Indomitable City Soccer: All Posts by Alicia Rodriguez

At the death! Orange County SC 2, Sacramento Republic 2

2021-07-24T21:06:38-07:00

Courtesy of Republic FC

Sac Republic grab their first result against OCSC courtesy of hometown rookie.

Sacramento Republic FC looked like they were going to go 0-for-4 against Orange County SC in 2021, but a goal at the death by Nabi Kibunguchy gave Republic a share of the points in a 2-2 draw at Championship Soccer Stadium.

Kibunguchy came off the bench in the 90th minute, and the Sac Republic academy product scored the equalizer in the 94th minute to lift the visitors’ spirits and give them four points in their last two matches.

The big change in the Republic FC lineup coming in was forward Jerome Kiesewetter, on loan from FC Tulsa, making his first appearance with the Quails.

Cameron Iwasa had the first good look of the game for Sacramento, his rising shot going just wide of the mark around the 12-minute mark.

But Kharlton Belmar got the breakthrough in the 23rd minute, the forward taking the ball at the right flank from a big switch, dribbling with several stepovers into the box, and smashing the shot past Patrick Rakovsky in Orange County’s goal.

This was just beautiful by @Kharltonbelmar #OCvSAC pic.twitter.com/a3VHIFYVV8
— Republic FC (@SacRepublicFC) July 25, 2021

However, Orange County found an equalizer in the 32nd minute, with Ronaldo Damus, in his return to the club from the Gold Cup, heading in a corner kick to tie up the score off Brent Richards’ initial header back against the grain.

The @USLChampionship High Jump (of the night) gold medal goes to Ronaldo Damus. #OCvSAC | @orangecountysc pic.twitter.com/mPyfXgn5ea
— USL Championship (@USLChampionship) July 25, 2021

The teams went into the halftime break tied 1-1. Orange County had a 2-to-1 edge in possession through the first 45, but the teams were even steven on the attacking categories through that span.

The teams both searched for a go-ahead goal in the 2nd half, but it was Orange County that found it, in the 61st minute. Mikko Kuningas hit a pinpoint ball to Nathan Smith in the box, and the fullback crossed it through the 6-yard box to another fullback, Richards, who scored.

Some pure comedy celebrations tonight. #OCvSAC | @orangecountysc pic.twitter.com/kkEO2KFIOt
— USL Championship (@USLChampionship) July 25, 2021

With 11 minutes to play, Mark Briggs brought in Mitchell Taintor and Fatai Alashe for Jordan McCrary and Pete Pennanen, Sacramento chasing a result.

But Orange County looked much more likely to score an insurance goal in the dying minutes than Sacramento were to get an equalizer, unfortunately.

But against the odds, they found the late, late, late equalizer, nonetheless. Kibunguchy was the man on the spot to head in Taintor’s last-gasp cross, and it was a draw that felt like a win for Sacramento.

SAC TOWN DOESN'T BACK DOWN! #OCvSAC | @SacRepublicFC pic.twitter.com/9vOJK3092S
— USL Championship (@USLChampionship) July 25, 2021

This game started well, and until conceding the first goal Sacramento looked comfortable and in control of the match. But they looked destined to lose to Orange County for the fourth straight time this season, before Kibunguchy became the latest hometown hero to lift Republic FC. What a finish, and great to see from the rookie.

Next up for Sac Republic, a complete change of pace, as they host New York Red Bulls II for what I believe is the teams’ first ever competitive meeting. Will the new opponent be to Republic FC’s benefit? We’ll see what happens.

What do you think? Leave a comment below.

How to Watch Orange County SC vs. Sacramento Republic: Lineups, odds, game thread

2021-07-24T18:36:29-07:00

Courtesy of Orange County SC

Can Sacramento make it two wins in a row?

Lineups:

On-loan striker Jerome Kiesewetter gets his first minutes with Sacramento in this one:

Our starting XI

Jerome makes his first start for the Indomitable Club tonight in Orange County. #OCvSAC pic.twitter.com/njUsQiVScu
— Republic FC (@SacRepublicFC) July 25, 2021

Here’s OCSC’s XI for the night:

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A post shared by Orange County SC (@orangecountysoccer)

It’s the fourth and final meeting of the regular season between Sacramento Republic FC and Orange County SC on Saturday in Irvine, and Republic FC’s aim is simple: Win again.

