Sacramento Republic sign midfielder Tucker Bone

Sacramento Republic FC announced this week they have signed midfielder Tucker Bone ahead of the 2021 season.

The 24-year-old joins after playing two seasons in the USL Championship, most recently for Reno 1868 FC in 2020.

“Tucker’s team-first mentality and tenacity add another dangerous player to our attacking group,” said Republic FC General Manager Todd Dunivant in a team statement. “He’s a dynamic and versatile player that is one of Sacramento’s own, and we are excited to welcome him home.”

Bone, a Sacramento area native, made 16 appearances for Reno in 2020, scoring four goals and an assist while helping Sacramento’s former rivals to the best record in the league during the regular season. The previous year, Bone played for Colorado Springs Switchbacks, signing midseason and playing in 16 games while playing a variety of positions for that club.

Bone started his pro career with Colorado Springs because he attended college at the Air Force Academy and was a standout for their NCAA team, earning back-to-back All-American honors.

While Bone was expected to serve his country as part of his commitment to the Air Force following college like all members of service academies, he was drafted by the Seattle Sounders in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft, but the club opted not to sign him to a professional deal. So he returned to Colorado and presumably finished his service time before joining Colorado Springs.

Bone is the seventh player added to the Republic FC roster for 2021 so far. From my count, the club has 19 players on the roster, so I’d expect a few more signings, but probably not too many more based on how small the roster was last year and head coach Mark Briggs saying he wanted a short squad. We’ll keep you posted on additional moves when we learn of them.

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