A Western Conference classic is on the docket this Saturday, as Republic FC heads to Southern California to take on Orange County SC.
Overview: OC v SAC
- Date: Saturday, April 12
- Time: Kickoff at 7:00 p.m. PT
- Venue: Championship Soccer Stadium (Irvine, California)
- Watch: Antenna TV 40.2
- Stream: FOX40.com, ESPN+
Know Your Club – Republic FC
Last weekend, the Indomitable Club went toe-to-toe with the defending regular season champions, Louisville City FC. Republic FC’s game plan was on display from the opening minute, setting up a high press to control the majority of the possession and only allow LouCity six touches in its offensive box in the first half. The pressure paid dividends in the 69th minute when Sebastian Herrera pounced on a bad touch by the Louisville keeper, forcing him to make another mistake that setup Cristian Parano for a long-distance chip shot that earned a Goal of the Week nomination.
Freddy Kleemann earned a second consecutive Team of the Week selection after posting a game-best 13 clearances, as well as winning 10 of 13 duels. Jared Timmer impressed in his first appearance of the season with three clearances and two duels won, while Michel Benitez continued to put out one of the highest work rates on the squad with 20 final third entries, eight duels won, and seven clearances. Along with Danny Vitiello’s three saves, the Indomitable Club held LouCity – who recorded the second-highest scoring season just last year – scoreless through 97 minutes, but an unlucky clearance led to a fortunate bounce for an equalizer in the final moments of the match.
“I thought it was a top game,” said Head Coach Neill Collins following the match. “I’m really pleased with how we executed our game plan, and I thought I would be standing here with three points, but I’m not going to let that take away from the performance that the players put in. If we keep doing the things we’ve done in the first four games, we’re going to pick up a lot of points.”
Know Your Opponent – Orange County SC
Orange County is coming into Saturday’s contest looking to rebound from back-to-back losses. Last weekend, they were held scoreless for the second time this season in a 1-0 defeat in Las Vegas. Their night played out much like Republic FC’s Saturday contest. Orange County looked like the more dangerous team throughout the match, and more than doubled the Lights’ touches in the opponent’s box, but they too conceded in stoppage time to come away with a different result than expected. In what was likely the final play of the game, Vegas pushed the ball forward and forced a foot race between forward Nighte Pickering and OC keeper Colin Shutler. In the end, it was Pickering who got to the ball first for a chip over Shutler for the game-winner.
Through its first four matches, OC has seen goal contributions from eight players with defender Ryan Doghman leading the way with a goal and an assist apiece. Chris Hegardt has been one of the team’s most consistent players so far, leading with three shots on target and seven chances created.
Head-to-Head
No opponent is more familiar to Republic FC than Orange County SC. Since 2014, the two California clubs have faced off in the regular season 27 times, making it the third-most contested series in USL Championship history. Sacramento holds an all-time record of 11 wins, 10 losses, and six draws with a 4-4-5 record on the road.
The last time they faced off at Championship Soccer Stadium, the Indomitable Club made history en route to a 2-0 victory. Just 15 seconds into the match, Rodrigo Lopez set up Trevor Amann for the fastest goal in club history, and in the 24th minute Aldair Sanchez netted his first career goal.