Sacramento are coming off some rest, and before that a long-awaited victory, 2-1 over Las Vegas Lights FC on the road about 10 days back. The win was such a relief for a team struggling badly previously, but the big thing is to get some real traction on the season with another win in the OC.

They may be facing Orange County at the right time, as the previously red-hot OCSC have lost two games in a row. Opponents are doing to them what they previously did, taking an early lead and trying to shut it down in the back, so if Sacramento can score early again, they may be able to land another knockout blow.

But Orange County have won the first three meetings between these teams this season. So this will be a matter of recent form vs. the teams’ form against each other this season. I do think Sac Republic should be upbeat about this, but they still have to perform. Can they get the job done?

Odds:

Our partners at DraftKings Sportsbook as of Friday afternoon have Sacramento at (+230), Orange County at (+100) and a draw at (+265), so Republic FC are narrow underdogs heading in to this game.

How to Watch:

Saturday’s match between Sac Republic and Orange County SC 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 7 pm PT at Heart Health Park with kickoff to follow.

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

Sacramento Republic start strong, finish strong enough in victory

2021-07-16T14:47:12-07:00

Courtesy of Republic FC

Team understandably relieved to win.

It’s not revolutionary to say that one potential route to victory in soccer is to score before your opponent. Of course, the opponent could score afterwards, but in the case of Sacramento Republic on Wednesday, a first-half brace powered a long-awaited 2-1 win over Las Vegas Lights in Las Vegas.

Tucker Bone provided the spark, the Sacramento area native’s goals propelling Republic FC to victory, and as one would imagine after a nine-game winless streak that stretched two months ended, the relief was palpable.

“I think our mentality was different, which allows you to start games quickly. We started on the front foot and focused. Tucker managed to get a goal early to us, which sets us up for the performance,” head coach Mark Briggs said after the game.

If it felt like Sac Republic took a book out of a recent opponent’s playbook in Orange County SC, who have established a pattern of taking a lead and shutting up shop in the back in their games this season, that’s in part because that was the approach they took. Whether or not they consciously mimicked OCSC is unclear, however.

“I would say tonight’s game went according to plan,” said Bone. “Mark had spoken to us at training previously and then today before the game. He said this look, this is our game plan...we’re going to sit down in a block...we’re going to be tight...we’re gonna be hard to break down. And offensively, we’re going to be aggressive and we’re gonna go at them and create chances. He made it clear that everybody’s sticking to the game plan, and we all stuck to the game plan and that’s exactly what we saw tonight, a team that was going to try and play through the middle.”

While the performances during Republic FC’s rut ran the gamut from demoralizing to encouraging, they admitted the win was needed to raise their morale moving forward.

“It gives us a platform. It gives us a little bit of momentum and also gives us a little bit of belief ... the boys needed that bit of belief. And now that’s what that result does. That win gives you that little bit of belief, a bit more of a platform for the guys to enjoy tonight. First and foremost, we haven’t won in a long time, so enjoy winning because it’s not easy to win a game. So I want them to enjoy the win tonight and that allows us to have a platform to build on as we move forward,” said Briggs.

Bone agreed with his manager.

“I think it just completely shifts the momentum. We’ve been building on it a little bit and when you get when you get into kind of slumps if you will like this, you know, you have to come to a realization as a group that it’s not going to be, it’s not going to be pretty. You’ve got to be gritty about it, you got to grind it out sometimes and that’s exactly what we did tonight. We did concede ... 2-0 is a dangerous score in football, everybody knows this. We did concede but we knew that we just had to keep, keep grinding. We kept grinding ... that’s what we did and we kept to that mentality ... we kept to the game plan and we were able to get that win and I think seeing the performance out of everybody and that sort of mentality from everybody puts us in a really good spot as a group to really move forward. We know we can win soccer games ... it’s a little bit of a hit to our confidence when you keep dropping games so it’s absolutely huge for the group. I know the guys are gonna be buzzing.”

What do you think? Leave a comment below.

