Republic FC continues its three-match home stand this weekend against defending champion San Antonio FC to Heart Health Park for the first time since last June. With three more important points on the line, it’s a great opportunity for the club to bounce back from last week’s tough defeat.
It’s always a tight contest against the Texas side. Every match the clubs have played against each other has been decided by one score or less; through 11 all-time contests, each club has recorded four wins, with both scoring ten times. The two squads meeting in April ended as a scoreless draw, and both of last season’s ended 1-0. This week’s matchup figures to be much of the same.
“They’re a very physical group, and a very direct group so if you don’t match them physically, if you don’t match them from a mentality standpoint, you’re in for a difficult night,” Briggs continued. “So we’ve got to make sure we turn up and we’ve got to make sure we understand what they bring. And we’ve got to be ready for a fight.”
“San Antonio is a good team and they do what they do really well,” said Conor Donovan Thursday. “They’re a more direct, physical team.”
Little changes for the club following last week. They still sit just a point out of first place entering the match, and last week, were dangerous for all 90 minutes. This week’s fixture is a big opportunity for Sacramento.
“The confidence is still there, and so is the belief,” said Jack Gurr of the club’s mindset leading up to the match. “We wouldn’t be where we are if we didn’t believe in ourselves, and we weren’t confident.”
A second straight week at Heart Health Park should also boost the Quails, who have fallen at home only three times since the start of last season. In addition, the club bested San Antonio on home turf last season.
“We don’t want to lose games at home,” Briggs continued. “Good teams bounce back – we have a perfect opportunity to bounce back against the defending champions, against one of the best teams in the league. No better chance to bounce back against such a good opponent.”
