Benny Feilhaber Takes the Helm of Oakland Roots
Former U.S. national team midfielder Benny Feilhaber has been named coach of the Oakland Roots, a Championship team, the second division of the United Soccer League.
The announcement came after the dismissal of coach Gavin Glinton on the same day. Glinton was fired after the team recorded a season start with three wins, seven losses, and one draw.
Additionally, the Roots suffered a defeat in their inaugural U.S. Open Cup match against Tacoma, falling in the third round.
Feilhaber, 40, left his mark on American soccer during his playing career.
The midfielder scored two goals in 44 international appearances between 2007 and 2017, and was part of the US team at the 2010 World Cup, participating in three matches as a substitute.A highlight of his career was the goal he scored in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup final, a 22-yard shot that broke the tie and gave the United States the victory over Mexico by 2-1.
Born in Brazil and a UCLA graduate, Feilhaber had a successful club career, playing for teams like Hamburg, Derby, Aarhus, New England, Kansas City, and LAFC between 2006 and 2019.After retiring as a player, Feilhaber served as an assistant coach at UCLA, U-17 coach in Kansas City, and head coach of Sporting KC II in MLS Next Pro, the third division.
Feilhaber even came out of retirement to play with the fourth-division Omaha Menace, when this team beat Sporting KC II 2-1 in the first round of the Open Cup on March 19, where he converted a penalty in the 2-1 defeat against Union Omaha in the second round on April 2.