Finally! Las Vegas Lights 1, Sacramento Republic 2

2021-07-14T21:28:56-07:00

Courtesy of Republic FC

Bone’s brace snaps SRFC’s long winless streak.

It took a full two months, but Sacramento Republic FC snapped their nine-game winless streak in USL Championship play on Wednesday, after defeating Las Vegas Lights FC 2-1 at Cashman Field.

Las Vegas, the last team Sacramento beat back on May 12, provided the slump-busting performance Republic FC desperately needed, as a first-half brace from Tucker bone made the difference on the night.

Mark Briggs started Bone, Cameron Iwasa, Hayden Sargis and Mario Penagos, as well as Luis Felipe, who has impressed in moments in terms of his passing this season, as Sac Republic looked for a change in their fortunes.

Bone got the early lead they desperately needed, with a nice curler from the edge of the box in the 5th minute to put Sacramento ahead 1-0.

.@BoneTucker gets things going in Vegas

Assisted by @cam31iwasa #LVvSAC pic.twitter.com/aDyC2r71cs
— Republic FC (@SacRepublicFC) July 15, 2021

Republic FC had a couple decent looks in the immediate aftermath, but couldn’t find a quick insurance goal. From there, Las Vegas started to get a hold on the game and push for an equalizer.

But Bone got another goal, in the 35th minute, to make it 2-0. Goalkeeper Tomas Gomez punted the ball upfield from his box, and Bone ran onto it, beat the defender and slotted it home.

.@tomas_gomez_18 ➡️ @BoneTucker for his second on the night!#LVvSAC | @SacRepublicFC pic.twitter.com/OFt8c0EwQ6
— USL Championship (@USLChampionship) July 15, 2021

After Las Vegas had a promising counterattack that led to Cal Jennings getting the ball in the box a few minutes later, Jordan McCrary had an inch-perfect tackle to dispossess the forward and preserve the shutout for Sacramento.

From there, the teams went into halftime with Sac Republic leading 2-0. The home side had a big advantage in possession to that point, but Sacramento had taken advantage of a couple of their chances and that was the difference.

The 2nd half was mostly sleepy, but the game woke up in the 74th minute when Las Vegas’ Julian Gaines scored on a scramble in the box to make it 2-1 and give Sacramento a test to see out the match.

Iwasa nearly scored another insurance tally in the 78th minute, but he couldn’t convert his chance after stripping Las Vegas GK Alex Rando in the box.

All in all, the performance was a bit shaggy in the 2nd half, but no major complaints when Sac Republic’s season was getting close to hanging in the balance. They found a way to get not only a win, but a win on the road. Now, they need to build on this and get a few more wins in quick succession, and they can be back on track before long. Obviously this result is a relief, all things considered.

Republic FC will have a 10-day break now, before they are scheduled to be back in action July 24 against Orange County SC in Irvine. This will be the teams’ final meeting of the regular season — can Sacramento avoid a season sweep?

What do you think? Leave a comment below.

Sacramento Republic bring in Jerome Kiesewetter on loan from FC Tulsa

2021-07-14T14:37:58-07:00

Courtesy of Republic FC

Former U.S. international brought in to improve attack.

In an effort to address a team whose season is hanging in the balance, Sacramento Republic FC announced on Tuesday they have brought in forward Jerome Kiesewetter on loan from FC Tulsa for the rest of the 2021 season.

“Jerome is a big addition for us. He is clinical inside the box, makes vertical runs behind the defense, and is a consistent threat,” said Republic FC President and General Manager Todd Dunivant in a team statement. “He brings a lot of experience to the club in the heart of the season, which will be a huge lift for our team.”

The 28-year-old was born and raised in Germany, and came through Hertha Berlin’s youth set-up. He made his first-team debut at Stuttgart in 2015, in the Bundesliga, and also played for Fortuna Dusseldorf while in Germany. An American citizen through his father, Kiesewetter was a U.S. youth international and has two caps with the U.S. senior team, starting in 2016.

Kiesewetter has considerable USL experience, joining El Paso Locomotive in 2019, playing for Fort Lauderdale CF last year while splitting time with Inter Miami, and then joining up with FC Tulsa this year. By far the best season of his career was in 2019 with El Paso, and Sac Republic will hope that version of the player features for them.

