Oakland Roots hire ex-U.S. midfielder Benny Feilhaber as coach

Former U.S. national team midfielder Benny Feilhaber was hired Monday as coach of the Oakland Roots of the United Soccer League’s second-tier Championship.

Coach Gavin Glinton was fired earlier Monday after the team opened its league schedule with three wins, seven losses and one tie. The Roots also lost their opening match in the U.S. Open Cup to Tacoma in the third round.

The 40-year-old Feilhaber scored two goals in 44 international appearances from 2007-17 and was part of the American team at the 2010 World Cup, appearing in three matches as a substitute.

His tiebreaking goal on a 22-yard volley broke a 73rd-minute tie and lifted the U.S. over Mexico 2-1 in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup final.

Born in Brazil and a graduate of UCLA, Feilhaber played for Hamburg, Derby, Aarhus, New England, Kansas City and LAFC during a club career from 2006-19.

Since retiring as a player, he has been an assistant coach at UCLA, Kansas City under-17 coach and head coach of Sporting KC II in third-tier MLS Next Pro.

Feilhaber came out of retirement to play for the fourth-tier Omaha Menace when it beat Sporting KC II by 2-1 in the first round of the Open Cup on March 19, and he converted a penalty kick in a 2-1 loss to Union Omaha in the second round on April 2.