Republic FC closes out its 2023 road slate this weekend as the club heads to South Texas to face Rio Grande Valley FC at H-E-B Park. After a strong win at Heart Health Park Sunday, the club enters Week 31 of the regular season in first place in the West standings on 58 points.
At a Glance: #SACvRGV
- 5:00 PM PT Kickoff
- H-E-B Park, Edinburg, Texas
- Watch: Antenna TV 40.2, FOX40.com and the FOX40 News Mobile App, ESPN+
- Watch Party: Mojo’s Local Tap & Kitchen – 1431 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
Republic FC – The Latest
Sacramento enters the match in good form following Sunday’s 2-0 victory at Heart Health Park. Behind sound halftime adjustments, the club netted two scores after the break and performed well on the defensive end to secure its club-record 13th clean sheet of the season in league play. Two from the club earned league recognition from the result, as Keko was named to Team of the Week and Danny Vitiello was nominated for Save of the Week.
In a historic moment for American soccer, 13-year-old Da’vian Kimbrough made his pro debut in the 87th minute of the club’s last contest, become the youngest professional to appear in American soccer history. Rodrigo Lopez continued his climb up the club record books, with his appearance off the bench moving him into second all-time in club history with 121 appearances across all competitions.
Know Your Opponent
Rio Grande Valley has a tough week. On Wednesday, they played a rescheduled contest in Hartford before traveling back to welcome Sacramento. They entered the week on three unbeaten results, including two straight victories over Birmingham Legion and postseason-bound Indy Eleven. They play their final two contests of the year – this weekend against Sacramento and next against Loudoun United – on home soil as they look to lock up a playoff spot.
Last week, the club played to a 1-1 draw with Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. It was a dramatic contest – with the Toros stealing a point at the very end behind a 98th minute score from Taylor Davila. Rio Grande Valley finished the match with ten men as Frank Lopez was shown a red card in the final ten minutes.
Players to Watch
Taylor Davila has been one of Rio Grande Valley’s top contributors this season. In the July 1 meeting between Sacramento and RGV, the former LA Galaxy product netted an equalizer in the final seconds of stoppage time to steal a point. He did the same against Colorado Springs over the weekend – scoring in the 98th minute with his club down both a goal and a man late.
Keko was involved in the attack all afternoon on Sunday against Las Vegas. The Spaniard scored the game-winner early in the second half and was active from the flanks, serving 12 crosses and creating three scoring chances. For the season, he’s scored four goals and assisted seven times.
Head-to-Head
Republic FC and RGV FC played to a 1-1 draw in their previous contest this season, with the Toros scoring late to even the score line after Nick Ross put Sacramento ahead. The contest was the second of four straight unbeaten results for the club from June into July.
All-time, the Indomitable Club has the edge in 12 contests against the South Texas club, claiming five wins and five draws. RGV has taken two contests, the most recent coming on April 23, 2022 in the final moments of the match. Republic FC was unbeaten in the fixture for three seasons from 2016 to 2018.
