A 1-1 draw was the result of Republic FC’s home opener on Saturday night, marking the ninth consecutive year the club has netted at least a point in its first home match of the season. Despite falling down a goal – and a man – in the first half, the club battled back in the second to draw level and stay atop the Western Conference table to begin the young season.
Sacramento had their backs against the wall at times during the match, but never let it define the night. Coming off a strong performance in Week 1, Charleston found net first in the 22nd minute on a set piece opportunity. Not 15 minutes later Sacramento went down to 10 men after Luis Felipe was shown a second caution, making the task of coming from behind even more difficult. In response, the club didn’t pack it in, but instead pushed harder to get something out of the game by showing immense mental toughness in the face of adversity. The club often were better than the visitors even while down a player.
“…I was really pleased with the mentality and the quality that the boys showed, especially in the second half,” said Head Coach Mark Briggs after the match. “We asked them to come out with a little more intensity and come out with a little more energy and just run for as long as they could run, and they all gave everything they did and that’s what ultimately ended up with us getting a point.”
“It was all about showing what we’re about, and getting the fans behind us, said Jack Gurr. “8 men, 9 men, 10 men – it doesn’t matter. We wanted to show our heart. We wanted to show that we can push together. And to be honest, we had a chance at winning at the end. But you know, it shows how strong we are as a group. And it’s a positive…we’ll get together and we’ll come back next week.”
The score that got Sacramento the result again came from the connection between Jack Gurr and newcomer Russell Cicerone – one that seems to be growing fast already this season. For the second straight contest, each player was on the scoresheet, this time with Cicerone assisting and Gurr finding the net. The pair has already given a jolt to the club this season and helped make them dangerous in the attacking half; after Rodrigo Lopez, each ranks among the club’s leaders in shots and chances created. Cicerone nearly found the net early on, hitting the crossbar in the first half from distance.
“It was good movement down the left and Jack made a great run off the far post, hit it, and kept it low, and got it got his goal – and that’s what we want,” Briggs said of Gurr’s first score of the season. “We’re really pleased to obviously get the ball rolling and get the momentum and in the second half, I thought we were the better team.”
It’s possible the club may not have been able to get the result they did without the fan support that showed up on Saturday night. A sellout crowd of 11,569 at Heart Health Park was loud all evening rooting for their boys as they battled for all 90 minutes.
“The atmosphere was incredible. And to be honest, they gave the players extra energy – an extra yard in their running, extra strength in their tackling,” Briggs continued. “The fans were absolutely incredible. The atmosphere was unbelievable.”
