USL Sacramento Republic FC

Match Preview: Republic FC vs. Tacoma Defiance

Published on August 13, 2020 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Sacramento Republic FC News Release


The Indomitable Club return home to Papa Murphy's Park and will look to claim all three points against Defiance after a 3-3 draw at home against the Pacific Northwest club on July 13

At a Glance: #SACvTAC

Saturday, August 15

8:00 p.m. PT kickoff

Papa Murphy's Park, Sacramento, California

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 (3-1-3, 12 pts) downed regional rival Reno 1868 FC 1-0 on Wednesday night in Nevada by way of a Villyan Bijev penalty kick strike on the cusp of halftime.

The win was the second straight road victory for the boys in Old Glory Red and the third straight shutout on the season. Republic FC is now one of only three teams in the entire USL Championship that has collected four clean sheets in 2020. Goalkeeper Rafael Diaz has manned the net for the last three straight and has helped to assert Sacramento's defense as one of the league's most stout units, having surrendered the seventh-fewest goals in the USL with five from seven fixtures.

Offensively, Mark Briggs' men continue to create plenty of scoring chances as winger Sam Werner's team-high 16 is currently third in the Western Conference and fifth in the entire league. Werner did well to set up a chance for Kharlton Belmar against Reno in the first half, but Belmar's header drifted just wide. Werner also leads the team with 38 crosses on the season - third most in the Championship.

After starting against Reno 1868 FC, Cameron Iwasa is now on 99 career starts and could hit the 100-career milestone with the Indomitable Club this weekend. The Sacramento native is currently four behind Emrah Klimenta's 103 career starts which is still the most in club history. Iwasa is also just one goal away from hitting 50 career goals during USL play and has three goals in his career against Tacoma.

What about the visitors?

Tacoma Defiance (2-3-1, 7 pts) has turned heads around the league by storming out of the gates since the restart of the regular season with just one loss from four matches after opening the year with two consecutive home defeats.

Head Coach Chris Little has his side playing an attractive and attacking style of play - being the team that's accounted for 60% of the goals scored against SRFC this season. After Defiance left Sacramento with one point in the standings, Defiance defeated Timbers 2 at home 3-0 and just over two weeks later, Tacoma traveled to Portland and thumped T2 4-0. Alec Diaz has scored three of his team-leading four goals against T2 while the other was in the opening minute against Republic FC.

In Tacoma's most recent match, Defiance were downed by 1868 FC in Reno on August 8 with Danny Robles scoring his sides' lone strike. It was the first time since the restart of the regular season that the Pacific Northwest club was held to just one goal and Defiance has found the back of the net in every game this season and has bagged the second most goals in the Western Conference with 10.

Head-to-Head

Saturday marks the second of four regular season meetings between the two Group A rivals with the first of which playing out to a 3-3 draw on July 13 in Sacramento.

Alec Diaz lifted Tacoma to a 1-0 lead in the opening minute before Dariusz Formella scored his first career penalty kick with the Indomitable Club in the 8thminute. A quarter of an hour later, Rodrigo Lopez whipped in a corner kick that found the head of defender Tomas Hilliard-Arce who buried his first career goal with Sacramento and double the hosts lead. Before the break, Formella bagged his first career brace - a goal that was nominated for Week 4 Goal of the Week - and helped to earn the Polish playmaker his first career USL Team of the Week selection.

Tacoma netted twice in the second half by way of Jesse Daley and Ray Serrano to level the match at three and ultimately share the spoils with SRFC. In nine meetings in the California Capital, Republic FC has never lost to Defiance and has outscored the visitors 21-to-4 all-time in Sacramento.

Overall: 11-2-2 (GF: 31; GA: 14)

Home: 8-0-1

Away: 3-2-1

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.

Check out the Sacramento Republic FC Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



United Soccer League Championship Stories from August 13, 2020


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