Earlier today, the USL Championship announced that Republic FC goalkeeper Carlos Saldaña (pronunciation: Sal-dawn-ya) is nominated for Fan’s Choice Save of the Week for Week 26. Voting is open now at USLChampionship.com on the USL App and the USL Championship’s social channels through Friday, September 8 at 9:00 a.m. PT.
Just after the mid-way point of the first half, an outstretched dive by Saldaña kept a dangerous opportunity for rival Oakland Roots out of net. After a cross in from the right, the Vallejo native’s all-out effort sent away a close-range shot from Roots SC’s Lindo Mfeka in the 27th minute – keeping Sacramento’s advantage intact. The stop was one of six saves recorded by Saldaña in Republic FC’s 1-0 win Saturday over rival Oakland Roots SC.
This is Saldaña’s first nomination for the weekly league honor this season. In 2022, he won the fan vote for Week 26 Save of the Week, eventually earning a nomination for 2022 Save of the Year for an all-out diving save against Louisville City FC. It is the second nomination this season for a Republic FC goalkeeper after Danny Vitiello was nominated in Week 6. Alongside his nomination for Save of the Week, Saldaña was named to the league’s Best XI for his six-save performance in the club’s shutout victory. Voting is open now at USLChampionship.com on the USL App and the USL Championship’s social channels through Friday, September 8 at 9:00 a.m. PT.
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+.
