Heading into last Saturday’s match in Seaside, Republic FC had a lot to play for: bragging rights in a budding local rivalry, snapping a two-game scoreless streak, and the opportunity to bounce back from the first loss of the year. With so many questions surrounding the contest, the Indomitable Club lived up to its name, securing a 2-0 victory over Monterey Bay F.C. to get back in the win column.
“I thought it was a really solid team performance,” said Republic FC Head Coach Mark Briggs after the match. “It was important to bounce back after last week’s loss and show our character, our true team identity. Sometimes you get into these difficult moments and it takes a result like this, it takes a performance like this to get you out of them.”
The club’s ability was on full display from the opening whistle. From challenging Monterey Bay’s backline, to controlling the key parts of the pitch, to a league-leading team defensive performance, here are three things that made the difference for Republic FC in Saturday’s bounce-back win.
High Pressure Creates Chances
Republic FC put pressure on the hosts all night, building throughout the first half before finding two goals in eight minutes. The club finished the contest with six shots on target – the most since April 27 against Loudoun United, the club’s last win before Saturday’s victory. Led by Kieran Phillips’ three shots on frame, Sacramento posted a 100% shot accuracy, while Monterey Bay was only on target 36% of the time. More impressively, no other team across the league had an accuracy above 75% over the weekend.
Controlling the Middle
As Justin Portillo made his club debut, Republic FC was dominant where it mattered most on Saturday: in the middle third, where nearly 45% of the action was played. The club forced Monterey Bay to lose possession 57 times in the area, with 20 possessions won. Nick Ross and Luis Felipe led the squad as each midfielder won four possessions in the middle third, while Portillo had two of his own.
The clamp-down midfield defense limited Monterey Bay’s ability to break out in transition and in return drove the majority of Republic FC’s attack, including the go-ahead goal in the 54th minute. The play began as Luis Felipe intercepted a Monterey Bay pass in the middle of the field before laying it off to Nick Ross who found the outlet pass to Damia Viader. Kieran Phillips finished the play with his third goal of the regular season. The club finished the night with eight interceptions total interceptions, compared to Monterey Bay’s three.
A standout performance came from Nick Ross, who played a key part in both goals – recording his third assist of the season – and led all players with eight possessions won. He has started in each game this year, playing all but eight minutes in league play, and leads the squad with 70 possessions won and 18 tackles won.
“I think he continues to be consistently good,” said Briggs. “He performs on both sides of the ball. He adds quality and composure when we have possession of the ball, and then when we don’t have it, he works his socks off to get it back. He keeps showing his quality, he keeps stepping up in big moments, and I’m just glad that he’s got a Sacramento jersey on.”
Keeping a Clean Sheet
Shutouts continue to be a key part of Republic FC’s success. Since the start of the 2023 season, 21 of the club’s 26 league wins have been clean sheets – no other team has more than Sacramento apart from Charleston, who has played two additional games.
Saturday’s clean sheet was Republic FC’s sixth of the campaign and the third-straight time that the club has blanked Monterey Bay F.C. across all competitions. Anchored by center backs Lee Desmond, Conor Donovan, and Jared Timmer – who appeared together in the starting lineup for the first time since May 4 – Sacramento had 30 clearances on the night, more than any other team across the league. Donovan’s 10 were the most by an individual player over the weekend.
“I thought the guys came out and really performed well and ground it out on the defensive side of the ball,” said Goalkeeper Danny Vitiello. “Conor, Jared, and Lee are three of the best center backs in the league – and hats off to them for a great performance. I can’t do it without them and the results showed that tonight.”
Vitiello had a night of his own as well, making four saves, including a penalty stop in the 78th minute. He currently leads the Golden Glove race with a Goals-Against Average of 0.45 and has won Save of the Week the last two weeks.
