After tallying their third straight home win to stay undefeated at Heart Health Park on Saturday night, Republic FC takes to the Midwest, where they’ll face a USL Championship newcomer. Week 14’s action takes Sacramento to Detroit, where they’ll face off with Detroit City FC for the first time, as well as meet a club similar to themselves – one strong at home and that never quits even against the best in the league.
Last Week’s Drama
In their first action in two weeks, Detroit City FC split points with Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on June 4th. They earned every bit of the point they claimed, as constant pressure from Pittsburgh nearly put them and their depleted roster down multiple scores before the half. But a couple of lucky breaks paired with excellent goalkeeping kept the club afloat, allowing them to make the most of the few chances they manufactured. Eventually, midfielder Maxi Rodriguez broke through to equalize for his club in the 70th minute and their backline would hold strong to come home with a point in hand and maintain their hold on third place in the East.
Detroit This Season
The club has been the surprise contender of the Eastern Conference in 2022 – jumping out to third in the table behind a hot April where they won four straight. But aside from that streak, they’ve dropped points just twice, once to San Antonio on opening night, and once to an outstanding individual performance from FC Tulsa’s Joaquin Rivas – both on the road. Fueling their strong start to the season has been great form on the offensive end, where they’ve converted at an impressive 19% clip behind the contributions of Rodriguez, Pato Botello, and Antoine Hoppenot, who missed the club’s last match but should be back this week.
Just like Republic FC, Detroit City has been excellent at home this season and has yet to lose at Keyworth Stadium. On offense, they’ve outscored their opponents 13-6 on their home turf, and defensively, a similar three back set to Sacramento’s has allowed them to tally three clean sheets.
Head to Head
Saturday’s match will be the first-ever contest between the two clubs. Thus far, they have faced a pair of similar opponents in San Antonio FC, who Sacramento beat last week, and FC Tulsa, who Sacramento beat with late heroics on March 27. San Antonio bested Detroit in opening night, and FC Tulsa took three points from the club on May 7. Head to head scoring favors Detroit, who enters the match with a goal differential of +10, eight better than Sacramento’s +2.
