After a 10-day break, the hope is that Sacramento Republic FC are refreshed and ready to change their fortunes in the season, as they’ve been on a rough run of late. That will begin Saturday evening with a clash at Oakland Roots.

Sac Republic, of course, are winless in their last five games, with their only result in that stretch coming in a wild 3-3 home draw against Oakland that boosted spirits for a night. That means they can get a result against the expansion team, but this one is going to be in Oakland.

And I don’t think it will just be a regular home opener for Roots, either. It’s their first home game at this level, the date is Juneteenth and the club takes the occasion seriously, and the state of California is open and Oakland have timed the occasion perfectly in that regard, so this could be a very emotional night for the expansion side. I think Sacramento is accustomed to full houses, but the energy may be something to deal with.

Having said that, there’s more than enough experience on Republic FC’s roster to withstand a hostile crowd and they need to enter put up or shut up time any time now. If they can get any result here, that will be good. If they can grab a win, all the better, and it would ease some pressure on Mark Briggs’ team right away. Truly, this could be a good one.

Odds:

Our partners at DraftKings Sportsbook as of Friday evening have Sacramento at (+180), Oakland Roots at (+110) and a draw at (+260). In other words, Republic FC are slight underdogs but the teams are at pretty level footing coming in to the game.

How to Watch:

Saturday’s match between Sac Republic and Oakland Roots will be televised locally on KQCA My58 and EstrellaTV, and streamed on ESPN+ in the rest of the United States. The broadcast is scheduled to start at 5:30 pm PT at Laney College Football Field in Oakland with kickoff to follow.

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