Sports stats

USL Sacramento Republic FC

Match Preview: Republic FC V San Diego Loyal SC

July 2, 2021 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Sacramento Republic FC News Release


After battling against Phoenix Rising FC last Saturday night in front of a full house, the Indomitable Club is headed south to San Diego to take on Loyal SC on Saturday afternoon.

The match is the USL Championship's ESPN Game of the Week and kickoff is set for 4 p.m. PT, broadcast nationally on ESPN2.

San Diego and Sacramento have only tussled once previously, but Saturday night's showdown will be the first of four regular season fixtures in 2021.

At a Glance: #SDvSAC

Saturday, July 3

4:00 p.m. PT kickoff

Torero Stadium, San Diego, California

How to Watch: ESPN2

What's the latest on the team?

A resilient Republic FC (2-5-1, 7 points) side fell just short last Saturday night at Heart Health Park against Phoenix Rising FC, 2-1, while having to play much of the match down a man.

Even though the squad was trailing by two late in the match, Mark Briggs' men never threw in the towel and fought until the final whistle.

Pete Pennanen whipped in a dangerous corner kick that defender Dan Casey drove past the visiting goalkeeper to cut the deficit in half. The goal was Casey's first with the Indomitable Club and the assist was the first of Pennanen's career in Sacramento.

Saturday's match marks what will be the first of a four-game slate that spans just a dozen days for SRFC.

What about the hosts?

San Diego (5-4-2, 17 points) started the season slowly but has since found its form after four consecutive defeats.

Since those losses, Loyal SC is unbeaten including four straight victories. After rattling off three consecutive victories by a 2-1 score line, SD most recently blanked Oakland Roots SC in SoCal, 1-0, with Miguel Ibarra's second half strike ultimately proving to be the difference.

The shutout against Oakland was San Diego's first clean sheet of the 2021 campaign. Over the course of the season thus far, Loyal SC has surrendered 17 goals which is the third-most goals allowed in the Western Conference.

Offensively, SD's 15 goals scored is the fourth-most in the conference with Jack Blake leading the charge with four goals to his name.

Head-to-Head

Last season was the first and only time San Diego and Sacramento have clashed in a USL Championship contest and the match ended nil-nil in Southern California.

Both teams' goalkeepers came up big on the night, as the fixture was the first of 11 starts for Rafael Diaz during last year's league campaign, including the postseason. The scoreless draw was the first of four clean sheets Diaz would don during the 2021 regular season. He finished the night with two pivotal saves.

Against a club coached by former USMNT legend Landon Donovan, Sacramento's defensive unit managed to prevent SD from firing a single shot in the first 35 minutes of the game.

Overall (USL regular season & playoffs): 0-0-1

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

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

Check out the Sacramento Republic FC Statistics



United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 2, 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.

Other Recent Sacramento Republic FC Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central