Bay Area roots run deep for Oakland Roots goalie

Oakland, CA - The newest goalie for the Oakland Roots, Kendall McIntosh, is grateful to return home to the Bay Area where he grew up playing the game of soccer.

McIntosh has had an easy transition with the Roots. He spent the preseason getting to know his teammates at the practice facility.

"I'm just excited to be here, excited to be with the boys, and excited to get the season started," he said.

Youth Soccer

The backstory:

The 31-year-old's roots run deep in the Bay Area. He's an Oakland native who played for Montclair Soccer. His family later moved to the North Bay where he played for Santa Rosa United. McIntosh went on to play with the San Jose Earthquakes Academy before he joined the soccer team at Santa Clara University. 

He said his career is all thanks to his brother.

"When I was little, I basically did everything my brother did," he said. "I was obsessed with him. He's an incredible guy. He was really into soccer, so I was really into soccer. He wanted to go pro, so I wanted to go pro."

He credits all of his goalkeeper coaches for helping mold him personally and professionally, including Messias Souza, Eric Yamamoto, and Adin Brown.

"These guys have been incredible for me in my soccer development and my human development and I think that has been invaluable for me to make the leap from kiddo playing Montclair soccer to a 10-year professional," McIntosh said. 

Returning Home

What we know:

McIntosh has spent the past decade playing for clubs including the Portland Timbers, New York Red Bulls, Sports Kansas City, and San Antonio FC. He has made more than 120 appearances in the professional league and notched 20 clean sheets in his career so far.

"To come home, for me, is very special," he said. "I spoke with my family about it. I spoke with my friends about it. It was the perfect culmination of a lot of things."

Having McIntosh join the team was a no-brainer for the Oakland Roots coaches, who have had their eye on McIntosh for some time. Oakland Roots Technical Director Jordan Ferrell said McIntosh is a crucial piece of the team they built in the offseason.

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"He's a proactive goalkeeper," Ferrell said. "You'll see him off his line. You'll see him coaching, demanding, and driving the team. That is something we knew we needed coming into this year."

McIntosh is excited to return to the Oakland Coliseum where the Roots will play their first home game on March 22. He went to A's and Raiders games as a kid with his family. Now he's excited to give back to the community that gave him so much.

"I would love to stay here for the rest of my career," he said.