A clash between two of the top squads in the league Saturday lived up to the billing, as Republic FC split the points in the Steel City with Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. All evening, both sides threatened, but neither was allowed many premium chances as each backline stood tall. Sacramento maintained its spot atop the league standings, extending its unbeaten streak to three matches.
The result netted Sacramento its first clean sheet since April 26. Danny Vitiello earned Man of the Match honors with four saves, including a huge denial of a 65th minute chance by Pittsburgh’s Albert Dikwa on the break. All season, a big emphasis has been placed on collective defending and being tough to play against – through 18 matches, Sacramento is the only club in the league to not allow more than one goal in any game.
“Obviously that was a big thing going into this week,” Vitiello said after the match. “We want to get back to getting clean sheets and being tough to break down and tough to score on, because obviously if we don’t allow goals, we can’t lose. And we did that tonight. Our backline did really well to hold their own and we’re happy with it.”
“We knew coming here it was gonna be a fight – it was going to be a battle. And I asked the guys to embrace defending, to embrace winning individual battles, to embrace keeping a clean sheet,” said Head Coach Mark Briggs. “And that’s what the guys have done tonight so I’m really proud of them.”
Sacramento’s depth shined again, as Zeke Padilla entered late off the bench as Sacramento searched for a goal and Johnny Fenwick stepped in to help the club see out the match defensively. After injuries left the club shorthanded against Rio Grande Valley, the squad is coming back to full strength – Lee Desmond, Shane Wiedt, and Matt LaGrassa all returned to the pitch after missing time, and Luther Archimède returned to the club from international duty.
“Last week people stepped up and then tonight again, people stepped up,” said Mark Briggs of his squad’s next man up mentality. “It’s great to get Matt [LaGrassa] back from injury, Lee [Desmond] back from injury, Shane [Wiedt] back from injury, and then hopefully we can get Luis [Felipe], Sebastian [Herrera], and Jack [Gurr] back in the next few weeks. But right now it’s about the next man stepping up and the next man performing and the next man getting results.”
Sacramento now faces another strong Eastern Conference Opponent in Memphis 901 FC, the first time the Quails will face the Tennessee side. The California State Fair will be in the background of the first of two matches this month. Kickoff is set for 8:00 p.m. from Heart Health Park.
