The Indomitable Club returns to league play this Saturday, when Eastern Conference side Indy Eleven comes to town.
Overview: SAC vs. IND
- Date: Saturday, May 10
- Kickoff: 7:00 p.m.
- Venue: Heart Health Park
- Tickets: Purchase now
- Giveaway: The first 1,000 fans will receive a free SRFC x UC Davis Health tote bag
- Watch: FOX40 & CBS Sports Golazo Network
Know Your Club – Republic FC
Saturday will be an opportunity for Neill Collins’ squad to build on an important win in its last league game, a 1-0 victory over NorCal rival Oakland Roots. Sacramento capitalized on an opportunity early in the second half as Russell Cicerone scored the game-winner from the penalty spot after Jack Gurr was brought down inside the box. On the defensive end, a tough defensive performance earned the club its first clean sheet of the regular season.
The team returned to the Bay Area just days later for a mid-week Open Cup match against MLS side San Jose Earthquakes. After reaching the Round of 32 for the seventh straight time, Republic FC bowed out of the tournament with a 2-1 loss against their MLS rivals. Despite the defeat, the match ended on a high note as Rodrigo Lopez added to his record-setting Open Cup career with his 13th tournament assist on Trevor Amann’s goal just before the final whistle.
“It’s disappointing, but we’ve just got to move forward now,” said Lopez after the match. “We’re gonna have to focus on the league and Jägermeister Cup. We still have two trophies to play for, and I know we’re gonna go after them.”
Russell Cicerone leads the squad with three goals in league play, followed by Sebastian Herrera with two. Herrera, who is now just one shy of eclipsing the 100 career goals mark, saw 90 minutes of action against Oakland last week, just the second time he’s played through an entire match since joining the team in 2023. He’s also the only Republic FC player to score in all three competitions this year (USL Championship, USL Jägermeister Cup, U.S. Open Cup).
On the defensive end, Freddy Kleemann continues to put up numbers that put him on track for a Defender of the Year nomination. He leads the league with 65 clearances and 47 aerial duels won, earning him a team-best three Team of the Week selections.
Know Your Opponent – Indy Eleven
Also facing schedule congestion this week, Indy will be looking to get back on track after going winless in its last five regular season games. Last weekend, they picked up a hard fought point in a 2-2 draw against Detroit City. After conceding two goals in the first 15 minutes, Elvis Amoh led the Boys in Blue to pull one back before the break. Indy’s comeback hopes became more difficult in the 60th minute when they went down to 10 men as Hayden White was sent off with a second yellow card, but Amoh once again delivered to take a point.
Wednesday, they made they made the trip to face off with Philadelphia Union in the Open Cup. Down a goal early, it was Elvis Amoh who once again brought his team back into the match, netting the equalizer in the 48th minute. After neither team could find the game-winner through 120 minutes, the match was decided in penalties and Philly advanced with a 5-4 edge in the shootout.
Amoh is on a scoring tear as of late. Across all competitions, the Ghanaian international has found the back of the net in the last four games, with six total goals over that period. He’s put in strong performances against Republic FC in his career as well. With the Switchbacks in 2022, he recorded a goal and an assist in a 3-0 victory and in 2023, he added another assist for Hartford Athletic.
Head-to-Head
SACvIND is still a young series. The two clubs have only met twice before. Last year, they played to a 1-1 draw at Michael A. Carroll Stadium. In the first ever head-to-head – a 2023 contest at Heart Health Park – Russell Cicerone recorded his second career hat trick to secure a nomination for Player of the Month.
