Sports stats



USL Sacramento Republic FC

Know Your Opponent: Orange County SC

June 4, 2021 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Sacramento Republic FC News Release


The Indomitable Club welcome the SoCal club to Sacramento for a Saturday night showdown

Republic FC's first-ever game against Oakland Roots SC was action-packed from start to finish en route to a 3-3 thriller at Heart Health Park on Wednesday night.

The offense erupted with 15 scoring chances created and twice on the night did the Indomitable Club overcome a deficit and managed to earn a point in the standings.

In just two days, Mark Briggs' men will be looking to claim all three points and play the third match of its current three-game homestand when Orange County SC come to town on Saturday night.

Key Moves

Former Republic FC striker Thomas Enevoldsen returned to Orange County this offseason and in the first match between the two California clubs on May 22, the Danish forward assisted the game-winning goal.

The player who Enevoldsen set up to seal the 1-0 result against SRFC was also another newcomer - Christopher Wehan - whose first half strike was ultimately the difference in the first meeting between the two clubs. Wehan, a southern California native, joined OCSC this offseason after being a staple in New Mexico United's lineup.

Unfortunately for Orange County, one of its top acquisitions from this offseason has already been declared done for the season. Former SRFC forward Adam Jahn will miss the remainder of the campaign after sustaining a non-contact knee injury.

The loss of a top player due to injury means its next man up in Orange County and the SoCal club has plenty of firepower in the form of Ronaldo Damus - the 2019 USL League One Golden Boot winner - as well as the towering Finnish forward standing 6-foot-5, Eero Markkanen. Markannen has already found the back of the net once this season.

Orange County This Season

From three matches this season, Orange County SC has logged just one win - the 1-0 victory over Republic FC at home on May 22.

The SoCal club started the season in Tacoma and suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Defiance. Despite outshooting the hosts, an Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez strike in the first half was all it took for the Pacific Northwest side to snag all three points.

One week after downing SRFC, Orange County and LA Galaxy II played out a seven-goal thriller with Los Dos prevailing, 4-3. OCSC fell behind 2-0 before Chris Wehan cut the deficit in half. Jorge Hernandez eventually nabbed two more goals for LAG II to cancel out strikes from Eero Markkanen and Mikko Kuningas.

Head-to-Head

When the two clubs clash in Sacramento, Republic FC has the upper hand with six wins from 11 meetings during league play.

Of the last four times Orange County has played the Indomitable Club in the California capital, SRFC has claimed all three points in three of them.

The last time OCSC visited Sacramento, the boys in Old Glory Red earned a riveting come-from-behind 2-1 victory despite playing the majority of the second half down a man. Striker Sean Okoli opened the scoring for the visitors in the fifth minute before Dariusz Formella and Villyan Bijev found the back of the net late in the second half to stun Orange County.

Last Time They Met

On May 22, Republic FC traveled to Championship Soccer Stadium in Irvine and were dealt a 1-0 loss at the hands of Orange County.

Thomas Enevoldsen picked out Chris Wehan who bagged the game's lone goal just over the half hour mark.

The match was the first of four regular season clashes between the two California clubs during the 2021 USL Championship regular season and Saturday's game will be the first of two meetings between the two in Sacramento.

Saturday's showdown against Orange County SC at Heart Health Park 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



United Soccer League Championship Stories from June 4, 2021


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central