Monterey Bay Drops first match of the 2026 season against rival Oakland Roots 1-0
SEASIDE, California (Saturday, March 7, 2026) – Monterey Bay FC (0-1-0, 0 points) kicks off its fifth season with a 1-0 loss against rival Oakland Roots SC (1-0-0, 3 points) at Cardinale Stadium.
Despite not scoring a goal, MBFC’s defense showed strength along with a phenomenal display of goalkeeping. The night began with a series of saves by Fernando Delgado. Within the first eight minutes of play, Oakland Roots was awarded two corner kicks, but both were blocked by Delgado.
“We didn’t get the result we wanted, but it’s very special to play in front of a crowd like this,” said Fernando Delgado, Monterey Bay FC goalkeeper. “There was a lot of nerves heading into the first game of the season, but we have a great environment in the locker room. We have a young team, a great coaching staff and the connection we all have together means a lot to everyone. Starting on Monday, we have the entire week to get things in order and focus on El Paso.”
Monterey Bay FC’s offense was shut out after 10 attempts with only four shots on goal and recording a 39.2% possession rate. On the other side, MBFC’s defense registered 16 fouls while receiving a total of four yellow cards with three of them coming in the second half.
“This game is about moments, and I don’t think we had enough moments,” said Jordan Stewart, head coach of Monterey Bay Football Club. “A lot to reflect on, a lot to improve on during the week. Luckily we have a game next week to try and put things together and do things right again El Paso.”
Oakland Roots recorded nine shot attempts with three on goal with the game-winner scored at the 85th minute by Mark Fisher (first goal of the season).
“Get scored late is tough, tough for everyone in the locker room and it’s going to eat us alive until next week,” said Stuart Ritchie, Monterey Bay FC defender. “We’re going to need to look ourselves in the mirror first, it’s a new group, but that isn’t an excuse.”
Monterey Bay Football Club will return to the field to seek their first win of the season next Saturday, March 14, as they will host El Paso Locomotive FC at Cardinale Stadium with the match set to kick off at 7 p.m.
Additional Notes
- Missing the match due to injury were Nico Gordon (precautionary), Adrian Rebollar (concussion protocol) and Facundo Canete (meniscus).
Information
Date: March 7, 2026
Venue: Cardinale Stadium; Seaside, California
Weather: Clear and 68°F
Attendance: 4,240
Scoring Summary: 0 1 F
Monterey Bay FC 0 0 0
Oakland Roots SC FC 0 1 1
MB: None
OAK: Mark Fisher 85’
Lineups
Monterey Bay FC (0-1-0): Fernando Delgado, Abdel Talabi (Joel Garcia Jr., 50′), Stuart Ritchie, Nicholas Ross (Eduardo Blancas, 45′), Luka Malešević, Giorgi Lomtadze (Ilijah Paul Gindiri, 65′), Wesley Leggett, Omari Glasgow, Belmar Joseph Jr. (Johnny Klein, 86′), Kelsey Egwu, Zack Farnsworth
Subs not used: Ciaran Dalton, Djimon Anderson, Andres O’Neal, Angel Villasana
Oakland Roots SC (1-0-0): Raphael Spiegel, Tommy McCabe, David Garcia, Bobosi Byaruhanga, Wolfgang Prentice (Neveal Hackshaw, 71′) Peter Wilson (Jackson Kiil, 91′), Tyler Gibson (Danny Trejo, 71′), Mark Fisher, Julian Bravo, Michael Edwards, Faysal Bettache
Subs not used: Raiko Arozarena, Anthony Herbert
Stats Summary: MB / OAK
Shots: 10 / 9
Shots on Goal: 4 / 3
Saves: 2 / 4
Corner Kicks: 1 / 3
Fouls: 16 / 10
Possession: 39.2% / 60.8%
Misconduct Summary
MB: Giorgi Lomtadze (caution) 41’
MB: Kelsey Egwu (caution) 58’
MB: Joel Garcia Jr. (caution) 77’
MB: Luka Malešević (caution) 82’
OAK: David Garciak (caution) 70’
Officials
Referee: Nabil Bensalah
Assistant Referee: Bruno Rizo
Assistant Referee: Eric Krueger
Fourth Official: Eduardo Hernandez Garcia
