A Western Conference rivalry awaits Republic FC as the club welcomes San Antonio FC to Heart Health Park tomorrow. The Indomitable Club was last in action on August 14, earning a 2-0 win over El Paso Locomotive before heading into a 10-day break, which allowed for a four-day mental health break for players and coaches.
“I think it’s important for everyone to have that break, to have that time to get away,” said Head Coach Mark Briggs. “We were able to go into a break like that in a positive mindset. I thought our performance in Louisville was excellent and then our performance against El Paso was back to the quality that we’ve been able to show at home. So that put us into the break on a positive note and allowed the guys to get away and do what they needed to do, go where they needed to go, and then come back and train.”
It’s the first head-to-head match of the year for Republic FC and San Antonio FC. The two clubs last met in October when Sacramento ended San Antonio’s quest for back-to-back titles with a 3-1 win in the Western Conference Semifinal. “It’s a rivalry,” said Briggs on the matchup. “The way they compete, it always adds a little bit of spice. So I’m sure Saturday will be no different.”
The Texas club comes into the match on a two-game shutout streak, including a 1-0 win over North Carolina last weekend. They currently sit in 11th place in the table, but are just three points out of playoff position.
“San Antonio is going to be a tough opponent,” said defender Conor Donovan. “They have some really talented, physical attacking players so it’s going to be a battle for us in the back. And they’ve got some really good defenders too, so it’ll be a hard team to break down.”
Republic FC is in a playoff battle of its own, looking to gain ground on first place New Mexico and break away from the rest of the table to claim the club’s 10th postseason berth. “Every single game down this last stretch is important,” said midfielder Luis Felipe. “We’re going to prepare for every game like it’s a final. It’s just a matter of playing every game like it’s win or go home.”
“This is the period that matters, and I think you’ll see a change in the mentality and a change in our performance,” said Briggs. “Now it’s about turning up for the final stretch of the season and putting ourselves in a position to go and have success in the playoffs.”