Sac Republic are back in action Wednesday at Las Vegas Lights.

What do you think? Leave a comment below.

Nabi Kibunguchy has red card rescinded by independent panel

2021-07-13T10:39:47-07:00

Courtesy of Republic FC

Small consolation, but they got it right in the end.

Nabi Kibunguchy received a red card in Sacramento Republic FC’s last game, a 2-0 loss to Orange County SC on Saturday, but it turns out what looked like a questionable call was indeed incorrect.

Kibunguchy appeared to have received a DOGSO (denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity) straight red card for a foul just before halftime, but it appeared another Republic FC defender was in the immediate vicinity, which means he probably should have gotten only a yellow card for a robust challenge because it wasn’t truly a DOGSO foul.

On Tuesday, the USL Championship announced that following a review from an independent panel, Kibunguchy’s red card has been rescinded and he will not have to serve a suspension on Wednesday against Las Vegas Lights FC. In that regard, the injustice many around Republic FC felt regarding the call and the officiating of the game overall has been addressed to an extent.

Of course, in the moment, the incorrect red card did put Sac Republic at a man disadvantage for more than a half, while Mitchell Taintor’s red card that came late in the second half (which was officially upheld by the league) put the club down another man on the night.

But, at least they partially rectified what looked like a bad call, so Kibunguchy will be eligible for selection on Wednesday. And hopefully we won’t see more bad calls in the future (she says, with her fingers crossed hard...).

What do you think? Leave a comment below.

Downward spiral: Sacramento Republic 0, Orange County SC 2

2021-07-10T22:03:32-07:00

Courtesy of Republic FC

Republic FC’s slump drags on in red card-filled loss.

Sacramento Republic FC conceded two first-half goals, then picked up two red cards, as they lost 2-0 to Orange County SC on Saturday at Heart Health Park.

Sacramento’s winless run is now nine games, and the loss arrests any kind of progress the team might have felt they made midweek in a draw against Oakland Roots. While Orange County have been stellar in recent months, the latest poor result has to be a major concern for Sac Republic.

Coming in, Sacramento head coach Mark Briggs had a new wrinkle in his lineup for this game, bringing in Jordan McCrary to play as a wide forward, with Nabi Kibunguchy starting at right back.

Orange County got off to a quick start, with Chris Wehan chesting down Nathan Smith’s cross and slotted it past Tomas Gomez to make it 1-0 just seven minutes in the match.

Another for the hometown kid @wehan_14! #SACvOC | @orangecountysc pic.twitter.com/vsyB2bqR50
— USL Championship (@USLChampionship) July 11, 2021

Smith risked getting sent off in the 27th minute, as he and McCrary came together on a 50-50 with the OCSC defender catching McCrary with a high boot. In the end, the game stayed 11-v-11, Smith seeing just yellow for the play.

Orange County made it 2-0 in the 37th minute, with Wehan setting up Brian Iloski, the diminutive attacker making no mistake.

It's @wehan_14 again as he puts it on a plate for @Iloskibrian ️#SACvOC | @orangecountysc pic.twitter.com/AVw7Evg7DS
— USL Championship (@USLChampionship) July 11, 2021

Sac Republic nearly clawed a goal back in the 41st minute, but McCrary’s attempt was initially saved by Orange County GK Patrick Rakovsky before it was cleared off the line by an OCSC defender.

CHANCE! McCrary with a header on goal but it's blocked. #SACvOC pic.twitter.com/P3ulogOqqa
— Republic FC (@SacRepublicFC) July 11, 2021

In first-half stoppage time, Kibunguchy was shown a straight red card for an apparent DOGSO tackle on Iloski. The call looked harsh, with Dan Casey in the immediate vicinity, but the call stood and Kibunguchy had a very early shower before halftime.

Briggs made two changes to open the 2nd half, with Duke Lacroix replacing Shannon Gomez and Luis Felipe entering in place of Pete Pennanen.

With a two-goal and man edge, Orange County were content to pass the ball around the back and invite the press from Republic FC in the 2nd half, but the home side weren’t too eager to formally press, opting to interrupt passing lanes and try and pick their moments.

