In the recent Preview for today’s match against Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2, I talked a little about Sacramento Republic’s loan players from San Jose. Or rather, I talked about how just about everyone wants the trio of Tommy Thompson, JJ Koval, and Mark Sherrod to be with the Republic, and yet nobody is sure whether they will be with the team in Vancouver or not.
That trio being with the Republic is of the utmost importance where the push to the playoffs is concerned. As has been said from the time the loans were first announced, in order to be eligible for the USL Playoffs, a loanee has to have played in 5 regular season matches. By the time that the three players were loaned there were only 5 games left in the regular season, including today’s contest in Vancouver. If any of the trio miss today’s game, they will not be able to stay with Sacramento beyond the regular season finale against Arizona United.
That brings us to Saturday’s San Jose Earthquakes match against the Philadelphia Union, a match in which Thompson, Koval, and Sherrod all appeared on the subs bench for the Quakes. Koval and Thompson both played in that game, with Koval putting in a 51 minute shift after an injury to Victor Bernardez, and Thompson making an 8 minute cameo appearance. Sherrod did not make an appearance.
Although each of the loanees to Sacramento were in the 18 for San Jose the day before a big away match in Vancouver for the Republic, it was not wholly unexpected. On one hand, the trio were training with the Quakes all week. On the other, the Quakes were low on available players due to international call-ups and were in need of the three loanees.
So what does it mean for the chances of the Republic seeing any of the three loanees against Vancouver? While ICS does not have any current insider information on the topic at the moment, we feel compelled to offer our input. It seems unlikely to us that all three of the loanees will make the trip up to Vancouver after playing a game the day before in San Jose. JJ Koval seems the least likely, as he played a significant number of minutes against the Union. Tommy Thompson did play against Philadelphia, but did not put in a particularly long shift, so long as he is not needed right away by the Quakes, it seems like he might be making the flight up. Mark Sherrod is a more cut-and-dried case, as he did not play any minutes on Saturday.
The unfortunate thing for Republic fans is that, with Mirkovic still suspended and the status of Octavio Guzman and Gilberto not known for sure, Koval would be the best natural fit for the temporarily vacated position in central midfield, as he showed last week against Tulsa. Thompson and Sherrod also have things to offer Sacramento, but at the moment Koval is the only of the trio who can play in a position so in need and so devoid of depth.
Think we are wrong about the loan players? Let us know down in the comments? Who is staying in San Jose and who is coming to Vancouver?
Regardless of what I’ve said here, we’ll see what how things turn out at 3pm today. Will I be right, wrong, or a little bit of both? Only time will tell.
