USL Sacramento Republic FC

Match Preview: Sacramento Republic FC vs FC Cincinnati

Published on March 4, 2017 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Sacramento Republic FC News Release


Sacramento Republic FC host FC Cincinnati in a preseason friendly match on Saturday, Mar. 4. Kickoff is 5:30 p.m. PT at Bonney Field. Gates open at 4 p.m. The match, presented by UC Davis Health, will be streamed live on YouTube.com/SacRepublicFC. Tickets are available for the match at Ticketmaster.com. Walkup sales will also be available starting at 4 p.m. at the Bonney Field Box Office located at the Green Gate. The match is included in the 2017 Season Ticket Package.

This match will be the first time that the two sides have met in any competition due to the scheduling and conference alignment in the USL. The match will be competitive, as in 2016 Republic FC finished on top of the Western Conference with a record of 14-6-10 and FC Cincinnati finished third in the Eastern Conference with a record of 16-6-8.

Republic FC enter the match with a 2-1-1 record in preseason play after their scoreless draw against Sacramento State Men's Soccer on Wednesday, Mar. 1. The match featured a young Republic FC side, including five Academy players, going up against a very motivated college team. Republic FC dominated both the possession and the better chances on goal, but were unable to pull off the victory, settling for a draw.

Newly acquired forward Sammy Ochoa has led the way for Republic FC, scoring five goals in three preseason appearances, two of which were assisted by Republic FC's preseason assist leader James Kiffe. Wilson Kneeshaw, Enrique Montano, Gabe Gissie (2), Daniel Trickett-Smith and Christian Chaney have also gotten on the scoreboard this preseason.

Saturday's match will be the first in front of a home crowd for Republic FC's new faces this season. Ochoa, along with Montano, Lamin Suma, Adam Moffat, Tyler Blackwood and Trevin Caesar will all make their first home appearances for Republic FC, while Gissie will make his return to Bonney Field after spending last season with Bethlehem Steel FC. Republic FC will also be joined on Saturday by Chelsea FC defender Alex Davey who is currently training with the club.

FC Cincinnati joined the USL in 2016, breaking onto the scene with great success both on the field and in the stands, mirroring what Republic FC did in their inaugural year. FC Cincinnati broke many of Republic FC's attendance records as they held their matches at the 40,000-seat Nippert Stadium on the campus of the University of Cincinnati. FC Cincinnati come into the match after spending time in Florida at the IMG Academy where they trained and played preseason matches against USL and MLS opponents.

Forward Djiby Fall has led FC Cincinnati so far with two goals and an assist to his name this preseason. Daryl Fordyce, Austin Berry and Kenny Walker have all added goals, with Jimmy McLaughlin, Paul Nicholson and Tyler Polak all recording assists.

The match will also be the return of defender Harrison Delbridge to Sacramento. Delbridge was a member of Republic FC's 2014 USL Championship team. The defender appeared in 22 matches for Republic FC in 2014, scoring a goal and adding an assist in all competitions. This will be the first time that Delbridge has played in Sacramento since visiting the Capital City in 2015 as a member of Portland Timbers 2.

The match will be streamed live at YouTube.com/SacRepublicFC. Gates at Bonney Field open at 4 p.m. with kickoff at 5:30 p.m. Updates of the match will be provided via Twitter @SacRepublicFC or using #SACvCIN. Tickets are available for the match at Ticketmaster.com. Walkup sales will also be available starting at 4 p.m. at the Bonney Field Box Office located at the Green Gate.

Check out the Sacramento Republic FC Statistics

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



United Soccer League Championship Stories from March 4, 2017


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