Oakland Roots played instrumental' role in drawing Mexico-Japan friendly to Coliseum

"Oakland has been going through such a rough spot, Lindsay Barenz, president of the Oakland Roots, said, fighting back tears. I just think it's so amazing to be able to show the world how awesome Oakland is and to play a part in that, I'm really proud of that. More than 40,000 fans will descend on the Oakland Coliseum this weekend in arguably the highest-profile sporting event the grounds have hosted since the departures of the Raiders and Athletics."

"The Roots, who played in five different venues since their inception in the United Soccer League in 2020, were instrumental in setting up the match, according to Gabriel Gabor, a media officer for the MexTour. Not only did the Roots volunteer to move their match back a day, setting up a double-dose of soccer this weekend, it was their ownership group that footed the bill to install the soccer pitch that made the Coliseum an option in the first place."

"When the prior tenants, let's say, departed, it left the Coliseum empty with literally no programming, Barenz said. But it also created an opportunity for us to make it our home. So we cooperated with the city and the county and the joint powers authority to explore how we might convert it to a baseball stadium into a soccer stadium. It cost just under $1 million to remove the pitcher's mound and turn the baseball diamond into a soccer pitch, Barenz said."

Last fall a nomadic soccer club a tier below the top level decided to make the Oakland Coliseum its home. Lindsay Barenz, president of the Oakland Roots, fought back tears. More than 40,000 fans are expected for an international friendly between Team Mexico and Team Japan, serving as a World Cup tuneup. The Roots played in five different venues since 2020 and helped arrange the match by moving their game and funding the installation of a soccer pitch. City, county and joint powers authority cooperation enabled conversion work. The project cost just under $1 million to remove the pitcher's mound and turn the baseball diamond into a soccer surface, creating opportunities for other marquee events.

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