Earlier today, USL Championship announced that Republic FC goalkeeper Danny Vitiello won the fan vote for Week 17’s Save of the Week. With time ticking down in last week’s match against Hartford Athletic, Vitiello preserved his team’s one-goal lead and kept the clean sheet intact with a snap save in the 94th minute.
As Hartford put numbers in the box to find the equalizer, the ball fell to Mamadou Dieng on the edge of the six-yard box. The striker put his shot on frame, but a snap save from Vitiello denied the opportunity at the goal line before Hartford’s second attempt sailed over the crossbar.
This is Vitiello’s sixth Save of the Week win in seven nominations this season. Midway through the campaign, he leads the league with eight clean sheets and a goals-against average of 0.6.
In addition to this most recent honor, Vitiello was recently named a finalist for several other league awards – including June Player of the Month and Midseason Goalkeeper of the Year and Midseason Player of the Year. Voting for all three awards is now open at USLChampionship.com.
Republic FC returns to play on Tuesday, July 9, as the club plays in the U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinals for the second time in three years, hosting four-time tournament champion MLS side Seattle Sounders FC. Kickoff from Heart Health Park is set for 8:00 p.m. PT and tickets are still available at SacRepublicFC.com/tickets. The match will also be streaming live to a national audience on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. Sacramento is just one of eight teams remaining in the country’s longest-standing soccer tournament, playing for a chance to be the only USL Championship team to ever make the semifinals twice.
