USL San Diego Loyal

SD Loyal Back on the Road for the First Time in 27 Days

August 28, 2021 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
San Diego Loyal News Release


On Saturday, Aug. 28, San Diego Loyal looks to get back on the winning track in the Week 19 match slated to be broadcasted on Yurview (Cox 4) and be streamed on Yurview and ESPN+. It will also be broadcasted on Azteca America 33 in Spanish.

WHO:

- SD Loyal

- Sacramento Republic

WHEN:

Saturday, Aug. 28

8 p.m. PT

WHERE:

Heart Health Park

1600 Exposition Blvd.

Sacramento, CA 95815

MATCH PREVIEW:

San Diego Loyal SC manager Landon Donovan speaks often on how he measures his team by its performance and not always the results. He, of course, cares about results but the way his team plays is an important part of the process and his system. There have been several instances in which SD Loyal has outplayed its opponent and been the better team on the pitch but it wasn't reflected on the scoreboard. Last week against Orange County SC was one of those scenarios. SD Loyal took a 1-0 lead and gave up a pair of second half goals on its way to a loss at Torero Stadium. It was a moment Donovan said his team needs to forget but also learn from.

Donovan's team has a shot at redeeming the loss at home with a road match at Sacramento Republic. It is an opportunity for SD Loyal to continue to be productive and play a fluid brand of soccer and find a way to score more goals and finish games.

After all, SD Loyal has been productive at midfield, often controlling the pace of the game and creating scoring chances. Midfielder Miguel Ibarra has been a bright spot for SD Loyal. He helped set up a pair of goals with two assists and even found the net himself in a 5-1 win against Las Vegas Lights. The performance earned him a spot on the USL Championship Team Of The Week for Week 18.

"We have to keep going," Donovan said. "I can't look at (last week vs. Orange County) and say we did much wrong. I can't fault our team for other than two moments in that game. We were great otherwise. Our guys are not trying to not score. They are doing the right things. Not many teams in this league play that way and look like that. I know it's frustrating for everybody, for our team but I can live with it. We are on the road to being really good."

SD Loyal added a couple of pieces that can possibly help get there quicker. The club added help for its attack in signing strikers Augustine Williams and Douglas Martinez. Both forwards come in on loan from Major League Soccer sides (LA Galaxy) and (Real Salt Lake). They are both expected to boost SD Loyal's chances of converting those scoring chances.

Donovan's team might need to do so against a Sacramento Republic team that is coming off a stifling defensive effort and is on an unbeaten streak.

Sacramento Republic has not lost in seven matches. It comes into this Pacific Division affair with a 3-0-4 record in that span. It comes in as the fifth place team with 22 points, behind SD Loyal. The last time Sacramento saw a defeat was July 10 when it lost to Orange County SC 2-0 in Irvine, Calif. Sacramento is riding this unbeaten streak that includes a scoreless draw against first place side Phoenix Rising FC last weekend. It was the first time Phoenix Rising was shutout this season, ending a 32-game scoring streak for the team of the desert. Sacramento is coming off what was probably its most complete match of the 2021 USL Championship season.

Coach Mark Briggs' side was able to contain a stout Phoenix attack with a solid defensive effort. It held an explosive Phoenix attack to just one shot in the second half. Sacramento's midfield and back line cracked down on an upstart Phoenix offense, finishing the night with four blocked shots and keeping half of Phoenix's scoring chances to long range. Sacramento also cut Phoenix's open play cross tally to three in the second half.

The defensive performance not only secured Republic FC its fourth clean sheet of the season, but it also marked the first time that Phoenix has been held scoreless all year. Rising FC had scored in 32 consecutive matches dating back to July 2020 and had been shut out just twice dating back to 2019 across 59 regular season matches.

"We know how they play," said SD Loyal captain Charlie Adams. "They are going to be very vertical, they are going to be very nasty, they're going to tackle, they're going to be very direct to the front man. We have to set up our game plan so we can go there and play the way we want to play and win the game."

Check out the San Diego Loyal Statistics



United Soccer League Championship Stories from August 28, 2021


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