Match Recap: Republic FC 2 – 0 Tampa Bay Rowdies

On a warm and humid night in St. Petersburg, Florida, Republic FC secured its second straight shutout win with a 2-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rowdies. The Indomitable Club didn’t see many chances during the match, but made its moments count. Russell Cicerone set up Rodrigo Lopez’s eventual game-winner in the 29th minute before icing the match with a goal of his own in the 91st minute, assisted by Sebastian Herrera. A full team defensive effort earned Sacramento its 10th clean sheet of the season, highlighted by four saves from Danny Vitiello. 

The Quails set the tempo of the match early with an aggressive press that kept the Rowdies on the back foot for the opening 10 minutes. Khori Bennett nearly found the back of the net in the ninth minute when he intercepted a headed clearance. The reigning Player of the Week dribbled forward with his eyes on the target, but the defender closed down to deflect the shot out for a corner. 

As both teams settled into the match, neither side could find a way to break through until Rodrigo Lopez struck gold in the 29th minute. Lee Desmond intercepted a clearance and the team moved the ball forward. Russell Cicerone put a pass back to Lopez for a shot from 25 yards. The attempt was deflected by a Rowdies defender, but that wasn’t enough to stop it from sailing past the keeper for the opening goal of the night. The goal was Lopez’s fourth of the season, extending his scoring contribution streak to five games. Cicerone added his fourth assist of the campaign. 

The Rowdies had to wait until the opening moments of the second half for their first shot on goal. As the ball was headed around the box, it fell to Juan Carlos Azocar for a one-touch shot near the top of the box and curled toward the corner, but Danny Vitiello dove to his right to make the save. Vitiello built on his stellar 2025 campaign with four saves in the match to secure his 10th clean sheet of the season.

Tampa Bay continued to pick up speed and forced Sacramento to rely on its league-leading defense for much of the remainder of the match. In the 69th minute, Joey Skinner broke out of pressure and crossed the ball to leading goalscorer Woobens Pacius in front of goal, but Republic FC’s Rayan Djedje made a diving tackle to push it away. Djedje looked strong in his second consecutive start and finished the night with four clearances and a 94% passing accuracy (32/34).

Sacramento almost snuck in a second goal in the 74th minute when Jack Gurr cleared the ball out of traffic for Russell Cicerone in stride. Cicerone went for a chip shot over the keeper, but his shot went wide of the target. 

With eight minutes of stoppage time, it looked like Tampa Bay would have plenty of time to equalize. But instead Sacramento found the back of the net in the 91st minute to put the match out of reach. A big clearance allowed second-half substitute Sebastian Herrera to carry the ball toward the end line for a lateral pass. Russell Cicerone made easy work of the cross-box ball with a composed finish – picking up his sixth goal of the season to lead Sacramento. 

The win gives Sacramento a positive start to a busy stretch of three games in eight days. On Wednesday, the club will face off with Rhode Island FC in the USL Jägermeister Cup Semifinals at Centreville Bank Stadium. Kickoff is at 4:00 p.m. PT and the match will be broadcast on Antenna TV 40.2, as well as streaming on FOX40+ and ESPN+. The Indomitable Club returns home to defend Heart Health Park next Saturday night for a matchup against Phoenix Rising FC. 

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Sacramento Republic FC  2 – 0 Tampa Bay Rowdies
USL Championship
Al Lang Stadium, St. Petersburg, Florida
September 6, 2025

Scoring Summary: SAC – Rodrigo Lopez (Russell Cicerone) 29’, Russell Cicerone (Sebastian Herrera) 90+1’; TBR – none

Misconduct Summary: SAC – Rodrigo Lopez (caution) 24’, Nick Ross (caution) 40’, Sebastian Herrera (caution) 81’; TBR  – 

Sacramento Republic FC: Danny Vitiello, Lee Desmond, Freddy Kleemann, Rayan Djedje (Ryan Spaulding 90’), Michel Benitez, Blake Willey (Luis Felipe 67’), Nick Ross, Jack Gurr, Rodrigo Lopez (C) (Cristian Parano 45’), Khori Bennett (Sebastian Herrera 67’), Russell Cicerone

Unused substitutes: Dominik Wanner, AJ Edwards, Lewis Jamieson, Jared Mazzola

Stats: Shots: 7, Shots on Goal: 2, Saves: 4, Fouls: 15, Corner Kicks: 6, Offsides: 3  

Tampa Bay Rowdies: Ethan Bandre, Aaron Guillen (C), Thomas Vancaeyezeele, Robert Castellanos, Blake Bodily (Luis Alvarez 84’), Lewis Hilton (Danny Crisostomo 45’), Juan Carlos Azocar (Joey Skinner 56’), Laurence Wyke (Alexander Rodriguez  90+3’), Paul Marie, Woobens Pacius, Charlie Sharp (Manuel Arteaga 56’)

Unused Substitutes: Forrest Lasso, Bill Hamid, Caleb Klepacz

Stats: Shots: 11, Shots on Goal: 4, Saves: 0, Fouls: 12, Corner Kicks: 5, Offsides: 1