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USL Sacramento Republic FC

Know Your Opponent: Oakland Roots SC

June 16, 2021 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Sacramento Republic FC News Release


Saturday is a historic day for Sacramento Republic FC when Mark Briggs' men visit Oakland Roots SC for the inaugural USL Championship match for the East Bay club on its home turf.

The fellow Pacific Division foes have already met once - a riveting 3-3 draw that saw SRFC storm back from a goal down on two separate occasions - and this weekend's bout will be the second of four regular season meetings in 2021.

Come Saturday's kickoff, it will have been over a week since Mark Briggs' men last took the pitch for a competitive match and they'll be itching to go in hopes of securing three points on the road.

Key Moves

Before the season, Roots SC made sure to bring plenty of USL Championship experience to town.

Some of the notable names included midfielders Lindo Mfeka, Wal Fall and Saalih Muhammad, goalkeeper Zeus De La Paz - who recently was called-up by Curacao for the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers First and Second Round - and former Republic FC striker Tyler Blackwood who netted seven career strikes during his time with Sacramento.

On June 5, Roots SC added another name that fans of the Indomitable Club will be very familiar with by signing veteran defender Emrah Klimenta. In his USL career, Klimenta has logged over 100 appearances and was an integral part of SRFC's 2014 title-winning team.

Oakland also added another experienced defender with over 100 career league appearances under its belt when the club signed Kai Greene on May 31. Greene has previously played for Rio Grande Valley FC Toros and San Antonio FC.

Oakland This Season

Through its first four games, Roots SC has already logged its first-ever win in USL Championship play but currently sit in seventh place in the Pacific Division.

The match was a back-and-forth battle against LA Galaxy II in Southern California with Oakland returning to NorCal with a 3-2 win. After falling behind twice during the match, Roots SC kept fighting back and ultimately found the game-winner in stoppage time by way of Jeremy Bokila.

Prior to the win, Oakland started the season with a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Rising FC in Phoenix. In the game that followed the victory, Roots SC and Sacramento shared the spoils following the 3-3 result.

Since the draw against the Indomitable Club, Oakland recently was handed a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Orange County SC on June 12.

Head-to-Head

Sacramento and Oakland have only met once before but by the end of the regular season, the two Northern California neighbors will have met a total of four times - twice home and twice away.

In 2020, the two clubs were slated to meet in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup before the competition was canceled due to the pandemic.

Prior to the start of the 2021 USL Championship campaign, Roots SC traveled to Sacramento and was handed a 5-1 loss during a closed-door friendly. Goals for the boys in Old Glory Red came by way of Cameron Iwasa, Tucker Bone, Dariusz Formella and Jaime Villarreal bagging a brace in the tune-up test against the East Bay club.

Last Time They Met

It was the first-ever competitive meeting between the two clubs and what a memorable match it was.

After Dariusz Formella opened the scoring in the first half, Oakland responded with a pair of goals through Jesus Enriquez and Ariel Mbumba before the break.

Cameron Iwasa leveled the match at the hour mark but six minutes later, Roots SC took a 3-2 lead when Jeremy Bokila broke the deadlock. Sacramento's Jordan McCrary netted the equalizer just two minutes later to ensure both clubs would earn a point in the Pacific Division standings.

Saturday's showdown in Oakland against Roots SC is set to kickoff at 5:30 p.m. PT and will be broadcast live on ESPN+, KQCA My58 and Estrella TV.

Check out the Sacramento Republic FC Statistics



United Soccer League Championship Stories from June 16, 2021


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