The Oakland Roots will be one of the new teams to join the USL Championship in 2021, the club announced on Tuesday, with a squad that will include a few names familiar to longtime MLS fans.
Jack McInerney, who was the club's leading scorer during their inaugural National Independent Soccer Association campaign, might be the most familiar former MLS name on the squad, having scored 43 goals across eight MLS seasons from 2010-2017.
Former D.C. United defender Nana Attakora and former Seattle Sounders forward Tristan Bowen are also part of the squad that only began on-field competition a year ago, but has already drawn attention for its community-centric approach off the field.
The Roots have a 2W-3L-5D record in 10 all-time league matches. In the USL Championship, they will could several MLS-operated sides in the Western Conference, including the Tacoma Defiance, Portland Timbers 2, LA Galaxy 2 and Real Monarchs.
