SACRAMENTO – At the conclusion of the USL Championship regular season on October 15, the top seven teams in the western conference will advance into the single-elimination playoffs. Sacramento Republic FC currently sits in seventh place. Only one point separates the boys in old glory red from being above the line in sixth place or below the line in either eighth or ninth place. The pressure is on.
Sacramento has lost two of its last three matches and hasn’t won since June 25. The next three matches present significant challenges: a road match vs Phoenix Rising on July 23; a road match all the way east in Charleston on July 30; and then a midweek road match just a few days later on August 3 in New Mexico. The club doesn’t return home to Heart Health Park until Saturday, August 6 vs. Rio Grande Valley. Odds favor going 2-2 during this stretch, and while that may seem reasonable, only one thing is true when you’re riding the line: it’s not enough that you win, everyone else must lose.
Meanwhile, Sacramento looks to continue its historic US Open Cup run. The club faces MLS side Sporting Kansas City in the semifinal round on July 27. That match will be played at Heart Health Park, and it’s already sold out. Having defeated the MLS side San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders and Los Angeles Galaxy already, the club should be confident in their ability to compete.
Of course, not winning in nearly one month raises questions and concerns. The short turn-around time between matches raises the likelihood of fatigue, the risk of yellow card accumulation, and the very real possibility that the club could return home having fallen below the line. Given the proven talent and many incredible results, surviving this midsummer stretch will take focus, discipline, and care. It can be done.
The rest of the month of August doesn’t really get any easier. With four more matches split between home and road, the same challenges exist. The club will face Monterey on the road in what oddsmakers would say is a match they should win on August 13, but then they come home to face Colorado Springs just four days later in a match that will likely be much more difficult. They travel to Las Vegas for a match just three days after that; again, one they should win. However, they finish the month one week later at home against a dangerous rival Oakland Roots club that has presented challenges in the past.
Amid triple digit heat in a drought-plagued region where fire danger remains high, and with another COVID pandemic wave extending the health emergency now further complicated by monkeypox and avian flu, health, hydration, and rest remain critical. No one ever said the road to the playoffs was easy, let alone the road to a championship, of which Republic proudly has one star on their kits already. In order to compete for a second star is really going to take something special though, and the only way forward is to win.
Sacramento’s next match is July 23 at Phoenix Rising FC. The match will be played at Phoenix Rising Stadium at Wild Horse Pass at 7:30 PM. The club returns home to host MLS side Sporting Kansas City in the semifinal round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup on Wednesday, July 27 at 7:30 PM. Within league play, Republic FC won’t return to host a USL opponent until Saturday, August 6, when they host Rio Grande Valley FC at Heart Health Park at 8:00 PM. Broadcast details are pending.
Ahsan Awan has been covering sports for over a decade, and has been covering professional soccer, including USL and Sacramento Republic FC, since their debut in 2014. All images taken by Ahsan Awan for American Presswire and ©2022 Ahsan Awan for American Presswire subject to unlimited use under license unless otherwise noted. He can be found on Twitter as @quackarazzi and on Instagram as @quackarazzi.