Oakland Roots are wasting zero time setting the tone for 2026, and the message is pretty clear: new head coach Ryan Martin is bringing pieces he trusts, guys who already understand his demands, and players who can raise the floor and the ceiling right away. After Oakland hired Martin following his playoff run with Loudoun United and laid out a vision built around an “attacking, proactive” identity with that Oakland “blue-collar honesty,” the roster moves started flying in fast.
First came Tommy McCabe, the kind of midfielder coaches love because he keeps the game organized and moving. Oakland announced McCabe’s signing ahead of the 2026 USL Championship season, reuniting him with Martin after the two worked together at Loudoun. Over the past two seasons there, McCabe made 64 appearances, logged 5,680 minutes, and completed 3,478 passes with an 89% passing accuracy rate, which screams “steady” and “reliable” in the middle of the park.
Then the Roots went back to the Loudoun well again and pulled Keegan Tingey, an East Bay connection that just feels right. Tingey recorded 61 appearances for Loudoun, played 5,007 minutes, and added three goals and three assists across the regular season and playoffs, giving Oakland a modern outside back who can actually impact both ends. The Roots aren’t just getting a runner here either; Tingey’s background includes De La Salle, San Jose Earthquakes Academy, and a strong Stanford career before turning pro, so the tools and the pedigree are real.
And the headline “difference-maker” move is Florian Valot, a veteran attacking mid who brings production and presence right away. Valot spent the last two seasons at Loudoun and put up six goals, 13 assists, and 108 chances created in 62 regular season appearances, helping them reach the USL Championship Playoffs for the first time in club history. Oakland’s basically adding a connector, a creator, and a leader all in one, and Martin made it clear this is someone he sees as a cornerstone piece for how the Roots want to control games.
Put it all together and you can see the blueprint: a calmer, smarter midfield base with McCabe, an outside back who can fly and compete with Tingey, and a true creative hub in Valot who can unlock defenses and set the tempo in the final third. Three signings, one obvious theme — Oakland is building this thing with familiarity, trust, and players who already know what “Martin-ball” is supposed to look like.
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