Republic FC reinforce the front line

Sacramento Republic FC announced another signing, in the form of forward Stefano Bonomo. Bonomo has been signed to a USL Championship contract, which is currently pending league and federation approval. This contract is for the upcoming 2019 season.

Bonomo is a California native. He grew up in Hillsborough, and attended UC Berkeley. During his senior season with the Golden Bears, he earned All Pac-12 honors for putting up 12 goals and 5 assists in 17 caps. He was then invited to the MLS combine and later drafted by the New York Red Bulls.

After the draft, Bonomo started playing for the Red Bulls’ USL side. Throughout his four year stint with Red Bulls II, he scored 24 goals in 64 appearances, and added nine assists. Also, he helped the Red Bulls II win the USL championship back in 2016.

Bonomo earned a senior team contract prior to the 2018 season, and made his debut against Minnesota United. He was then loaned back to Red Bulls II before transferring to the Tampa Bay Rowdies. There he notched three goals and an assist in nine appearances.

“Stefano is a big addition to our front line,” said Republic FC General Manager Todd Dunivant. “He can score goals in different ways, has shown his leadership qualities as Red Bulls II captain and won the USL Cup in 2016. We are pleased to welcome Stefano back to his native Northern California.”

As of the the time of writing, the Republic now have three forwards with Cameron Iwasa, Roberto Hategan, and now Stefano Bonomo. This recent string of signings has added a great amount of depth to the roster. And it looks like this signing has addressed the concerns raised in our season recap regarding a second striker. I could see the club getting another defender, but there is depth in every position.