Three Takeaways from #SACvPHX
Published on June 28, 2021 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Sacramento Republic FC News Release
The boys in Old Glory Red finally returned to Heart Health Park on Saturday night with over 7,000 boisterous fans in the stands.
The evening fixture against Phoenix Rising FC - the second of four regular season showdowns during the 2021 USL Championship campaign - ended in favor of the visitors, 2-1, with defender Dan Casey finding the back of the net for the Indomitable Club in the second half.
The game was SRFC's first contest in over two weeks.
Even though Mark Briggs' men were hoping to secure all three points at home, there were still a number of positives to reflect on following the game between fellow Pacific Division foes.
Fight Until The Final Whistle
Just because the boys in Old Glory Red played the match down a man for nearly a full hour did not mean they were going to surrender on Saturday night.
Not only was Sacramento playing with just 10-men, but a two-goal deficit didn't force the resilient Republic FC side from folding. In the 72ndminute, a strike from a Republic FC defender cut the deficit in half and until the match officially came to a close, the Indomitable Club never quit.
In the closing moments, SRFC continued pushing forward but despite logging double-digit shots on the night the attack the squad fell just short of finding that late leveler.
Firsts for Pennanen and Casey
A pair of Republic FC players who signed with Sacramento this recent offseason found their names on the scoresheet for the first time in their Indomitable Club career.
Directly from a corner kick late in the match, Pete Pennanen whipped a dangerous ball into the box that found its way to Dan Casey rising above the visiting defenders. The SRFC centerback steered his header down towards the pitch and the ball took a bounce before making its way by Phoenix's goalkeeper to cut the deficit at half.
The goal was Casey's first with Sacramento and the assist was also Pennanen's first since joining the boys in Old Glory Red.
Both GKs Keep SRFC In Contention
Rafael Diaz started the match - his first start of the year and first since returning from national team duty with the Dominican Republic for World Cup Qualifiers - and came up with a massive stop early in the encounter.
The save was Rafa's lone stop of the night before exiting the match just before the halftime break. In stepped Tomas Gomez who made his eighth appearance for the Indomitable Club since signing this offseason.
Gomez finished the fixture with four saves to his name, raising his season-long tally to 23 stops this campaign.
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