In the third game of the club’s four-match road stretch, Republic FC came away with another crucial point. A 1-1 draw with Birmingham Legion FC extended the club’s unbeaten run to four matches, and in doing so, kept Sacramento atop the Western Conference at 45 points.
Birmingham showed their best against the Indomitable Club with an aggressive approach on both ends, making for a hard-fought 90 minutes against the Magic City side. Sacramento threatened throughout the contest, dominating on possession by holding nearly 60% of the ball for the match – the fourth-highest mark for the club in a match this season.
“The guys showed good character to come from a goal down, and get back in the game,” said Head Coach Mark Briggs following the match. “But I thought it was a game that we should be taking, that we should have got more from. I just said to them they showed great character, but we’ve got to be disappointed with that because I felt we should be coming out with three points.”
“We know that we’re first in the table, so every team wants to beat us,” said forward Luther Archimède. “Every time we go away or every time we play at home, we know that we have to show why we are at the top of the table. So we know that we have to come with intensity, play our best soccer, and play on the front foot.”
Archimède’s equalizer helped continue the club’s streak of resilient performances. Saturday marked the club’s fourth come-from-behind result this season, all of which have come against top opponents in playoff position in Charleston Battery, Tampa Bay Rowdies, and Memphis 901 FC. Last week, Sacramento held strong after going down to ten men for a clean sheet win. Since July, the club has been without key contributors due to injury – but still secured points week after week due to contributions from across the roster.
The club now has just one road match remaining before returning home for the highly-anticipated 10th anniversary match at Hughes Stadium. It’s been a tough stretch – but a rewarding one thus far as the club’s claimed points every time out. Another trip East to face Loudoun United FC awaits this coming Saturday.