Cameron Iwasa was the third substitute just before the hour mark, entering the game for Darek Formella, who had a tough night by his standards. A few minutes later, Tucker Bone replaced Andrew Wheeler-Omiunu. Finally, Mario Penagos came on for the final quarter-hour in place of Fatai Alashe, who seemed to be gassed or perhaps picked up a knock.

Things got worse in the 79th minute, when Mitchell Taintor picked up his second yellow card of the night for a foul on Brent Richards, and was sent off. Taintor was fired up and argued with the referee on his way off the field, so he could face more discipline, potentially, but the second ejection took Sacramento down to nine men for the final 10 minutes.

Needless to say, this was a tough game to watch from a Sacramento perspective. I think they can certainly feel hard done by on Kibunguchy’s red card, and perhaps Taintor’s too, but they had already dug a huge hole for themselves by that point against a team in full form, and the frustration truly boiled over. You can blame bad luck, but many of Sacramento’s wounds were self-inflicted in conceding two early goals, and that should be remembered in discussing what could credibly be called inconsistent officiating in this one.

Sac Republic will be back in action on Wednesday against Las Vegas Lights in Las Vegas. Vegas have won two straight games, so we’ll see if that game will be the slumpbuster for Republic FC, or if their troubles will rumble on.

What do you think? Leave a comment below.

How to Watch Sacramento Republic vs. Orange County SC: Lineups, odds, game thread

2021-07-10T19:37:55-07:00

Courtesy of Republic FC

Will this be the long-awaited breakthrough?

Lineups:

Nabi Kibunguchy is in the XI for Sacramento:

The squad kicking things off tonight against @orangecountysc. #SACvOC | @ArdenFair pic.twitter.com/TdxtzUQffT
— Republic FC (@SacRepublicFC) July 11, 2021

Here’s who Orange County will roll with:

Tonight’s squad is locked in #ForCounty #SACvOC pic.twitter.com/94lIWXBodD
— Orange County SC (@orangecountysc) July 11, 2021

Sacramento Republic FC have strung together two draws in a row, and they will look to build on that when they host Orange County SC on Saturday at Heart Health Park for the teams’ third meeting of the 2021 season.

Sac Republic played Oakland Roots to a 0-0 draw at home on Wednesday. While the team is starved for wins, the performance was promising and could be a positive data point if they are able to get fully back on track before long and start racking up wins. Of course, that will be tricky against Orange County, who have beaten Sacramento in the last two matches between the teams.

But OCSC are coming off a scoreless draw themselves, on Tuesday against Tacoma Defiance, and while they’ve been on a roll, unbeaten in their last seven games, most of their results have been tight, cagey affairs. If they get punched in the mouth (metaphorically speaking), can they be stunned and struggle to come back? It’s a game state they haven’t seen much this season, so that is a likely vein of attack from a Republic FC perspective.

It feels like Sac Republic is on the cusp of turning their season around, but we’ve seen several false dawns already this season. Will it be another miss or will they get the long-awaited victory? This should be another fascinating encounter between these teams.

Odds:

Our partners at DraftKings Sportsbook as of Friday evening don’t have odds listed for this game. Sorry!

How to Watch:

Saturday’s match between Sac Republic and Orange County SC 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 8 pm PT at Heart Health Park with kickoff to follow.

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

Sacramento Republic shot a lot midweek by design

2021-07-09T16:31:36-07:00

Courtesy of Republic FC

Now, time to make those chances more efficient.

Without any context, it looked like Sacramento Republic FC were letting fly on the shots Wednesday, mostly to no end.

In their 0-0 draw against Oakland Roots at Heart Health Park, Sacramento enjoyed a whopping 19-3 edge in shots, and they truly battered Oakland’s goal area for the final 70 minutes or so of the game.

But some fans were discontent at a mere three of those 19 Republic FC shots being on target, and that rate certainly isn’t promising in general.

“Obviously we’ve got to get that final missing piece, that elusive goal, put games away, but we feel like the team’s moving in a better direction. Cohesively, it’s clicking,” said head coach Mark Briggs at training on Friday.

