In front of another raucous sold out crowd at Heart Health Park, Republic FC recorded its 200th win in club history with a 2-0 victory over FC Tulsa on Saturday night. Team veterans and newcomers had their names up and down the scoresheet as the Indomitable Club broke out for two second-half goals.
After a stalemate through the first half, things began to kick up a notch after the break. Republic FC began to build momentum and it appeared that The Boys in Old Glory Red had scored the go-ahead goal when Forster Ajago beat his defender for an easy pass to Arturo Rodriguez who slotted the ball into goal, but referee Greg Dopka called a delayed foul on Ajago and the goal was called off.
But with a fired-up sold out crowd behind its back, Republic FC wouldn’t be denied long. In the 68th minute, Ryan Spaulding held the ball out wide and with a small touch created enough room to get a cross to the backpost where Freddy Kleemann flew in to get his first goal in Old Glory Red.
As Tulsa put numbers forward to find an equalizer, Republic FC opened a counter attack. When the defense collapsed on Arturo Rodriguez, the Old Glory Red debutant midfielder found Kyle Edwards on the right flank. Fellow newcomer Edwards calmly collected the ball and put a shot in the lower right corner past Tambakis. The goal marks the seventh straight year that a club debutant has scored on Opening Night, while Arturo Rodriguez becomes the eighth player to record an assist in his team debut.
In between the sticks, Danny Vitiello put the exclamation mark on the team’s impressive season opener. The three-time Goalkeeper of the Year Finalist made three saves to become the first player in league history to record 59 regular season clean sheets.
Next Saturday, the Quails will face their first road test of the 2026 season in Lexington, Kentucky. Kickoff for the match is at 4:00 p.m. PT and fans can catch all the action on the FOX40+ streaming app and CBS Sports Golazo Network.
Sacramento Republic FC 2 – 0 FC Tulsa
USL Championship
Heart Health Park, Sacramento, California
February 7, 2026
Scoring Summary: SAC – Freddy Kleemann (Ryan Spaulding) 68’, Kyle Edwards (Arturo Rodriguez) 83’; TUL – None
Misconduct Summary: SAC – Forster Ajago (caution) 51’, Freddy Kleemann (caution) 74’, Mark-Anthony Kaye (caution) 85’; TUL – Lamar Batista (caution) 67’
Sacramento Republic FC: Danny Vitiello, Lee Desmond (C), Freddy Kleemann, Michel Benitez, Ryan Spaulding, Danny Crisostomo, Mark-Anthony Kaye, Arturo Rodriguez (Blake Willey 88’), Memo Rodriguez (Pep Casas, 90+2’), Mayele Malango, Forster Ajago (Kyle Edwards 75’)
Unused substitutes: Jacob Randolph, Chibi Ukaegbu, Rohan Chivukula, Jack Gurr, Dominik Wanner, Da’vian Kimbrough
Stats: Shots: 9, Shots on Goal: 2, Saves: 3, Fouls: 21, Corner Kicks: 2, Offsides: 5
FC Tulsa: Alex Tambakis, Lamar Batista, Abdoulaye Cissoko (C), Delentz Pierre, Lucas Stauffer, Harvey St Clair, Raheem Sumersall (Owen Damm 69’), Jeorgio Kocevski, Stefan Lukic (Bruno Lapa 69’), Kalil Elmedkhar (Remi Cabral 75’), Jamie Webber
Unused substitutes: Triston Henry, Nelson Pierre, Ian Carlo Souza Daniel, Bailey Sparks
Stats: Shots: 12, Shots on Goal: 3, Saves: 0, Fouls: 13, Corner Kicks: 0, Offsides: 0
