Sacramento Republic FC face Seattle Sounders FC 2 for the second time this season on Saturday, only this time Republic FC look to capitalize on their home pitch advantage. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. at Bonney Field.
Republic FC will be on the hunt for their second win in a row after handing LA Galaxy II their first defeat of the season last Saturday in a 2-0 win for the boys in Old Glory Red.
After capturing a 1-0 road win against Sounders FC 2 during the first match of the 2016 season, Republic FC lead the all-series against Seattle 3-1-0. Ahead of the match, see what’s new with Sounders FC 2 since the last meeting between the two sides.
KEY PLAYERS
Mansaray is a key part of S2's offense.
Currently leading the offense for S2 this season is Sounders FC homegrown player Victor Mansaray. The 19-year-old forward has been getting plenty of minutes with S2, scoring two goals in seven appearances. Mansaray made three appearances with the Sounders first team in 2015 and also received a call-up to the U.S. Men’s U-18 National Team.
Sounders FC first team defender Tony Alfaro has also seen plenty of playing time with S2 in 2016. He is the only player that has started and played the full 90 minutes in each of S2’s eight USL matches this season. Alfaro, a second round draft pick in the 2016 MLS Superdraft, signed with the Sounders FC first team on March 8, 2016.
Meanwhile, forward Andy Craven leads the club in shots taken with 12, four on target. However, Craven and S2 as a whole have struggled to convert their offensive plays into goals, producing just five goals in eight matches.
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
At the very end of April, Seattle Sounders FC 2 signed three additional players after a bumpy start to the 2016 season, including their home opener loss to Republic FC in March. New faces joining S2 include Defender Brandon John and midfielders Jordy Delem and Willy Kapawa.
John arrived in Seattle from German fifth division club FC Erzgebirge’s U-23 side. Although hailing from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, John holds Canadian citizenship and has been capped internationally for Canada’s U-20 side, and just this week was called up to the Canadian U-23’s upcoming 10-day training camp.
Martinique midfielder Delem also has experience on the international level, having been capped 29 times and scoring four goals with the Martinique national team. Delem previously played for Club Franciscain of the Martiniquais Championnat National League.
Like Delem and John, midfielder Kapawa will be playing in the USL for the first time in his career. The 23-year-old midfielder joins S2 from Cameroon top flight club Lion Blesse de Fotouni where he played from 2013 until his move to S2 for the 2016 season.
2016 SEASON SO FAR
Sounders FC 2 currently sit at the bottom of the Western Conference standings with a record of 1-4-3. S2 kicked off the 2016 season with three straight losses, including their season opener against Republic FC which was a 1-0 loss for the Washington club. S2 finally snapped the loss streak with a tie against Rio Grande Valley FC Toros.
The club’s first win of the season was a 1-0 win versus Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC at Starfire Stadium. S2 went on to collect two more points with ties against Real Monarchs SLC and OKC Energy FC. S2 enters this Saturday’s match against Republic FC after most recently falling 2-1 to Tulsa Roughnecks FC on May 8.
SATURDAY’S MATCH
Saturday's match between Republic FC and Seattle Sounders FC 2 starts at 7:30 p.m. at Bonney Field. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com. The match will be live streamed at www.sacrepublicfc.com/matchday via the USL Youtube channel and updates will be provided via Twitter at @SacRepublicFC or using #SACvSEA.
Sacramento Republic FC face Seattle Sounders FC 2 for the second time this season on Saturday, only this time Republic FC look to capitalize on their home pitch advantage. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. at Bonney Field.
Republic FC will be on the hunt for their second win in a row after handing LA Galaxy II their first defeat of the season last Saturday in a 2-0 win for the boys in Old Glory Red.
After capturing a 1-0 road win against Sounders FC 2 during the first match of the 2016 season, Republic FC lead the all-series against Seattle 3-1-0. Ahead of the match, see what’s new with Sounders FC 2 since the last meeting between the two sides.
KEY PLAYERS
Mansaray is a key part of S2’s offense.
Currently leading the offense for S2 this season is Sounders FC homegrown player Victor Mansaray. The 19-year-old forward has been getting plenty of minutes with S2, scoring two goals in seven appearances. Mansaray made three appearances with the Sounders first team in 2015 and also received a call-up to the U.S. Men’s U-18 National Team.
Sounders FC first team defender Tony Alfaro has also seen plenty of playing time with S2 in 2016. He is the only player that has started and played the full 90 minutes in each of S2’s eight USL matches this season. Alfaro, a second round draft pick in the 2016 MLS Superdraft, signed with the Sounders FC first team on March 8, 2016.
Meanwhile, forward Andy Craven leads the club in shots taken with 12, four on target. However, Craven and S2 as a whole have struggled to convert their offensive plays into goals, producing just five goals in eight matches.
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
At the very end of April, Seattle Sounders FC 2 signed three additional players after a bumpy start to the 2016 season, including their home opener loss to Republic FC in March. New faces joining S2 include Defender Brandon John and midfielders Jordy Delem and Willy Kapawa.
John arrived in Seattle from German fifth division club FC Erzgebirge’s U-23 side. Although hailing from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, John holds Canadian citizenship and has been capped internationally for Canada’s U-20 side, and just this week was called up to the Canadian U-23’s upcoming 10-day training camp.
Martinique midfielder Delem also has experience on the international level, having been capped 29 times and scoring four goals with the Martinique national team. Delem previously played for Club Franciscain of the Martiniquais Championnat National League.
Like Delem and John, midfielder Kapawa will be playing in the USL for the first time in his career. The 23-year-old midfielder joins S2 from Cameroon top flight club Lion Blesse de Fotouni where he played from 2013 until his move to S2 for the 2016 season.
2016 SEASON SO FAR
Sounders FC 2 currently sit at the bottom of the Western Conference standings with a record of 1-4-3. S2 kicked off the 2016 season with three straight losses, including their season opener against Republic FC which was a 1-0 loss for the Washington club. S2 finally snapped the loss streak with a tie against Rio Grande Valley FC Toros.
The club’s first win of the season was a 1-0 win versus Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC at Starfire Stadium. S2 went on to collect two more points with ties against Real Monarchs SLC and OKC Energy FC. S2 enters this Saturday’s match against Republic FC after most recently falling 2-1 to Tulsa Roughnecks FC on May 8.
SATURDAY’S MATCH
Saturday’s match between Republic FC and Seattle Sounders FC 2 starts at 7:30 p.m. at Bonney Field. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com. The match will be live streamed at www.sacrepublicfc.com/matchday via the USL Youtube channel and updates will be provided via Twitter at @SacRepublicFC or using #SACvSEA.
