The Indomitable Club celebrates Pride Night at Heart Health Park this week as defending champion San Antonio FC makes its only scheduled visit this season. Both clubs enter the match without a win in their last three, and with a chance to secure the season fixture after a scoreless draw split the points between them on April 8.
At a Glance: #SACvSA
- Pre and Post-Match Party: Rock & Brews
- Gates open at 6:30 p.m., kickoff at 8:00 p.m.
- Heart Health Park, Sacramento, California
- Tickets
- Watch: FOX40, Antenna TV 40.2, FOX40.com and the FOX40 News Mobile App, ESPN+
Republic FC – The Latest
Mark Briggs Men suffered just their second loss of the 2023 season last week, falling to Monterey Bay F.C. Getting the right final touch in the attacking third proved the deciding factor as the club outshot Union 22-5, but ended the match without a goal for only the second time this year. The club sits just a point behind El Paso for first place in the West, and still holds the league’s best goal differential at +17.
Sacramento will be without forward Luther Archimède for the contest as he represents Guadeloupe at the Concacaf Gold Cup. The forward appeared in both of his nation’s preliminary qualifying matches against Antigua & Barbuda and Guyana.
Know Your Opponent
Since the start of May, San Antonio has been the league’s top offensive squad, scoring at least twice in all but one match. Highlighting that run was a 7-0 drubbing of East leader Charleston Battery, where four different players found the back of the net. Last week, they played to two draws against San Diego and El Paso.
The club comes West without two contributors. Defenders Shannon Gomez and Lamar Bautista will each miss the match – Gomez on international duty with Trinidad and Tobago at the Concacaf Gold Cup, and Bautista serving a disciplinary suspension. The club added a midseason signing Wednesday to fill the gap, bringing on defender Ismalia Jome, who most recently featured for Portland Timbers and Portland Timbers 2.
Players to Watch
San Antonio forward Samuel Adeniran has found the net in each of his squad’s last two matches. Last Wednesday in El Paso, he netted a go-ahead score at the hour mark, and Saturday against San Diego, he pulled his club level from the penalty spot just after half time. On the season, Adeniran has scored four goals and recorded one assist as one of the focal points of the club’s direct, aggressive style.
Republic FC was without forward Sebastian Herrera in the two club’s April fixture that ended in a 0-0 draw. Herrera has three scores on the year in league play, with the last coming on May 26 at Hartford.
Head to Head
The all-time fixture between Sacramento and San Antonio is as even as it could be entering Saturday. Through 11 contests, each club has recorded four wins and scored ten goals. The last four matches between the two sides have ended 1-0, and every match has been decided by one score or less. At Heart Health Park, Sacramento has a record of 3-1-1.
