It’s a yearly tradition – Republic FC soccer under the lights of Heart Health Park with the sights and sounds of the California State Fair in the background. Some of the club’s most memorable moments have come from these matches, and this year the club is preparing to host Eastern Conference side Memphis 901 FC, an opponent that is new to the Indomitable Club.
Republic FC can extend its three game unbeaten streak and defend its league-leasing home record with a positive result on Saturday night. In it’s most recent outing, the club earned a point on the road against Eastern Conference leader Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. “It’s been a good week of training – good intensity, good focus,” said Head Coach Mark Briggs. “It’s about taking advantage of a great result that we got last week in Pittsburgh and coming home and trying to do all that we can to get three points.”
Last week’s draw also earned Republic FC its 7th clean sheet of the season, a big emphasis for the club as it looks to maintain its streak as the league’s top defense. “That was our focus last week, to get back to getting shutouts,” said Defender Conor Donovan. “So this week, it’s the same. We’re just trying to be hard to beat.” And with some of its regular starters sidelined with injuries the past couple of weeks, Donovan says that recent results are a testament to the club’s talent at every position: “That’s something we pride ourselves on – having a deep squad and having everyone step up. It’s the next man up mentality.”
With a majority of its remaining matches on the road, Republic FC is focused on another strong performance in front of its home crowd. “We’ve got a really difficult scheduling coming up, so we’ve got to make sure that when we’re at home, we’re executing and we’re getting points,” continued Briggs. “We need to keep performing and getting results, because that just instills more confidence and belief in the team.”
Memphis comes into Saturday’s match in better form, fresh off a come-from-behind draw in Oakland on Wednesday. “They got a good result in Oakland and they’re a better team than their previous two results suggest. They’re well coached, and they’ve got good players. So we’ll have to make sure we’re on our front foot,” continued Briggs. In addition to all the action on the field, the team is looking forward to the atmosphere that comes along with State Fair games. “These matches are a great part of our club. Fans get to go have fun at the fair and then come to cheer us on,” said Briggs. “And we’ve got to make sure we give the fans something to be excited about, something to be happy about, and get a win.”