“The biggest factor, the biggest stat, when it comes to winning games, is hitting the target. That’s the biggest stat. Collectively as a group, we spoke about it yesterday, we spoke about it this morning, about our target for each game and hitting a certain percentage of everything on target,” he added.

But while efficiency is prized in the sport of soccer generally, the larger picture for Sacramento in particular is that they’ve scored just three goals in their last five games, amid an ongoing eight-game winless run.

It’s obvious that the players were told against Oakland to shoot a little earlier, to worry a little less about the quality of the chance than to just let it rip and see what might happen. On Wednesday, it didn’t get the desired result, but it’s a tried and tested strategy for teams that are looking for a spark in attack, including the proverbial goal off someone’s backside.

With another big game coming up, Saturday at home against Orange County SC, who have beaten Sac Republic twice already, defender Shannon Gomez says the team is confident they are building the parts to finally get back on track this season.

“I think keep pressing, keeping the [other] team on the back foot, it gives us more opportunities to score goals,” Gomez said. “I think we were trying to be more direct and have more 1-v-1 situations, when we take advantage of those we know we have the speed, the ability to get in behind and create some havoc. I think in that game, we were just trying to create as many opportunities as we can. Unfortunately we weren’t able to get that final goal but we were knocking on the door the whole time and we want to continue knocking on the door, because eventually it’s going to open. I think now, more than anything, I believe in our attack, I believe we’re able to score goals, but we just need to get that final ball, that final piece down pat and with this run of games, we should be able to do that.”

What do you think? Leave a comment below.

Huff and puff: Sacramento Republic 0, Oakland Roots 0

2021-07-07T21:55:37-07:00

Courtesy of Republic FC

Republic FC get a point, but winless streak rumbles on.

Sacramento Republic FC largely dominated proceedings for the final 70 minutes, but they could not get the desperately-needed breakthrough and settled for a 0-0 draw against Oakland Roots on Wednesday at Heart Health Park.

It’s the second consecutive result for Sac Republic, which is the good news, following up their last-second draw at the weekend against San Diego Loyal, but the bad news is Sacramento’s winless run is now extended to eight games, and the club remains second-last in the Pacific Division off one of their games in hand.

The teams were pretty even to start the game, the opening 20 minutes cagey and neither team getting a clear chance. Cameron Iwasa had a good shot just after the 20 minute mark, his angled attempt just barely missing the far post after being tipped by an Oakland defender.

Dariusz Formella had the ball in the back of the net in the 30th minute off a Pete Penannen free kick, but the goal was waived off because of a foul call in the scrum on the set piece, so the game remained scoreless.

Sac Republic really pushed for the opener as the first half wore on but couldn’t find the goal in the opening 45, as the teams went into the locker room tied 0-0.

Sacramento continued to push hard in the second half, with Dan Casey nearly scoring off a corner kick just before the hour mark, his header going just on the wrong side of the goal post.

CHANCE! INCHES from being the opener. pic.twitter.com/Q5fAu4BGgC
— Republic FC (@SacRepublicFC) July 8, 2021

Moments earlier, Kharlton Belmar replaced Bone in Republic FC’s lineup.

The home side really pummeled their opponent, with a 15-0 edge in shots past the 70th minute mark before Oakland registered their first shot in the game, but shots on target were a more modest margin, 3-0 in Sac Republic’s favor to that point.

Mark Briggs made changes in the 73rd minute, with Fatai Alashe returning to action for Luis Felipe, and Julian Chavez replacing Iwasa, the academy product on the field with fellow youngster Mario Penagos, as Republic FC sought some late-game heroics to get the win.

But it never came and the teams finished the match deadlocked. This was a game where the good news was that Sacramento played well overall and dominated the run of play, but on a terrible run that’s scant consolation for a team that desperately needs wins. Mark Briggs is making changes game over game to try and jumpstart the team, but they haven’t found the breakthrough yet, and things are getting pretty dire with yet another game without a win.

Next up is another game on short rest, this one Saturday at Heart Health Park against Orange County SC. OCSC is on a roll, sitting in 2nd place in the Pacific Division at present, but can Sac Republic grab a vital six-pointer? That’s the big question.

What do you think? Leave a comment below.