USL Sacramento Republic FC

Match Preview: Republic FC V Las Vegas Lights FC

May 10, 2021 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Sacramento Republic FC News Release


The boys in Old Glory Red return to Sacramento for the second game of the USL Championship regular season when Republic FC welcomes Las Vegas Lights FC to Heart Health Park on Wednesday night.

Mark Briggs' men opened the 2021 campaign with a 1-0 win on the road over LA Galaxy II but the attention has shifted to SRFC's midweek opponent.

At a Glance: #SACvLV

Wednesday, May 12

7:30 p.m. PT kickoff

Heart Health Park, Sacramento, Calif.

How to Watch: KQCA My58, Estrella TV Sacramento (Spanish,) ESPN+ (digital)

What's the latest on the team?

The Indomitable Club kicked off the new season on a high note with a 1-0 win in southern California over LA Galaxy II on April 30.

Newly acquired Tucker Bone bagged the game-winner in the 82nd minute when the midfielder delivered a well-struck ball into the back of the net that was set up nicely by defender Shannon Gomez who was credited with the assist.

Goalkeeper Tomas Gomez registered his first career clean sheet with the boys in Old Glory Red after his four-save performance helped to secure all three points for Sacramento to start the season.

Joining Bone and Gomez as fresh faces in the Indomitable Club's lineup were defender Dan Casey, fullback Duke Lacroix, and midfielders Fatai Alashe and Pete Pennanen all of whom made their debuts in Sacramento's starting eleven. Midfielder Luis Felipe also made his first-ever appearances for SRFC, while Mitchell Taintor returned to SRFC's starting XI for the first time since spending 2020 with San Antonio FC.

What about the visitors?

Lights FC opened the 2021 season with a 5-0 defeat at the hands of LA Galaxy II in Carson, CA.

The loss was the first for new head coach Steve Cherundolo - former defender for the USMNT and Hannover 96 in Germany. Even though his debut fixture at the helm appeared to be one-sided, his side did manage to hold Los Dos scoreless for the opening 45 minutes of the match.

Along with a new head coach, Las Vegas acquired a number of new players including a pair of midfielders that could make plenty of positive impacts this season - Daniel Crisostomo and Michael Yeboah. Crisostomo has over 40 appearances in Championship play during his career while Yeboah joins on-loan from Ghana's Accra Great Olympics where he scored four goals in 16 appearances.

Lights FC finished the 2020 season in fifth place in Group B with a 2-5-9 record. The Sin City club allowed the fifth-most goals in the entire Championship last season with 34.

Head-to-Head

Never once has Las Vegas Lights FC scored on the boys in Old Glory Red in Sacramento.

In two previous clashes in the Indomitable City, Republic FC was victorious once and took all three points during an October 2018 encounter where Cameron Iwasa netted the winning strike in the second half. The last time both Western Conference clubs met was a scoreless draw in August 2019 in Sacramento - the night Dariusz Formella made his debut for SRFC.

Wednesday's match will be just the fifth-ever meeting between the two Pacific Division clubs, but the midweek clash also be the first of four regular season fixtures over the course of the 2021 campaign.

Overall (USL regular season): 1-1-2

Home: 1-0-1 (GF: 1, GA: 0)

Away: 0-1-1 (GF: 3, GA: 5)

Viewing Locations

The second watch party of the 2021 season is all set for Republic FC's Wednesday night showdown with Las Vegas Lights FC at a number of locations around town for supporters to get together and cheer on the boys in Old Glory Red.

Reservations are strongly recommended and select locations will be offering specials to supporters wearing their Republic FC gear. All four Zocalo locations will be offering free appetizers to fans wearing their SRFC gear.

Viewing locations include all Zocalo locations (Midtown, UV, Fountains, Folsom), University of Beer, Capitol Beer and Taproom, Capitol Hop Shop, The Hop Gardens and Public House.

Check out the Sacramento Republic FC Statistics



United Soccer League Championship Stories from May 10, 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