On Tuesday, the USL Championship announced that Republic FC goalkeeper Carlos Saldaña has been named to Team of the Week for Week 26. With the playoff race heating up, the Vallejo native recorded six saves in Republic FC’s shutout win over Northern California rival Oakland Roots SC on September 2. The result marked the first time that either side has won on the road in the rivalry and helped Sacramento retake the top spot in the Western Conference table.
After his club went up early in the match, Saldaña put in a standout performance to earn his second clean sheet of the season and the club’s 10th overall – third best in the league. His first stellar save came just before the half-hour mark as Oakland looked to equalize, but a diving effort by Saldaña kept the hosts off the scoresheet. He went on to record six saves and three punches to secure Republic FC’s perfect 3-0 record against Roots across all competitions this year.
The selection is the second of Saldaña’s USL Championship career and first to the league’s top XI after previously earning a selection to the Team of the Week Bench in 2022. Since joining the club midway through the 2021 season, Saldaña has won multiple fan votes, including Save of the Week and Save of the Month, while also earning a nomination for the league’s Save of the Year. This season, Republic FC players have combined to earn 24 selections to the league’s weekly top squad.
Republic FC will return to the pitch on Saturday, September 16 when the club hosts El Paso Locomotive on Noche Latina powered by SMUD. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. and tickets are available at SacRepublicFC.com/tickets. The match will also be broadcast live in English & Spanish on Antenna TV 40.2, FOX40.com, and the FOX40 News mobile app, as well as streaming on ESPN+.