Today, USL Championship announced that Republic FC midfielder Luis Felipe and goalkeeper Danny Vitiello have been named to the Week 30 Team of the Week, while Mark Briggs has been named Coach of the Week following Sunday’s 4-0 win over New Mexico United. The performance moved the club into second place in the Western Conference and marked the club’s largest victory of the year.
Mark Briggs’ squad has now gone without a loss at home in four straight matches and has not allowed a goal in front of the home crowd in 407 minutes. Facing a New Mexico side that earned a 3-1 win in the first head-to-head just last week, Briggs added Sebastian Herrera to the starting XI for Sunday’s contest and the decision produced big results as Herrera played a key role in two goals. Later in the match, Kieran Phillips was brought on as a substitute and scored his 10th goal of the season. It was the 14th goal scored by a Republic FC substitute, the best mark across the league. This is Briggs’ second Coach of the Week selection of the year. His first came in Week 20 when his club claimed a 5-2 road victory over Northern California rival Oakland Roots SC.
Luis Felipe earns his second Team of the Week selection of the campaign after contributing to two goals on Sunday. He helped set the tone early with an assist in the sixth minute when Justin Portillo’s corner reached him at the far post. He rose above the defender to head the ball into the mix, before it was redirected into the goal off the shoulder of Russell Cicerone. Luis Felipe doubled the lead later in the half as Sebastian Herrera laid the ball off for a right-footed strike to the back of the net. He would finish the contest with three chances created, 34 of 40 passes completed, and six possessions won.
Goalkeeper Danny Vitiello earned his 13th clean sheet of the season with a stellar five-save performance. With seconds to go before the halftime whistle, New Mexico made one final push to cut Republic FC’s 2-0 lead in half and a cross reached an unmarked Greg Hurst in front of goal. Vitiello dove to his right to get a hand to the ball before smothering a second attempt to ensure to deny New Mexico the chance to gain any kind of momentum with a late first half goal. The shutout set a new single-season career high for Vitiello, surpassing the mark he set with Republic FC in 2023. The club leads the league with 14 total clean sheets on the year, and has conceded just 27 goals through 29 matches.
This is Vitiello’s second Team of the Week selection of the year, in addition to a nomination for June Player of the Month. He also won the fan vote for both Midseason Goalkeeper of the Year and Midseason Player of the Year. Republic FC has been represented on the league’s weekly top squad 26 times this season.
With five regular season games remaining, Republic FC sits in second place in the Western Conference and is just three points away from clinching its 10th playoff berth in 11 seasons.
The club will be back in action this Saturday with a road tilt against San Antonio FC. Kickoff from Toyota Field is set for 5:30 p.m. PT and the match will be broadcast live in English and Spanish on Antenna TV 40.2, as well as streaming on FOX40.com and ESPN+. Fans looking to cheer on the squad are invited to attend a watch party at MoJo’s Local Tap & Kitchen, featuring giveaways, drink specials, and more. For more information visit SacRepublicFC.com/WatchParty.
Fans will have two more opportunities to support their team at home before the postseason. Republic FC will host Monterey Bay F.C. on $2 Beer Night on Wednesday, October 9 and in partnership with SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union, the club is offering a free ticket for teachers and school employees for the match. The offer is valid until Friday, October 4 at SacRepublicFC.com/Teachers. The Indomitable Club will then close out the regular season with a contest against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC on October 26. Kickoff for both matches is at 7:00 p.m. and tickets are available at SacRepublicFC.com/tickets.
