Republic FC remains unbeaten through three games this season, after securing a point from a 1-1 draw with Indy Eleven on Saturday. Sacramento continued to show what made them a preseason favorite – dominating on the ball and putting pressure on its foes all over the pitch. As the squad returns home, have a look at three things that came from Week 3 at Indy Eleven.
Road Points are Good Points
To go out and put in a strong performance after not one, but two 3,000-mile trips in as many weeks is difficult both mentally and physically. Yet, the club didn’t let it keep them from a result. After the match, Head Coach Mark Briggs was complimentary of his squad’s effort in the face of a challenging travel schedule. With Saturday’s draw, Republic FC has recorded the second-most points away from home since the start of last season.
“It’s really hard on the guys to travel three time zones, be away from home and have to do it in consecutive weeks,” said Briggs after Saturday’s match. “The fact that we’re coming on the road and not only performing, but dominating is a huge sign in the direction that we want to go. We want to play like we are the best team, we want to act like we are the best team, and we want to perform like we are the best team.”
Possession
In each of the first three games this season, Republic FC has been dominant on the ball. That continued this past week, as the club held nearly 60% of possession for its second straight road match. Being in control kept the host’s attack – which had recorded the fourth-most shots of any club in the league entering the week – to just seven attempts at goal and one on target for the contest. In the second half, the hosts didn’t put a single shot on frame.
“The coaching staff analyzed our team last year and analyzed what we could get better at, and having possession of the ball was one of them,” said Rodrigo Lopez. “This year, we’ve really emphasized keeping the ball a little more, but while keeping our DNA which is to be on the front foot and be aggressive, be dynamic when we have the ball, and it’s something that’s helping us a lot.”
Numbers Showing Dominance
Republic FC’s first three games of the year have been stellar on the stat sheet. On the offensive end, the club’s scored four times, is averaging over 10 shots per game on 41 total shots and has held nearly 60% of the possession balance. As compared to the squad’s first three games in 2023 – when the season kicked off with a streak of nine games unbeaten – all but one of those metrics is superior. The club has taken its strong foundation and turned it into stellar results yet again, improving on what made it the top side in the Western Conference.
