USL Championship Officially Announces The Addition Of The Oakland Roots SC

The USL Championship has officially confirmed the addition of the Oakland Roots SC.

BREAKING: @SocTakes understands @oaklandrootssc will be playing in the @USLChampionship starting next season.

The team is expected to take on additional investors to supplement current ownership.

The team is expected to take over territorial rights previously owned

— Nipun Chopra, PhD (@NipunChopra7) September 6, 2020

Oakland Roots SC moving to the USL Championship was rumored on September 6. I heard about it through Reddit on r/USLPRO.

📅 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿: Your call starts in 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿. pic.twitter.com/vjJ9jvxGl2

— USL Championship (@USLChampionship) September 15, 2020

On September 14 the USL Championship hinted at an expansion team. I assumed it was the Oakland announcement due to the resumes.

It's a family affair out here. It's all eyes on WE.

Oakland Roots SC joins @USLChampionship:https://t.co/QrywW6se8J#OaklandForever pic.twitter.com/cbbZKRPj4l

— Oakland Roots (@oaklandrootssc) September 15, 2020

“Playing in the Championship is a great opportunity for the Oakland Roots to continue our journey of using soccer as a force for social good. We can’t wait to showcase the passion, pride, and commitment of our players, fans, and The Town to an even wider audience next year.”

Oakland Roots SC Chair Steven Aldrich-September 15, 2020

The Oakland Roots SC are set to start competition in the USL Championship for the 2021 season. As part of their move the Oakland Roots SC have accuried the rights from USL East Bay. There was no further discussion on USL East Bay from the USL. USL East Bay is probably not happening now.

The Oakland Roots SC were founded in 2018. They currently compete in the National Independent Soccer Association. They are not the first team to move from the NISA to the USL Championship. This could be bad news for the NISA. The NISA is one level lower then the USL Championship on the US Soccer pyramid. Any league losing teams ins’t good. The NISA currently has 8 clubs. They have announced two expansion clubs. They also have two clubs on hiatus. The NISA is not a big league. Teams don’t play a lot of games. I don’t think losing Oakland will effect the NISA a great deal. They have other issues they need to work. I wouldn’t be surprised if as teams in the NISA grow they leave for higher level leagues.