Sacramento, Calif.– On Wednesday, USL Championship announced that Republic FC Head Coach Mark Briggs has been named the league’s Coach of the Month for June. The USL Championship’s Coach of the Month award is voted upon by the USL Championship National Media Panel and the USL Championship Technical Committee, with each group responsible for 50 percent of the overall vote. Briggs took 70 percent of the June poll to earn his first career Coach of the Month Honor.
Briggs led Republic FC to a perfect 5-0-0 on the month, including the club’s impressive victory in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal. His club started off the month by defeating Western Conference leader San Antonio FC at Heart Health Park, before traveling to Detroit and issuing Detroit City FC their first home loss in any competition in two years – both shutout victories.
“Mark’s work throughout this season, from collaborating on the construction of the roster to leading the technical staff and players daily, has been tremendous,” said Republic FC President and General Manager Todd Dunivant. “The run of form in June is indicative of how we want to play and compete every time we step on the field.”
After defeating Le Rouge on June 11, Republic FC returned home with a difficult stretch ahead. In the club’s third consecutive clean sheet win, Briggs’ squad defeated LA Galaxy II, before defeating the parent club 2-1 in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal just three days later in Carson. Sacramento rounded out the week and month with a thrilling come-from-behind victory led by his substitutes against local foe Monterey Bay F.C. in their third contest in eight days on June 25.
Briggs’ squad outscored their opponents 9-2 in June, and tallied three clean sheets, tied for the top mark in USL. For the month,Sacramento posted the lowest Expected Goals Against rating of any team in the league at 2.1 for an average of 0.42 xGA per match. In league matches, the club conceded only one score on the month – the best tally of any Western Conference club and the second best mark in the league to Birmingham Legion FC.
In 2017 he was named USL Coach of the Year, after leading Real Monarchs SLC to the 2017 Regular Season Championship title.
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+.
