After a second straight clean sheet victory, Republic FC is back at home this week as the squad welcomes FC Tulsa to Heart Health Park. It’s the first of two contests between the clubs this season as the Oklahoma side returns to the Western Conference. All-time, Sacramento and Tulsa have played 12 matches, with Sacramento going unbeaten on nine wins and three draws.
This week’s foes have kicked off 2024 in good form. Through its first three games, FC Tulsa has scored six goals – including the fastest goal of the 2024 USL Championship season, scored just 53 seconds into the club’s 3-3 draw against Phoenix Rising FC last week.
“We’ve got to respect them,” said Head Coach Mark Briggs on Thursday. “They’ve got experienced players, two forwards that are regularly scoring goals, and a backline that’s hard to break down. They’re a good outfit, a good club, a good team.”
“There’s no easy games in the league,” said Nick Ross. “They’ve brought in a few players that are well known, and they are good with possession. So we know it’s gonna be tough.”
Through five weeks this season, Republic FC’s performances continue to stand out among the best in the league. Trevor Amann’s score last week was his fourth of the campaign – good for third in the Golden Boot race. Russell Cicerone and Lee Desmond each earned Team of the Week honors for their performances in Colorado Springs, and Danny Vitiello took home Save of the Week honors for the second consecutive week. Sacramento has been the best in the league on defense, allowing only three goals through five games.
“I think we are really starting to find a rhythm and feel the confidence and the belief that we should have,” continued Briggs. “Now it’s just about continuing to do the basics to the level that we want to and continuing to have trust and belief in one another.”
Saturday’s match at home means the club comes back to where it’s the strongest. Since the start of 2023, no team has been better on its home ground than Republic FC, claiming a league-best 14 wins and 47 points. In that span, Sacramento has outscored its foes by 25 goals and recorded 11 shutouts on home turf.
“We love playing at home, and we want Heart Health Park to continue to be a fortress,” Briggs went on. “We’ll respect the opponents, understand their strengths and their weaknesses, whoever we play, but it’s about us and it’s about what we do.”
