Oakland Roots add three Project 51O players on academy contracts

Oakland Roots added Gavin Stone, Etienne Lopez and Isaac Rosenthal to first-team academy contracts on July 10, continuing a clear push to turn Project 51O into a direct route to the senior roster. The three moves are pending league and federation approval, but the message from Oakland was unmistakable: the club is using its academy system as a roster-building tool, not just a branding exercise.

Stone, 17, is a midfielder who has been with Project 51O for more than a year and will wear No. 53. Lopez, also 17, is a defender who has spent more than a year in the program and will take No. 38. Rosenthal is 19, plays goalkeeper, has been in the Project 51O system since the start of 2026 and will wear No. 70. Each signing keeps the player inside the club structure while giving him a chance to train and compete around the first team.

That path is exactly how USL Academy contracts are designed to work. The league’s academy framework allows young players to train and compete with senior sides while preserving NCAA eligibility, a setup that makes the route especially attractive for prospects who want pro exposure without giving up the college option. Oakland has leaned into that model with unusual consistency this year.

The Roots already added four Project 51O players on academy contracts on Feb. 26: Alejandro Caracheo Luna, Emilio Martinez, Bradley Roberson and Jonathan Polio. In May, the club added 16-year-old Oakland native Charlie Wachs, who had been with Project 51O for the previous two years. With Stone, Lopez and Rosenthal now joining the first team, Oakland has pushed eight Project 51O players onto academy deals in 2026 alone.

That volume matters for a club that has spent years shaping its identity around Oakland and the Bay Area. Instead of treating local development as a sidelight, the Roots have made it part of how the roster is built, with Project 51O acting as a live feeder system into the professional environment. The timing also lands as Oakland manages its larger home future: on July 9, the club said 2026 would be its final season at the Oakland Coliseum and that it is seeking a venue for 2027 and beyond, while its July 11 Prinx Tires USL Cup match against Spokane Velocity FC was moved to Merritt College because of a scheduling conflict.

The academy additions give Oakland another way to anchor itself during that transition. Even as the club looks for its next home, it is reinforcing a development pipeline that keeps talent, and the organization’s identity, rooted in Oakland.