Right on the heels of a big night in the U.S. Open Cup, Republic FC gets back on the horse in South Carolina to take on Charleston Battery. Saturday’s match will pit Sacramento against their fourth Eastern Conference foe of the season, with a chance to claim their first league win since June 25.
At a Glance: #SACvCHS
- Saturday, July 30
- 4:30 p.m. PT kickoff
- Patriots Point Soccer Stadium, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
- How to watch: English and Spanish broadcasts available on Antenna TV 40.2, FOX40.com and the FOX40 News mobile app, streaming on ESPN+
Republic FC – The Latest
The magic of the Open Cup continued for Republic FC on Wednesday. As was all too predictable, a tightly fought contest with Sporting Kansas City finished scoreless, pushing the match to a penalty shootout where Sacramento took the win. The defensive effort from the Quails was tremendous all night – blocking 14 shots from Sporting while Danny Vitiello put in a Herculean effort between the sticks. Heart rates were high, but in the end, the moment didn’t get the best of them.
As a busy stretch continues for Mark Briggs’ Men, Sacramento will look to get anything from Saturday’s contest they can. Every player on the roster will need to be ready to contribute, but Sacramento’s proven they can compete no matter who’s on the pitch repeatedly this season. With the momentum of two strong defensive performances in tow, a strong follow-up performance is certainly possible.
Know Your Opponent
Entering in a run of good form, Charleston will surely challenge Sacramento on all fronts. After being shut out in three straight contests from July 2-13, the club has turned around and netted six scores in its last two games. Most recently, they kept pace with Colorado Springs’ high-octane offensive attack in a 3-3 draw, netting the equalizer in stoppage time.
The season’s first half has not been too kind to the South Carolina club, who has claimed just 13 points on the season. Tough times in June and July resulted in five straight losses. However, they’ve continued to compete night in and night out with a talented attacking unit led by striker Augustine Williams. The former San Diego Loyal loanee has netted 10 scores on the year, tied for the fifth-most in the entire league.
Head to Head
The match is set to be the second all time between Republic FC and Charleston Battery. The two sides haven’t faced off since Sacramento’s inaugural season – a match on August 27, 2014 that saw Rodrigo Lopez put in a brace at Heart Health Park in a 3-1 win. On the stat sheet this season, Charleston enters having conceded the second most scores in the league with 44, compared to a scant 19 from Sacramento. Battery has been slightly better on the offensive end, netting 24 scores to Sacramento’s 22 and converting on 12% of their attempts.
