Riding an 11-match undefeated streak and finishing the regular season first in the West, Sacramento Republic FC are busy this week focusing on what the need to accomplish on and off the pitch to make a strong playoff run in the 2016 USL Cup Playoffs.
Republic FC are eager to use their momentum from winning the conference regular season title to their advantage whey they host Orange County Blues FC on Saturday in the Western Conference Quarterfinals.
“It means an awful lot because as a club that’s only three years old, we want to keep making [club] history and we’ve done that with this group,” said Head Coach and Technical Director Paul Buckle, “But now it’s about Cup football and that’s where we’re turning our heads—knockout football where you need to be at your very, very best.”
To do their best, Republic FC will need to do exactly what they have been doing right on the pitch: continue to playing well with strong finishing up top and tough defending and goalkeeping.
After four different players—Mackenzie Pridham, Cameron Iwasa, Danny Barrera and Harry Williams—scored in their 4-0 win over Tulsa Roughnecks FC on Saturday, the pieces are certainly starting to click for Republic FC. In the final eight matches of the regular season, Republic FC scored 17 goals, a 55% increase from the previous eight matches where they scored 11 goals.
Meanwhile, a cohesive defense will also be key to a strong postseason performance. During the current 11-match undefeated streak, Republic FC has recorded six of their 12 shutouts this season.
“It’s early in the week so we’re getting the boys up and running,” said Buckle. “It’s about not changing too much; we played very well last weekend.”
Apart from continuing to play well on the field, Buckle plans on keeping his squad as a united group where each player, no matter the minutes they play or goals they score, plays a key role in making the team successful. For Buckle, there is no one player that will make a difference in playoffs, instead it making sure each player does his part.
“Everybody is fighting for a position, everybody wants to be part of the playoffs. But the one thing that stands out to me is the squad we’ve got together. Everybody does their part,” said Buckle. “I shook everybody’s hand this morning—all the players [not on the roster this] weekend—they’ve all played a great part on the field, off the field and in training. I just want to continue that, let’s see if we can go all the way.”
And while the club is looking into the future as opposed to dwelling in the recent past, the journey to the club’s success has been due to long, hard work cumulating in the Western Conference regular season title. Buckle noted that the accomplishment belonged not just to the players, but staff and fans as well.
“I’m very proud,” said Buckle. “All my career—as a player, as a coach—it was about finishing in the top of the league. That’s something we wanted to do, all of us, and it was the first thing we could do as a group… It’s proved we’ve been good all year as a club—our players, our staff, our supporters—to bring home the Western Conference title.”
Republic FC will host Orange County Blues FC at Bonney Field this Saturday, Oct. 1 in the Western Conference Quarterfinals. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. Tickets are still available at Ticketmaster.com.
Riding an 11-match undefeated streak and finishing the regular season first in the West, Sacramento Republic FC are busy this week focusing on what the need to accomplish on and off the pitch to make a strong playoff run in the 2016 USL Cup Playoffs.
Republic FC are eager to use their momentum from winning the conference regular season title to their advantage whey they host Orange County Blues FC on Saturday in the Western Conference Quarterfinals.
“It means an awful lot because as a club that’s only three years old, we want to keep making [club] history and we’ve done that with this group,” said Head Coach and Technical Director Paul Buckle, “But now it’s about Cup football and that’s where we’re turning our heads—knockout football where you need to be at your very, very best.”
To do their best, Republic FC will need to do exactly what they have been doing right on the pitch: continue to playing well with strong finishing up top and tough defending and goalkeeping.
After four different players—Mackenzie Pridham, Cameron Iwasa, Danny Barrera and Harry Williams—scored in their 4-0 win over Tulsa Roughnecks FC on Saturday, the pieces are certainly starting to click for Republic FC. In the final eight matches of the regular season, Republic FC scored 17 goals, a 55% increase from the previous eight matches where they scored 11 goals.
Meanwhile, a cohesive defense will also be key to a strong postseason performance. During the current 11-match undefeated streak, Republic FC has recorded six of their 12 shutouts this season.
“It’s early in the week so we’re getting the boys up and running,” said Buckle. “It’s about not changing too much; we played very well last weekend.”
Apart from continuing to play well on the field, Buckle plans on keeping his squad as a united group where each player, no matter the minutes they play or goals they score, plays a key role in making the team successful. For Buckle, there is no one player that will make a difference in playoffs, instead it making sure each player does his part.
“Everybody is fighting for a position, everybody wants to be part of the playoffs. But the one thing that stands out to me is the squad we’ve got together. Everybody does their part,” said Buckle. “I shook everybody’s hand this morning—all the players [not on the roster this] weekend—they’ve all played a great part on the field, off the field and in training. I just want to continue that, let’s see if we can go all the way.”
And while the club is looking into the future as opposed to dwelling in the recent past, the journey to the club’s success has been due to long, hard work cumulating in the Western Conference regular season title. Buckle noted that the accomplishment belonged not just to the players, but staff and fans as well.
“I’m very proud,” said Buckle. “All my career—as a player, as a coach—it was about finishing in the top of the league. That’s something we wanted to do, all of us, and it was the first thing we could do as a group… It’s proved we’ve been good all year as a club—our players, our staff, our supporters—to bring home the Western Conference title.”
Republic FC will host Orange County Blues FC at Bonney Field this Saturday, Oct. 1 in the Western Conference Quarterfinals. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. Tickets are still available at Ticketmaster.com.
