Republic FC makes its first trip to the Eastern Time Zone since the club’s inaugural season this week, taking the pitch for the third time in eight days on Sunday against New York Red Bulls II. It’ll be a demanding match for the club, as their tough stretch doesn’t end there – on the other end, they’ve got an important Open Cup match against Phoenix Rising FC.
To get a crucial three points in enemy territory, having the right mentality will be paramount, even against an opponent that’s struggled this season. A road contest always poses a challenge – Sacramento’s yet to win on the road this season – and adding to the spectacle is that previous action in USL league play hasn’t taken the club to the east coast since 2014.
“We love our fans at Heart Health Park, but going on the road provides a different atmosphere,” said Duke Lacroix. “We need to be a little better, a little sharper, and a little more focused.”
A positive turn Sunday will go a long way in helping Sacramento to regain their confidence after a few difficult matches. Their past two results have been a bit tough to swallow, scoring just once on 25 shots against Las Vegas and settling for a point with New Mexico Wednesday. It’s resulted in some frustrations, knowing that they are doing things well, but the club has doubled down on their prep to find a way to break the cycle and take pressure off of themselves.
“The performance [Wednesday] was very good, but we didn’t capitalize on the opportunities that we had,” said Mark Briggs. “We’ve got to continue going.”
If the club can keep with what they’ve done well the past few weeks, a positive result should come their way – not often does a scoring slump stay when you’re manufacturing as many chances as Sacramento has recently, as well as playing stellar defense. It’s possible the effort of just one player could turn the tide, too.
“I think someone finding the back of the net will open the floodgates,” said Conor Donovan.
“I feel like we’re doing a lot of good stuff,” Briggs continued. “We’re getting into the final third – it’s just that last final effort. We’re creating opportunities in double figures every game – so the goals will come.”
