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USL Sacramento Republic FC

Around the Leagues: The Return of MLS and Major Matchups Across the Globe

April 13, 2021 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Sacramento Republic FC News Release


Whether it's the midweek Champions League fixtures or the Cup Finals this coming weekend - there's no shortage of sensational soccer to watch all week

The boys in Old Glory Red have been hard at work heading into the 2021 USL Championship season with a number of tough preseason tests already under their belt.

After scrimmaging the San Jose Earthquakes U23 side last week, the squad will host a weekend friendly against the league's newcomers, Oakland Roots SC. The two sides will play a total of four times during the regular season - twice home and twice away - but the exhibition match in Sacramento is a solid chance to size up the Pacific Division opponent.

USL Championship Preseason

Just like the Indomitable Club, Oakland has been scheduling top tier opponents to tune-up for the Championship campaign ahead during the 2021 preseason. Last week, Roots was handed a 3-2 loss at the hands of MLS-side San Jose on April 9 during a friendly between the two Bay Area clubs.

Plenty of other Championship clubs are logging valuable minutes against the top domestic teams as LA Galaxy II was downed 2-1 by New England Revolution, Phoenix Rising FC took a 1-0 loss at the hands of Real Salt Lake, and Rio Grande Valley FC fell 3-2 to Austin FC.

Most of the bigger boys have earned victories, but not all clubs from Major League Soccer have been victorious over the USL sides. On April 10, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC triumphed over FC Cincinnati, 2-1. On that very same day, Indy Eleven earned a 2-0 win over Vancouver Whitecaps.

NWSL Challenge Cup & USWNT

While the men's leagues in the United States are still in preseason mode, the women's game in NWSL is in full swing with the Challenge Cup currently underway.

The competition has already produced some memorable matches including Portland Thorns 2-1 win over Kansas City that included a total of three red cards being distributed late in the contest. The following day, North Carolina Courage triumphed over Washington Spirit, 3-2, and Racing Louisville left it until late to earn a 2-2 draw against Orlando Pride after Brooke Hendrix leveled in stoppage time.

The group stage action continues on Wednesday when Orlando Pride takes on Gotham FC at 7 p.m. PT followed by a pair of fixtures on Thursday when Washington Spirit play Racing Louisville and Chicago Red Stars go head-to-head against Portland Thorns. Friday's fixture pits OL Reign against Houston Dash.

Even though the Challenge Cup has kicked off, international friendlies are taking place in the women's game and the U.S. Women's National Team already played out a 1-1 draw against Sweden on April 10.

But the colossal exhibition clashes for the USWNT continue on Tuesday when the side takes on the third-ranked team in the FIFA World Rankings - France. The friendly fixture inside Le Havre at Stade Oceane will kick off at noon and will be nationally televised on ESPN 2.

Major League Soccer

Once Friday rolls around, it's officially the start of the Major League Soccer season when Houston Dynano host San Jose Earthquakes immediately followed by Minnesota United visiting Seattle Sounders FC.

Saturday sees a full slate of eight matches over the course of the day including Austin FC's first-ever MLS match when the Texan club travels to LAFC. A trio of matches await on Sunday with all eyes on David Beckham's Inter Miami hosting the club he played a number of seasons for - LA Galaxy.

UEFA & Concacaf Champions League

The Challenge Cup isn't the only major midweek competition playing out this week as second leg quarterfinal showdowns are set to take place in the UEFA Champions League and the Concacaf Champions League continues its Round of 16 stage.

On Tuesday, reigning European champions FC Bayern Munich will look to overturn a 3-2 aggregate deficit when the Bavarian giants visit Paris Saint-Germain. Chelsea hop to hang on to its 2-0 advantage when the West London club hosts Porto at Stamford Bridge.

Tomorrow, Manchester City visit Borussia Dortmund with a 2-1 advantage in the aggregate will Liverpool are hoping to turn the tides at Anfield despite being down 3-1 in the aggregate to Real Madrid.

MLS-sides competing in the Concacaf Champions League still have work to do in order to advance to the quarterfinals and that includes the Tuesday matches where Atlanta United has a narrow 1-0 advantage over Costa Rican club L.D. Alajuelense and Portland Timbers are level 2-2 with Honduran club Marathon.

The matches continue on Wednesday with either Toronto FC or defending Mexican league champs Leon aiming to break the 1-1 aggregate deadlock during the second leg while Philadelphia Union hopes to hand on to its 1-0 advantage over Deportivo Saprissa of the Costa Rican Primera Division.

On Thursday, Columbus Crew SC - who have a 4-0 lead in the aggregate - will take on Nicaraguan club Real Esteli FC.

Mexico's Liga MX & Major European Leagues

Once the weekend arrives, not only are there a slew of fantastic league fixtures and crucial cup ties across Europe but a mouthwatering matchup in Mexico's topflight is nothing shy of a seismic showdown.

In Liga MX, a massive matchup on Saturday awaits when the two top teams in the league - Cruz Azul in first with 36 points followed by Club America hot on their tail trailing by just two points - are set to go head-to-head. Also known as the Clasico Joven - this highly anticipated clash of titans is between two of arguably the most celebrated clubs in Mexico City.

England's FA Cup has reached the semifinal round with a heavyweight bout scheduled for Saturday when Chelsea take on Manchester City. The victor will take on the winner of Leicester City and Southampton who are scheduled to play on Sunday.

In Germany's topflight, FC Bayern Munich have a five-point lead at the top of the table but face a tricky test on Saturday when the side travels to third-place Wolfsburg.

Spain will see a cup final play out on Saturday when Barcelona take on Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey Final.

Serie A in Italy sees a pair of pivotal contests on Sunday when fourth place Atalanta can leap above Juventus with a win at home over the Old Lady of Italy. Hours later, table toppers Inter Milan travel to Naples to clash with Napoli in fifth place.

The Scottish Cup pits two ancient rivals against one another when Rangers meet Celtic for another chapter in the history of the Old Firm.

Don't miss a minute of the action this season. Join our Republic and become an Indomitable Member today! Visit SacRepublicFC.com/becomeamember for more information about how you can join us for the 2021 USL Championship season, Join us for another unforgettable year and enjoy exclusive behind-the-scenes access, benefits, and more.

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from April 13, 2021


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