After an early lead and dominant performance from the Boys in Glory Red, Republic FC secured three points to move up to the second spot in the Western Conference table with its 5-2 victory over Oakland. The derby match was the club’s highest-scoring game of the season and the biggest victory by either side in the all-time head-to-head series.
“The rivalry is real. They came into our place a couple of weeks ago and got a win over us. So to have the performance we did and score five goals in Oakland was nice,” said Head Coach Mark Briggs.
Republic FC defender Jared Timmer recalled the atmosphere in Oakland after their sweeping victory, “Guys were feeling good in the locker room afterward. The bus trip back was fun; it was great to see our fans down there and celebrate with them. We’re just going to keep that momentum and keep the energy going into this weekend.”
With Oakland in the rearview mirror, the squad travels East to face off against Detroit City FC. Republic FC remains undefeated on the road, holding the best away record in the league at 5-0-4.
“I was really happy to score five goals, but I was more happy with our performance,” Mark continued. “So now it’s about taking that momentum into this weekend, in a difficult place. But we’ve got to focus on ourselves and focus on what we need to bring on Saturday.”
This face-off will mark the third time the two clubs have ever gone head-to-head. The squad heads into the match undefeated in the two-game series.
“We know Detroit’s a good team. They’ve got very good players, and our former Assistant Coach Danny is their Head Coach now. So it’s no different regarding preparation. We look at their team, we look at their strengths, we look at their weaknesses, and we try to prepare our guys so they don’t get surprised and they’re ready for whatever Detroit throws at us,” said Republic FC Head Coach Mark Briggs.
“We’re just kind of focusing on ourselves and hopefully if we play well again like we did on Sunday, we can get another win,” said Republic FC Midfielder Nick Ross.
