Spokane Velocity visit Oakland Roots in decisive USL Cup showdown

USL Championship · By Marcus Chen · July 11, 2026

Spokane Velocity FC turned a tense road test into a 3-1 win at Merritt College. Spokane finished second in Group 1 on six points, behind Sacramento Republic FC’s eight. Athletic Club Boise finished on five and Oakland Roots SC on four.

Seven regional group winners and one wild card advanced, with the wild card going to the second-place team with the most points, with goals scored first in the tiebreak chain. Spokane arrived with a live path to the knockout round, two points behind Sacramento heading into the final group-stage day, while Oakland needed a result to keep its own hopes alive. Oakland head coach Ryan Martin said he intended to use the night to “take a look under the hood” and test new ideas after his club had been eliminated from advancing.

Oakland had scored 24 goals in league play, tied for fourth-most in the Championship, while Spokane had managed 17 in League One and gone scoreless in four of its previous five matches. Oakland had the sharper individual edge in attack, with Wolfgang Prentice leading all Championship players with six assists and Peter Wilson sitting second among Championship players with 10 goals. Spokane countered with Sean Lewis, who started all three cup matches and entered with seven saves and one clean sheet.

Spokane Velocity FC — Wikimedia Commons — Spokane Velocity FC via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Oakland moved the match to Merritt College and made it members-only because of cricket matches at the Oakland Coliseum. Oakland last played at Merritt College in a USL Championship match on Aug. 14, 2021, when it beat LA Galaxy II 2-1 for its first home win of that season.

Group 1 Points — Data visualization chart

It was only the second meeting between Spokane and Oakland, after Spokane beat Oakland 2-1 in Spokane in the 2025 USL Cup group stage. Oakland had two former Roots players back in the East Bay in Gagi Margvelashvili and Anuar Peláez. Spokane signed Margvelashvili in March 2026 after Oakland declined his contract option after the 2025 season, and Peláez’s last USL appearance came in Oakland’s 2023 season, when he finished second on the team with eight goals.