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USL Sacramento Republic FC

Know Your Opponent: Oakland Roots SC

May 31, 2021 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Sacramento Republic FC News Release


The second match of Republic FC's three-game homestand sees the East Bay club clash with Sacramento for the first-time during league play

Wednesday night will mark the first-ever meeting between Oakland Roots SC and Republic FC during USL Championship play when the two Northern California clubs clash in Sacramento.

The fixture will be the first of four regular season matches between the two sides and this Wednesday's encounter is slated to kickoff at 8:00 p.m. PT at Heart Health Park.

Heading into the new week, all eyes are on Oakland as the boys in Old Glory Red brace to battle the USL newcomers.

Key Moves

Oakland was able to acquire plenty of experienced USL talent before the start of its inaugural Championship campaign.

Some newly acquired talent also was originally from the East Bay area as midfielders Saalih Muhammad joined from New Mexico United and Wal Fall signed from Saint Louis FC. Muhammad made over 40 appearances for the club from Albuquerque while Fall made 17 appearances for Saint Louis in 2020 in what was his fifth season in the Championship.

Goalkeeper Zeus de la Paz has a pair of international appearances Curacao and has twice manned the net for Roots SC to start the season after spending time with Oldham Athletic in England. On Monday, Roots announced the acquisition of goalkeeper Luis Barraza on-loan from New York City FC for Oakland's matches on June 2 and June 12.

One name that Republic FC fans should recognize is Tyler Blackwood as the former Republic FC striker will take the pitch against his former club. Blackwood has 34 career goals in the Championship and seven during his time with Sacramento.

Former Reno 1868 FC midfielder Lindo Mfeka made the move to the East Bay after helping to guide the Nevadan club to the best record in 2020.

Oakland Last Season

2021 is Oakland Roots SC's first-ever campaign in the USL Championship.

Founded in 2018, the East Bay club has competed in the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) since its inception with the 2019 fall campaign being its first competitive season.

During the shortened 2020 fall season, Roots SC took the top spot in the three team Western Conference. Oakland downed Chattanooga FC in the national semifinals before being dealt a 2-1 loss to Detroit City FC in the Final.

Head-to-Head

This is it, the first-ever meeting between the two Northern California neighbors.

The two clubs were originally slated to go head-to-head in the 2020 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup before the competition was called off due to the pandemic.

Wednesday night's match at Heart Health Park will be the first of four regular season showdowns between the two regional rivals.

Last Time They Met

Prior to the start of the 2021 regular season, Roots SC payed a visit to Sacramento for a closed-door scrimmage with the boys in Old Glory Red pulling off a 5-1 win.

Jaime Villarreal bagged a brace while Cameron Iwasa, Tucker Bone and Dariusz Formella all finding the back of the net with the Polish playmaker netting his strike from the penalty spot.

Wednesday night's fixture against Oakland Roots SC in Sacramento is set to kickoff at 8:00 p.m. PT inside Heart Health Park and will be broadcast live on ESPN+, KQCA My58 and Estrella TV.

Check out the Sacramento Republic FC Statistics

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