Republic FC’s rematch against Orange County SC on Saturday had its own significance in the USL Cup, for defender Lee Desmond, it marks a career milestone.
Saturday’s match was Desmond’s 100th appearance with Republic FC, making the Irishman the 6th Quail to hit the milestone on the current roster and the 12th player overall.
Desmond has been a cornerstone of Republic FC’s defensive core since joining the club in 2022, helping the team produce 29 clean sheets during his tenure. He came to Sacramento after seven years with St. Patrick’s Athletic FC, where he won three domestic titles, earned Man of the Match for the 2021 FAI Cup Championship final, and finished in the top five for all-time club appearances (214) and top three in minutes played.
Finishing his long stint in his home country as a club legend, Lee’s signed in California with Republic FC, in a state he’d never been to and with a club far different than St. Patrick’s.
“I was just ready to go into the unknown,” Desmond said. “I wanted a big change in my career. And then after my first week here, I really just fell on my feet, and I’ve enjoyed it since.”
Coming to Republic FC with championship DNA, it wasn’t long until the Quails found more success. Desmond helped lead the club to a 2022 U.S. Open Cup final, appearing in all seven cup matches and adding four clean sheets to his career tally.
Despite his immediate impact, the 4-year co-captain’s journey with Sacramento has not been easy.
Immediately after the Open Cup final, Desmond had surgery to fix an Achilles issue that had him wondering if each match in 2022 would be his last.
“I was in so much pain, I actually wasn’t even thinking about the game as much,” Desmond said. “So much it was just, can I get through it?”
Injuries sidelined Desmond for much of the 2022 and 2023 seasons, leaving the Republic defense short one of its key contributors.
However, it wasn’t long before Desmond fought back to start 29 matches in 2024, leading to 12 clean sheets and a playoff appearance. He also had his highest marks in tackles, interceptions, blocks, and nearly every other defensive stat since arriving in Sacramento.
Coming off his strongest season in a Republic FC uniform, Desmond’s impact in 2025 is apparent. When the defender is on the pitch, opponents have scored just 4 times, without a single multiple-goal game. This season, 6 out of Desmond’s 10 appearances have been clean sheets.
His being on the field consistently has transformed an already great back line into one of the best in the USL.
“I mean, that’s our base,” Desmond said. “If you’re if you’re not conceding goals and you’re defending them properly, it gives the attacking players confidence that one or two goals might win a game.”
Republic FC has conceded just 12 goals in USL matches this season, the second-lowest mark in the league. Sacramento’s excellence this season once again proves how pivotal the Irishman has been for the club in all his 7,781 total minutes on the field with Republic FC.
Throughout that time, Desmond gives credit to his teammates and coaches for making Sacramento feel like home. However, for the defender, it’s the community and culture surrounding Republic FC that makes the club so special.
“I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed the last four years as much if the fans weren’t this good,” Desmond said.
“You look across the USL, not many clubs have the fan base that we have. Arguably, we have the best.”
Desmond will continue to rack up club appearances and look to get Republic FC’s third clean sheet of the year against the Las Vegas Lights later this week on the Fourth of July. The two clubs have matched up twice so far this season, with a dominant combined scoreline of 9-0 in Sacramento’s favor.
