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USL Sacramento Republic FC

Know Your Opponent: Oakland Roots SC

July 5, 2021 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Sacramento Republic FC News Release


The Indomitable Club claimed a point on the road on Saturday in San Diego and will look to keep the momentum going for a midweek matchup against Oakland Roots SC.

Mark Briggs' men fell behind to Loyal SC before defender Mitchell Taintor bagged an equalizer at the death to secure a point in the Pacific Division standings.

The boys in Old Glory Red will be looking to grab all three points this Wednesday night against its Northern California neighbor at Heart Health Park with kickoff set for 8 p.m. PT. Tickets are available for the two-game homestand and supporters can purchase single-match tickets here.

Key Moves

As the 2021 USL Championship season continues to roll along, Oakland Roots SC continues to make additions to its squad.

Roots SC signed veteran forward Brandon Allen who recently played for Memphis 901 FC where the polished professional netted a dozen goals in 42 appearances with the club from Tennessee. Allen has over 100 career appearances in USL play.

Oakland also recently acquired goalkeeper Paul Blanchette from Rio Grande Valley FC Toros. During Blanchette's time in Texas, the shot-stopper - who grew up in Palo Alto - made ten appearances for RGVFC.

On June 5, signed veteran defender Emrah Klimenta who previously played for the Indomitable Club and over his decorated USL career, Klimenta has made over 100 appearances. Another experienced defender Roots SC added with over 100 career league appearances under its belt was Kai Greene who joined the club on May 31.

Oakland This Season

Through six games this season, Roots SC currently sits in eighth place in the Pacific Division with one win on the campaign thus far.

Defensively, Oakland is becoming one of the tougher teams in the league to break down - having surrendered just two goals over its last three matches. After being dealt a 1-0 loss at the hands of Orange County SC in Southern California, Roots SC and Austin Bold played to a nil-nil draw on June 26.

Three days later, Oakland returned to SoCal only to fall 1-0 to San Diego Loyal SC. A Miguel Ibarra strike in the second half ultimately proved to be the difference in SD.

Following Wednesday's game against Sacramento, Roots SC have three consecutive home matches scheduled over a seven-day span.

Head-to-Head

Just once have Sacramento and Oakland gone head-to-head and that 3-3 match was certainly a memorable one.

The two clubs were scheduled to meet again in Oakland earlier this season, but the fixture was postponed.

Republic FC and Oakland Roots SC are scheduled to play a total of four times over the course of the 2021 regular season - twice home and twice away.

In 2020, the two clubs were scheduled to clash in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup before the competition was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before the start of the 2021 USL Championship regular season, Roots SC visited Sacramento and was dealt a 5-1 loss during a closed-door friendly. Cameron Iwasa, Tucker Bone, Dariusz Formella and Jaime Villarreal bagged a brace for the boys in Old Glory Red against the East Bay club.

Last Time They Met

A six-goal thriller on June 2 was a match most Republic FC fans will find hard to forget.

SRFC opened the scoring by way of Dariusz Formella before Oakland answered back with two strikes through Jesus Enriquez and Ariel Mbumba before the halftime whistle.

Sacramento striker Cameron Iwasa equalized at the hour mark, but Roots SC responded six minutes later and took a 3-2 lead when Jeremy Bokila found the back of the net. The Indomitable Club's Jordan McCrary leveled just two minutes later to seal the comeback and ensure Sacramento was securing a point in the Pacific Division standings.

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

Check out the Sacramento Republic FC Statistics



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