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USL Sacramento Republic FC

Preview: Republic FC vs. Orange County SC

September 8, 2020 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Sacramento Republic FC News Release


Republic FC (6-1-3, 21 pts) have registered five wins from the last five matches including a dramatic 2-1 win in Portland over Timbers 2 last Wednesday afternoon.

In the dying moments of the match with the game level at 0-0, Republic FC Academy product Mario Penagos beat the T2 goalkeeper to lift his side to a late advantage. Portland was quick to respond and leveled the game five minutes later.

But the boys in Old Glory Red were far from finished and with the very last kick of the game Julian Chavez - also a product of the SRFC Academy pipeline - danced around his defender and nestled a left-footed effort just inside the near post to guarantee all three points were headed back to Sacramento with Mark Briggs' men.

With the win, the Indomitable Club remains hot on Reno 1868 FC's tail for the top spot in Group A. Through 10 games Reno has 24 points while Republic FC has 21 points from 10 fixtures as well.

If the boys in Old Glory Red can bag a win against Orange County on Wednesday, it will be the sixth straight victory for the squad and will match the club's longest winning streak during regular season play - a feat that hasn't be matched since the inaugural campaign in 2014.

Republic FC boast one of the best defenses in the league and is just one of only four teams in the Western Conference that have recorded four or more clean sheets. On the year, the Indomitable Club have allowed the second-fewest in the west alongside Wednesday's opponent - OCSC.

What about the visitors?

Orange County SC (5-2-3, 18 pts) is fresh off just the club's second loss of the season - a 2-1 defeat at the hands of LA Galaxy II on Saturday night that ended OC's two game unbeaten run.

The SoCal side currently sits in third place in the extremely competitive Group B but are level on points with second place Los Dos with 18 points from 10 matches. Prior to Saturday's loss, OCSC was victorious over LA 2-1 in Irvine last Wednesday with Sean Okoli bagging a brace to solidify the win.

To open the season, OCSC went on a six-game unbeaten run including recording four clean sheets. During the run, the Southern California club didn't allow a single goal for 316 consecutive minutes.

Orange County's strength is in the backline, having conceded just eight goals all season and the club's five clean sheets in 2020 rank tied for third most in the entire USL Championship.

Head-to-Head

Republic FC and Orange County have played out some memorable matches with fantastic finishes, but the Indomitable Club has a slight advantage in the all-time series during regular season play with eight wins from 16 encounters. However, in the only postseason meeting between the two California clubs, OCSC prevailed 1-0 in Sacramento back in 2016.

The boys in Old Glory Red swept the two-game regular season series in 2018 - both of which were 1-0 score lines - but Orange County earned a dramatic 3-2 win in Sacramento the last time these two clubs clashed. During SRFC's heated playoff push in mid-October, Cameron Iwasa put his side ahead 1-0 before Orange County netted two unanswered scores. Another goal from Iwasa leveled the match at 2-2 before OCSC's Orozco bagged the game-winner in the 78th minute.

Orange County signed former Republic FC forward Thomas Enevoldsen this offseason but the Danish striker will not be making a return to Sacramento this week as the forward recently joined Hobro IK on-loan for the remainder of the season.

Overall (USL Championship Regular Season): 8-5-3

Home: 5-3-0 (GF: 14, GA: 9)

Away: 3-2-3 (GF: 13, 9)

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.

Wednesday, September 9

7:30 p.m. PT kickoff

Papa Murphy's Park, Sacramento, California

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

Check out the Sacramento Republic FC Statistics



United Soccer League Championship Stories from September 8, 2020


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