Monterey Bay F.C.’s national TV debut is spoiled by regional rivals Oakland Roots.

A rough stretch of results continued for Monterey Bay F.C. on Saturday night, July 15, with a 3-1 home defeat to regional rivals Oakland Roots SC that pushes the club further down the standings in its quest to make the USL Championship playoffs.

The game, broadcast on ESPN2, was the first time MBFC had the chance to strut its stuff before a nationally televised audience in just its second season of play. Instead, the Union failed to convert a couple of clear-cut scoring opportunities while Oakland seized their own chances, jumping Monterey Bay into sixth place in the Western Conference standings. 

MBFC now sits seventh in the conference after three defeats and one draw in its past four games—just two points ahead of Phoenix Rising, who hold the eighth and final playoff spot in the West. The poor run comes after Monterey Bay had won its preceding four matches in a row. The club now finds itself having to ward off Phoenix and three other playoff challengers who are within three points behind in a tight Western Conference, with 14 matches left to play.

A reported attendance of 5,046—the fourth-highest turnout in the club’s brief history—braved a dense, chilly fog that enveloped Cardinale Stadium in Seaside throughout the evening. A healthy contingent of traveling Oakland supporters were among those on hand, lending credence to efforts to bill the budding rivalry as a regional “derby,” in soccer parlance. 

Oakland—which hadn’t won any of its previous six matches—looked to have taken the lead just three minutes in, walking in what would have been a far-too-easy goal by Lindo Mfeka that was ruled out by the linesman’s offside flag. Nine minutes later, MBFC goalkeeper Antony Siaha conceded a penalty after launching a badly timed claim for the ball and fouling Oakland’s Jeciel Cedeno instead. Siaha then guessed the wrong way as Johnny Rodriguez’s penalty gave Oakland a 1-0 lead on 15 minutes. 

The Union struck back nearly 15 minutes later, after Chase Boone laid it off to Alex Dixon near the top of Oakland’s penalty area; Dixon struck the ball cleanly into the corner of the net, tying up the game at 1-1 on 29 minutes. But MFBC’s defensive frailties showed again just four minutes later, after Oakland played in behind the Union’s backline and Rodriguez’s second goal of the night—helped by a deflection off the boot of Monterey Bay’s Walmer Martinez—reclaimed a 2-1 lead.

Striker Christian Volesky, so often so clinical for Monterey Bay this season, was left to rue a missed opportunity after midfielder Simon Dawkins played him through on goal in the 41st minute, only for Volesky to hit his shot into the arms of Oakland goalkeeper Paul Blanchette. Even more glaringly, Dixon botched a golden chance to tie things up after the hour mark, skying his shot just a few yards out from a wide-open Oakland goalmouth.

While the Union kept pushing, Oakland kept finding space of its own and effectively sealed the win after Memo Diaz made it 3-1 in the 78th minute. Chants of “Let’s go Oakland” from the traveling Roots supporters rang through the stadium at the final whistle, claiming the victory.

Monterey Bay head coach Frank Yallop acknowledged that his team “didn’t start the game well at all,” but rued the missed opportunities that could have gotten them back in the contest. 

“It kind of all hinged on that chance where it was probably harder to miss than to score,” he said of Dixon’s would-be second-half equalizer. “We had enough good play and enough good chances to get something out of the game, but it was won in both boxes. If you can’t defend well, they’re gonna score, and if you don’t take your chances, then we don’t score. And that’s the game right there.”

Yet Yallop struck a positive tone despite it all, noting that there’s still “a long way to go” in the season and much ball left to be played in the hunt for a playoff spot. Midfielder Simon Dawkins echoed that sentiment, saying the Union must “dust ourselves off and go again.”

“What it’s about now is regrouping, going back to basics maybe—try not to get too down, because you can get in a slump and the whole season can disappear from you,” Dawkins said. “It’s important that we stick together, get back in the training ground and enjoy things.”

Monterey Bay can start putting their season back on track with a trip to struggling Detroit City FC on Saturday, July 22, before returning home to Seaside for a big match with likely playoff repercussions against Phoenix Rising on the following Saturday, July 29.