Last Saturday, Sacramento Republic FC continued their march toward a possible top seed for the USL Playoffs with a commanding win over Portland Timbers 2. Tomorrow, Sacramento Republic FC will conclude their three game road trip with a game against Orange County Blues at Anteater Stadium. It is an extremely important match for both the Blues and the Republic, with both teams looking to get as high a playoff seed as they can.
Setting the Table
Both Sacramento Republic FC and Orange County Blues have their eyes on the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs. The Blues are currently in second place in the Western Conference, even with Colorado Springs Switchbacks on points but behind on tiebreakers. The Republic are close behind in third place, 2 points behind both the Blues and the Switchbacks, but with a game in hand over both.
Sacramento’s best bet for winning the USL Western Conference and securing the top seed in the playoffs is to win both of their remaining matches (the first being Wednesday against OC Blues and the second being Saturday vs Arizona United). Doing so would put them at a total of 50 points, 1 point higher than any other team can go.
Orange County is also in a good position to finish at the top of the west, although not as good a position as Sacramento. They would need to win against the Republic and hope that the Switchbacks do not get all three points in their final game of the season.
Clash of the In-Form Teams
Wednesday’s match against the Blues is without a doubt one of the biggest matches of the Republic’s season. Not only does it have significant effects on the playoff seeding of each team, but both teams come into the match in great form.
The Republic come into tomorrow’s match unbeaten in 5 matches and with a 3 game win streak. During that period they have outscored their opposition 12 to 6 for a goal differential of +6 and a goals scored average of 2.4. They have also seen key contributors like Justin Braun step up with 4 goals in the last 2 games, as well as some clutch performances between the pipes from backup goalkeeper Dominik Jakubek.
Orange County come into Wednesday’s match in even better form than Sacramento, with a record of 7-1-3 in their last 11 matches. The Blues have taken 73% of their possible points in that time frame for an average of 2.18 points per game.
In order to better understand what is at the root of the Orange County Blues’s recent form, we spoke to Alicia Rodriguez, Managing Editor of The Goat Parade. Here is what she had to say:
“To me, it seems like the core of the Blues’ form of late has been head coach Oliver Wyss. He rebuilt the roster following a poor 2014 season, and even with the improved reinforcements this season, he’s continually rotated his lineups and is finding quality throughout the past couple months. Even in cases where starters go down injured or are suspended, less experienced players are stepping up and getting the job done, which has been impressive. On top of that, I think the team has found its style of play, in pressing early and trying to hold onto possession until they grab a lead, and then prioritizing defense and switching to a counterattack system to see the result out. It’s been working, and much of the credit goes to Wyss.”
A Familiar Face
When Sacramento Republic go down to Anteater Stadium to face Orange County Blues, they will be going up against a familiar face: David Estrada.
Estrada left Sacramento Republic by mutual consent in mid-August and was quickly picked up by the Orange County Blues. In a post-match interview with ICS after his first start with the Blues, Estrada made it clear that he enjoyed his new club but did not harbor any negative feelings about the Republic.
Estrada was an immediate starter for the Blues, actually starting in a match before his signing was announced by the club. To get a better idea of how Estrada has fared at his new club, we once again turned to Alicia Rodriguez, Managing Editor of The Goat Parade:
“Estrada’s been terrific for the Blues so far. He basically went straight into the lineup after being signed, and has been one of the very few players to feature in every single match since. I think his workrate and skill set compliment the team well, and he does a lot of hard work in trying to connect the midfield and striker(s), and it’s paying off. Instead of putting his head down after joining his fourth team in 14 months, he’s embraced his new club and it appears to be mutually beneficial for player and team alike.”
Players to Watch
The two Sacramento Republic players to watch against the Blues are Justin Braun and Rodrigo Lopez.
Braun has simply been on fire recently and has perhaps been playing his best ever stretch of games with the Republic. Not only has he scored 4 goals in 2 games, but he has been just impressive all around. Just like against Timbers 2, the Republic will need to see a continuation of Braun’s great form if they are to get all 3 points out of Wednesday’s game.
Lopez is a player to watch because he seems to be breaking the mid-season slump that he was in since his 3-game suspension earlier this year. He scored an absolutely fantastic goal against Timbers 2 in Sacramento’s last match and the Republic will be hoping that he will continue on that path and return to his MVP caliber level of performance.
How to Watch
Sacramento Republic FC kick off against Orange County Blues on Wednesday at 7:30pm PDT. It can be viewed, as every USL match can, live on YouTube.
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