Sacramento, Calif. – On Tuesday, the USL Championship announced Republic FC captain Rodrigo Lopez was named to the league’s Team of the Week for Week 18. The central midfielder helped lead Sacramento to a last second draw against Oakland Roots SC, keeping the club unbeaten at Heart Health Park this season.
Lopez led Sacramento’s offensive effort throughout the match. He got the Indomitable Club on the board in the 11th minute with the opening score, punching through a pass from Maalique Foster for his seventh goal of the 2022 season. The midfielder led Sacramento with 12 final third entries, and finished the contest tied for the club lead with three chances created to keep him in the top-10 league wide. Lopez helped put the finishing touch on the match in the final seconds of stoppage time, beating a defender on the right before sending in a perfect cross headed through by Luis Felipe for the equalizer. The game-tying score has also been nominated for Week 18 Goal of the Week.
The selection is Lopez’s fourth of the 2022 season. He last earned the honor in Week 14 for his performance in Sacramento’s road win over Detroit City FC on June 11. It is the 17th selection of his career to the league’s weekly top squad.
Republic FC is back in action this weekend when the club welcomes Birmingham Legion FC to Heart Health Park. Saturday’s contest is the first match to coincide with California State Fair since 2019. Fans are encouraged to arrive early and use their ticket to enter the State Fair to avoid lines and parking changes. Kickoff is set for 8:00 p.m. and tickets to the match are available at SacRepublicFC.com/single-match-tickets. The match will be broadcast live on FOX40, Antenna TV 40.2, FOX40.com and the FOX 40 App, and streamed live on ESPN+.
