The 2022 USL Championship season is finally here. Ahead of Republic FC’s home opener, get to know the squad that will visit Heart Health Park to open the season and kick off Sacramento’s ninth USL Championship campaign.
Offseason Recap
A flurry of additions replaced some notable departures for the club this offseason. Most notably, the West Texas club acquired goalkeeper Evan Newton (who was with Sacramento in 2016 & 2017) from Vancouver Whitecaps FC, giving the side a more than adequate replacement for Logan Ketterer, who jumped to Major League Soccer with CF Montreal, between the sticks. They also added striker Christiano Francois, deepening an attacking core that finished sixth in scoring last season, and poached midfielder Eric Calvillo from 2021 Final winner Orange County SC to replace Nick Ross.
A few of El Paso’s players were rewarded for excellent play in 2021. During the offseason, midfielder Diego Luna made his name far more significant in the U.S. Soccer landscape – playing his way onto the U-20 Men’s National Team. Eyes will be on him all season long, especially after he became the first El Paso player to earn All-League honors at just 18 years of age.
At the top of the first team squad sits a new manager. John Hutchison – formerly the lead man at Tacoma Defiance – will be tasked with maintaining the excellence that the club has showcased consistently in their first three seasons. With a strong roster behind him, they should remain a potent squad in the Western Conference.
Preseason Action
The club has taken a few defeats this preseason as they get ready, falling to Louisville and New Mexico at the tail end of February. However, they rebounded this past weekend in their final tune-up by putting down seven goals on San Antonio FC. Much like Sacramento, they’ve needed time to get a number of new additions to their squad acquainted, but if Saturday’s result is any indication, they’re as close to ready as they’ve been all year long.
Head-to-Head
El Paso has taken on the Boys in Old Glory Red four times since entering USL play, taking a victory in each contest. Most recently, the pair met last August, when Locomotive FC shut out Sacramento in a 2-0 result at home.
Saturday will be the two clubs’ first meeting in the River City since a September 2019 heartbreaker for Republic FC that saw El Paso take three points with a 91st minute stoppage time score.
