On Saturday October 14th, Fusion Families donned their club gear and descended on Oakland for Fusion Night @ The Roots. Over 100 players, with their parents and families, cheered on The Oakland Roots as they took on El Paso Locomotive FC in what was sure to be a phenomenal match up. This was the final match of the season to determine who would make the playoffs. In essence, it was WIN or go home. The weight of the game’s outcome created an electric atmosphere with the thousands in the sold-out crowd.  

Before the game started, Fusion players participated in a parade in front of the record-breaking audience, and received goodie bags complete with snacks and hydration packets. We had a boys team, representing as Ball Kids, enjoying warmups and the ability to watch the game from the sidelines. We also had Coach Trevor out on the field at halftime with Fusion Players in an exhibition game. The players were in awe of the atmosphere and were ecstatic to play on a field in front of such an enthusiastic crowd.

While the result wasn’t what we hoped for, there were some great moments that you won’t want to miss on the highlights. For example, around 47 minutes into the game, Oakland Roots forward Anuar Pelaez shot a textbook bicycle kick for a highlight worthy goal. No doubt our players were taking notes on how to imitate his technique. His amazing goal was one of the nominees for Goal of the Week: USL Championship Fans’ Choice Goal of the Week – Week 32

After the game, our Fusion players were able to meet The Roots team members and get autographs from their inspiration. What a night! 

Thank you to our Fusion Family for representing the club so well. We can’t wait for another action-packed Fusion Night @ The Roots next year!

Fusion SC’s partnership with The Oakland Roots is unique. We are a dedicated USL Academy of the Oakland Roots and are part of their youth development system. We are excited to continue and grow this relationship with the Oakland Roots as we move into 2024.