The Roots is looking for a new stadium to fit its growing fan base. Matches at Laney College average 4,300 fans a night, with a maximum capacity of 5,500 while multiple games have sold out, said Roots spokesman Tommy Hodul. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – JULY 27: Oakland Roots fans cheer during the soccer game against the Phoenix Rising at Laney College soccer field in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, July 27, 2022. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 3: The Oakland Roots Soccer Club and San Antonio FC compete during a United Soccer League game at Laney College soccer field in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. The Roots is looking for a new stadium to fit its growing fan base. Matches at Laney College average 4,300 fans a night, with a maximum capacity of 5,500 while multiple games have sold out, said Roots spokesman Tommy Hodul. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 3: Spartan Mambo dancers of San Jose Edward Lee, left, Jewell Claudio and Julieta Mendiola practice salsa dancing before performing outside Laney College soccer field in Oakland, Calif., before that start a United Soccer League game between the Oakland Roots and San Antonio FC on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. The Roots is looking for a new stadium to fit its growing fan base. Matches at Laney College average 4,300 fans a night, with a maximum capacity of 5,500 while multiple games have sold out, said Roots spokesman Tommy Hodul. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – JULY 27: An Oakland Roots Soccer Club fan arrives early with a flag before a United Soccer League game against the Phoenix Rising at Laney College soccer field in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, July 27, 2022. The Roots is looking for a new stadium to fit its growing fan base. Matches at Laney College average 4,300 fans a night, with a maximum capacity of 5,500 while multiple games have sold out, said Roots spokesman Tommy Hodul. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 3: Oakland Roots Soccer Club fans arrive at Laney College soccer field in Oakland, Calif., before the start a United Soccer League game against San Antonio FC on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. The Roots is looking for a new stadium to fit its growing fan base. Matches at Laney College average 4,300 fans a night, with a maximum capacity of 5,500 while multiple games have sold out, said Roots spokesman Tommy Hodul. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 3: Oakland Roots special guest Amy Schnieder, center, walks off the field after leading a Half Time trivia in support of the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center during a United Soccer League match against San Antonio FC at Laney College soccer field in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. The Roots is looking for a new stadium to fit its growing fan base. Matches at Laney College average 4,300 fans a night, with a maximum capacity of 5,500 while multiple games have sold out, said Roots spokesman Tommy Hodul. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
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Going to the next match?
Oakland Roots vs. Birmingham Legion FC
Game starts at 7 p.m. Oct. 1 at Laney College, 900 Fallon St, Oakland
Tickets are sold out
More info: Oakland Roots website