Breaking: Oakland Roots Hire New Coach | OneFootball

The Oakland Roots, a purpose-driven soccer team that plays in the USL Championship, made a managerial change today. Gavin Glinton was relieved of his duties earlier this morning, along with his assistant coach Jesse Cormier. Replacing him will be Benny Feilhaber.

Glinton’s Tenure

Gavin Glinton was an assistant coach under Noah Delago at the start of the 2024 season. When Delgado was let go, he took over as interim head coach and led the Roots into the 2024 post-season. He was hired as full-time coach in November 2024. Under Glinton, the Roots have had a frustrating 2025 season, with only three wins in eleven matches. They were eliminated in the U.S. Open third round by the MLS Pro Tacoma Defiance after an extra-time goal. They also lost their opening Jägermeister Cup tie to the USL-1 Spokane Velocity 2 – 1. In Saturday’s second Jägermeister Cup game visiting AV Alta (also USL-1), Oakland conceded a goal in the 95th minute that tied the game. In the ensuing penalty shootout they were defeated 4 – 2. Glinton’s overall record with the Roots was 14 wins, 5 draws, 18 losses and a goal differential of -15.

All About Benny

Benny Feilhaber is a former professional who played mainly as center midfielder. He played a single year for the UCLA Bruins before moving to Hamburger SV in 2005, where he played for two years on both their second and first teams. He played for Derby County (EFL Championship), AGF Aarhus (Danish league), and then moved to the MLS. In the next nine years he played for New England Revolution, LAFC, Colorado Rapids and Sporting Kansas City. His tenure at SKC lasted seven seasons and he earned 34g/38a. He also earned 44 caps for the USMNT and won a Gold Cup.

After retiring in 2020 he coached his alma mater for a year, then joined the Kansas City coaching staff. He was the head coach for the SKC II academy team through November 2024 over 81 games.

In 2025, Feilhaber and a handful of other retired MLS and USMNT players joined the USL-2 Des Moines Menace for their U.S. Open Cup run. Their opening game was against his old team, SKC II, which they won. In their second game against Union Omaha he drew a penalty and scored. Des Moines lost the match 2 – 1. This makes Feilhaber the only USL manager to have scored a goal in the same year he coached.

Future Looks Bright

Feilhaber’s appointment comes at a pivotal point in the season. Despite being eleventh in the Western Conference, they are only one win (three points) behind eighth place Orange County. Oakland Roots President Lindsay Barenz wrote in a press release: “We are excited to have Benny Feilhaber take over through the end of the season. We believe there is still a lot to fight for this season and we believe we have the players to make a strong run into the playoffs.”