Lineups:

Here’s Sac Republic’s first XI of the season, with Tomas Gomez in for the injured Rafael Diaz.

LA are rolling with a bunch of newcomers in this one.

The 2021 USL Championship season is here, at last, for Sacramento Republic FC, who will kick off their campaign in Southern California on Friday to face LA Galaxy II.

Last season, in their trip to Carson, Sacramento lost, just one of two regular season losses all season for them. In a really tough group, Los Dos made the playoffs, beating out the likes of Orange County SC and San Diego Loyal to get the postseason ticket. So take this team lightly at your peril.

Sacramento head coach Mark Briggs said in training this week that Rafael Diaz is dealing with a groin strain and as a result Tomas Gomez will start in goal for Republic FC. We’ll see how the newcomer, albeit an experienced veteran, does in his debut.

Expectations are very high for Sac Republic heading into the season, but will they get a reality check in Week 1? It’s a long season ahead but it will be so, so good to see SRFC back in action Friday night!

Odds:

Our partners at DraftKings Sportsbook as of Thursday evening have Sacramento at (-167) and LA at (+350), with a draw at (+275). I have to admit, I’m very surprised to see Sacramento being such big favorites on the road against Galaxy II, but hopefully that bodes well for Republic FC.

How to Watch:

Friday’s match between Sac Republic and Galaxy II will be aired on KQCA My58 and Estrella TV Sacramento in the Sacramento viewing area and streamed on ESPN+ in the rest of the United States. The broadcast is scheduled to start at 7:30 pm PT at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson with kickoff to follow.

Come chat about the game with us in the comment section below!

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