Another huge U.S. Open Cup fixture is on the docket this week, as Republic FC heads south to Dignity Health Sports Park for a quarterfinal meeting with Major League Soccer’s LA Galaxy. All eyes will be on this one, especially following the club’s thrilling win over San Jose in the Round of 16. Sacramento is as ready as ever to deliver another stunner in the quest for domestic glory.
At a Glance: #SACvLA
- Tuesday, June 21
- 7:30 p.m. PT kickoff
- Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, California
- How to watch: ESPN+
State of the Tournament
Just eight teams remain in this year’s edition of the U.S. Open Cup, with the first quarterfinal matches set to be played this week. In addition to the match between Sacramento and Los Angeles, New York City FC and New York Red Bulls will face off in a Hudson River Derby, Orlando City SC will host Nashville SC, and USL League One side Union Omaha will hit the road to face Sporting KC. The winner of Sacramento v LA Galaxy will face the winner of Kansas City v Omaha, and the winner of Orlando v Nashville will take on the New York side that advances.
Republic FC – The Latest
An interesting quirk in the schedule sets the stage for this match – Saturday, Sacramento took on their opponent’s younger brother in league play, defeating Los Dos 2-0. Another remarkable defensive performance and two timely scores from Rafa Jauregui and Luther Archimede gave Sacramento jolt after a quiet 60 minutes to open the match.
It’ll be all hands on deck for Sacramento Tuesday. It’s the only match that matters to the squad, who sees it as another chance to make history and leave their stamp on another big game. Mark Briggs will have zero limitations as he pieces together the best group of players he thinks can get the win. The squad enters with two goals to dictate the match – remain hard to break down on defense, and take advantage of any mistake they are gifted.
Know Your Opponent
Los Angeles enters with the same schedule disadvantage Sacramento does, having played this past Saturday. However, Galaxy will be at home for the third straight match. Prior to the international break, they took down Austin FC 4-1, and this past weekend split points with Portland in a hard-fought affair decided in the final minutes.
So far this season, they’ve kept up with some of the league’s best, riding the scoring prowess of Chicharito (6 goals in 2022) and the surprising excellence of Jonathan Bond in goal to 5th in the Western Conference table, just six back of the top spot.
To reach the quarterfinal round, the SoCal club took down a trio of regional foes. Their opening contest saw them line up opposite a familiar face – Landon Donovan-led San Diego Loyal SC – and take a 1-0 victory. The Round of 32 matched them up with NISA club Cal United Strikers FC and emerge victorious 3-2, before they defeated LAFC 3-1 in an Open Cup El Trafico May 25.
Head to Head
Tuesday will mark the second all-time meeting between Republic FC and LA Galaxy. The pair faced each other in the 2017 Open Cup, with Sacramento travelling south and falling in a 2-0 result. In an interesting quirk – prior to that matchup, Republic FC also faced Los Dos just days prior.
