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USL Sacramento Republic FC

Match Preview: Republic FC vs. Portland Timbers 2

August 20, 2020 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Sacramento Republic FC News Release


At a Glance: #SACvPOR

Saturday, August 22

8:00 p.m. PT kickoff

Papa Murphy's Park, Sacramento, Calif.

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

RSVP for Virtual Watch Party

What's the latest on the team?

Republic FC (4-1-3, 15 pts) picked up a third straight win on Saturday when Mark Briggs' men triumphed over Tacoma Defiance 3-1 in Sacramento.

Dariusz Formella notched his second career multi-goal game against Defiance after bagging a brace earlier this season and Cameron Iwasa scored his 50th all-time career goal in his USL Championship career. The historic strike was the Sacramento native's 48th with SRFC on the night he made his 100th career start with his hometown club.

Formella netted his first of two on the night in the 14th minute when Iwasa's shot slammed into a Defiance defender and the Polish playmaker simply steered his effort into net. Formella now has a team-best four goals this season and his performance earned him a spot on the Week 8 USL Team of the Week. Also earning the weekly honor was defender Ashkanov Apollon - the first of his career - and Iwasa was selected to the TOTW bench.

Republic FC doubled its lead when Iwasa guided home his side's second goal after Villyan Bijev selflessly dished the ball over to Cam into space and the Sacramento native nudged his 50thcareer goal by the visiting goalkeeper. Formella found his second in the 41st minute after Kharlton Belmar whipped a cross towards the back post that found Formella at the back post and after a delicate touch, Darek powered his effort into net and lift his team to a 3-0 first half advantage. Formella is now tied for fifth in the entire USL with four goals this season.

Sacramento (+4) only trails Reno (+8) in Group A on goal differential as both rivals sit on 15 total points in the standings with Tacoma trailing in third place with seven total points. Republic FC currently leads the entire league in total shots with 131 and are one of only four teams in the Championship that have recorded four clean sheets on the campaign.

What about the visitors?

Portland Timbers 2 (0-6-0, 0 pts) might still be in search of a positive result during the 2020 season but the Pacific Northwest club should not be overlooked given the firepower and young talent listed on the roster.

Pulling the strings on the offensive end are Giovanni Calixtro and Jose Carlos Anguiano with the former selected to the 2019 USL 20 Under 20 team and the latter netting six goals and recording two assists last season. This year, Calixtro leads T2 in shots with 12 while Anguiano's nine scoring chances created is a team-best and ranks 20thin the Western Conference.

Portland needs both attacking threats and the rest of the side to start finding the back of the net more frequently given Timbers 2 has surrendered the most goals in the entire USL with 23. T2 has taken the fifth-fewest shots in the west with 64 which has resulted in just four goals all season - the fewest goals scored behind only Miami FC.

In net as of late for Portland has been Jake Leeker who's racked up 11 saves on the season but still trails team-leader Hunter Sulte's 19 saves on the year which is currently tied for third in the Western Conference.

Head-to-Head

History continued its trend when Timbers 2 and Republic FC last met on August 8 with Mark Briggs' men emerging as 1-0 victors, guaranteeing both teams have never played to a draw in 12 all-time meetings.

With the exception of the first-ever match between SRFC and T2, the team that has found the back of the net first has secured all three points in the last 11 consecutive fixtures. The last time these two Group A rivals met in Sacramento, the home side secured a 1-0 win, complements of a Hayden Partain first half strike.

When Republic FC visited Portland on August 8 and departed with a 1-0 win, the match marked the first time since August 13, 2017 when the visiting team earned an away win in the series between the two Western Conference club.

Overall (USL Championship Regular Season): 7-5-0

Home: 4-1-0 (GF: 9, GA: 2)

Away: 3-4-0 (GF: 7, 5)

Pregame Show and Virtual Watch Party

Watch the match with fellow Republic FC supporters during the Virtual Watch Party simulcast during the contest. Thirty minutes before kickoff, Live from the Pitch with Connor Sutton - the club's new pregame show on Facebook - will give fans a new matchday perspective with interviews, Q&A with club insiders, and live look-ins to warm-ups.

During the match, fans can join the club's virtual watch party simulcast where they can interact with other fans, participate in games and contests, and be features in the club's match telecast while cheering for the boys in Old Glory Red. To join a watch party, fans can RSVP at SacRepublic.com/virtual-watch-parties.

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