Republic FC fell 1-0 to Monterey Bay F.C. last Saturday night, ending their four-match unbeaten run. While Sacramento did well to generate opportunities, the final touch in the attacking third kept Sacramento from scoring for only the third time this season. Monterey Bay evened the all-time fixture with Republic FC as a result.
After the match, the club emphasized a need to refocus and get back to basics. A pair of tough results have seen the club perform well, but not come away with three points.
“We just have to get back to doing the basics, get back to doing what got us to the place where we are,” said Head Coach Mark Briggs after the match. “We’ve just got to focus on ourselves and make sure that we’re doing the maximum. We’ll be okay, but as I said it’s a disappointing result.”
“We put a big emphasis on clean sheets. We had a lot in the first six or seven games, and they’ve kind of dried up since,” said Lee Desmond of the club’s defensive performance.
All evening, the Quails pressed their Seaside foes. Sacramento tallied 22 shots for the match – a season high and the club’s highest total since tallying 23 in a 4-0 win last September against Loudoun United FC. Republic FC was awarded 11 corner kicks, and held 70% of the possession balance, both among all-time bests. An equalizer nearly came on more than one occasion.
Another tough test lies ahead of them. San Antonio FC has held pace in the Western Conference table with three straight draws, including a mid-week fixture at San Diego. In April, the two sides played to a scoreless stalemate in the Lone Star State.
When asked if the club could rebound, Lee Desmond noted “I don’t question that at all. It’s a really good group. We’ll bounce back, make sure we train properly all week.”
“Adversity is something that you’re going to face, and you have to face,” continued Briggs. “So it’s happening to us right now and we’ve got to stick together as a group and understand that adversity can be a good thing when it’s faced it’s faced correctly and overcome.”
