With the dust settled from the first round of the playoffs, Republic FC is set to face reigning champion San Antonio FC later tonight in the Western Conference semifinal. Each enters the contest off a shutout win in the Conference Quarterfinals, with Sacramento besting eighth-seeded New Mexico and San Antonio defeating fifth-seeded Colorado Springs.
It’s a highly anticipated match as both clubs were among the league’s best during the regular season. Republic FC claimed the top seed in the Western Conference and four points from two games against the Texas side. San Antonio was the league’s highest scoring team and was as tough to play against as any opponent in the league all year.
“The champions are coming into town. They won it all last year,” said Head Coach Mark Briggs at Wednesday’s training session. “So it’s a difficult opponent, a difficult team, and we’ve got to make sure that we’re on the front foot, and we’re prepared for whatever they’re going to throw at us.”
“It’s a big game. Anytime you play in the playoffs it’s going to be huge,” Lee Desmond said of Friday night’s contest. “We’re going to be ready, and the confidence is high in this group. A lot of the time, I feel the playoff games are about who wants it more.”
Each of the two regular season matchups between Sacramento and San Antonio in the regular season were tightly contested. A scoreless draw sent each home from Toyota Field with a point in April, and in June, a physical battle for all 90 minutes saw Republic FC come away three points. All-time, only one game between the two clubs has been decided by more than one goal.
“We’re under no illusions – we’re up against a very good team, a well-coached team and a team that has an attitude and a mentality that we have to match in order to get where we want to get,” Briggs continued.
The unrelenting support of Sacramento’s fans will be at the club’s back again come kickoff. All season, the home supporters have made the club better on the pitch week in and week out. It’s a common theme across the league, as only three teams were better on the road than at home during the regular season.
“When you’ve got thousands of fans behind you, it gives you that extra little bit of motivation, that extra little bit of drive when you’re struggling and you’re tired, that extra little bit to go,” Briggs continued. “And our fans did that last Saturday, and we’re going to need them.”
“We’ve done well at home, [and] a huge piece of that is the crowd being behind us,” said Matt LaGrassa of the club’s supporters on Wednesday. “We believe that we have some of the best support in the league. And I know that they’ll be out and loud and proud for us.”
