Match Preview: Sacramento Republic vs Swope Park Rangers

After going 7 games without losing, followed by a 2-1 heart breaker against Reno 1868 FC, Sacramento Republic FC will look to rebound after a short break against the 3rd Place Swope Park Rangers. This will be their 2nd and final match of the regular season against each other after Swope Park defeated the Republic 1-0 in their previous matchup on April 15th.

The Sacramento Republic team featured a much different roster at the time and was going through a rough scoring patch where they went 6 games without scoring a goal. Although still struggling on the offensive end, Swope Park is going through their own little drought, going the last four games without a win.

Unfortunately for Sac Republic, the home side will be without two of their best players in Jeremy Hall and Chris Christian after receiving one-match suspensions for caution accumulation. Hall has been one of the more consistent facilitators on the team boasting 88% passing accuracy while also adding to the defensive end by being ranked 3rd on the team in both interceptions and tackles. Hall has also been one of only 2 players on the team who has played every possible minute in USL matches this season.

Christian has also been an important player for Sac Republic. He has been a model of consistency on the defensive end, making him a key figure during Republic’s hot streak. He has played in every game except one where Sac Republic has shut out their opponents. Statistically, Christian ranks 1st on the team in interceptions with 46 and 2nd in blocks (7) and clearances (47). His passing as a defender has been nothing short of spectacular considering he is the last player between the opponent and goalie Evan Newton. He has 84% passing accuracy this season while 78% of his passes are either forward or to the right side of the field. It will be interesting to see who replaces the suspended duo, though we likely wont know until minutes before kickoff.

The Swope Park Rangers have questions to answer during the match as well. After a 10-match unbeaten streak to rise up to the 3rd seed, they have stumbled to a 4 match skip losing 1 and tying the last 3. They will look to come out aggressively on the offensive end with their team leader, forward Kharlton Belmar. He currently leads their team in goals with 8 and was a main contributor during their 10-match unbeaten streak. 10 games is no fluke and if anything, it tells us this team can be dangerous.

The matchup against Swope Park will also feature former forward of Sacramento Republic, Cameron Iwasa. Iwasa is ranked 3rd all time in goals for Sac Republic and after leading the team in goals in 2016, he left for Major League Soccer’s Sporting KC before being loaned to their USL side. This will be his first game back in Sacramento since his departure, so look for a warm welcome from the crowd.

For additional information, here are the comparative statistics extracted from the USL website:

The match will be broadcast on Sports 1140 KHTK and streamed live at SacRepublicFC.com/matchday-guide and in the USL Match Center. Updates of the match will be also be provided via Twitter @SacRepublicFC or using #SACvSPR.

Let’s brong home 3 points, Sacramento Republic!