Oakland Roots gear up for home opener at the Coliseum
The Oakland Roots soccer team will begin their 2025 home season at the Oakland Coliseum this Saturday, marking the return of professional sports to the stadium for the first time since the A's departed.
The move brings the Roots back to Oakland for the first time since 2022, when the club moved from its original home at Laney College to play at Pioneer Stadium on the campus of CSU East Bay in Hayward for the 2023 season.
On Tuesday, a rally at Oakland City Hall celebrated the Roots move back. It's especially significant for goalie Kendall McIntosh.
"Just feeling that love and support and the love and support of the city," said McIntosh. "It's been incredible. I'm getting goose bumps right now."
McIntosh is a veteran soccer player, but it's his first season with the Roots. He has more than a decade of professional experience, but his interest in the sport all started in Oakland, playing for the Montclair Soccer Club back when he was in elementary school.
"When I was coming to the team I had to unearth a bunch of those old pictures," said McIntosh. "I was going through the box with my parents. It's unique."
As a kid raised in "The Town," he was a fan on all things Oakland sports. At the time the Raiders, Warriors and A's all called the Coliseum grounds home.
"Growing up here and having season tickets to the Raiders, to the Warriors, I never would have thought playing soccer, I would have the opportunity to play in the Coliseum," explained McIntosh.
Saturday, McIntosh and the rest of the team will play the first of at least 17 games this season in this historic arena.
Tommy Hodul, Vice President of the Roots public relations team, says they're expecting a big crowd for the home opener.
"Seeing a soccer field down that looks this nice is just really, really awesome and just cannot wait to see 20,000 to 25,000 plus filling the stands up," said Hodul.
He said the Coliseum field has seen almost no action since the A's left. The Roots are excited to resurrect the space.
"It's been pretty seamless. We do have to change some things logistically of where camera positions are, and how entrances and exits work. But for the most part the building has hosted some of the biggest sporting events in the world," explained Hodul.
McIntosh already knows in his heart, it will be significant to step on the field to play for the first time.
"It's going to be emotional, but it's going to be electric," McIntosh said. "I know Oakland is going to show out as they always do for their teams. I couldn't be more excited to be a part of this history. I know the boys are buzzing. We're going to give everything."
At 31 years old, McIntosh is nearing the end of career. He hopes to spend what's left of it at home in Oakland. He says he has big goals for the season, including a championship for the team and the city.
"Hopefully we can show the resilience that Oakland really has," said McIntosh. "We can emulate that and reciprocate that and get the results that the city deserves."
