Overview: SAC @ CHS
- Date: Saturday, July 18
- Location: Patriots Point Soccer Stadium (Mount Pleasant, South Carolina)
- Kickoff: 4:30 p.m. PT
- Watch at Home: FOX40+, ESPN+
Know Your Club – Republic FC
Sacramento’s summer road stretch continues with a trip to the East Coast. As the table stands, the Indomitable Club comes into Saturday’s match with an opportunity to continue its climb up the Western Conference standings.
Last week in league play in its only home game of the month, Republic FC battled to a 2-1 win over back-to-back Eastern Conference finalist Rhode Island FC. Mark-Anthony Kaye assisted on both goals – his first assists for the club and first multi-assist game in the league – as Kyle Edwards and Mayele Malango found the back of the net to add to their 2026 scoring account.
The team had a short turnaround to head out for a road game against AC Boise to close out group play in the USL Cup, where they saw their first and only loss of the tournament to finish in third place in Group 1.
Now with the in-season tournament in the rearview mirror, the team can solely focus on the regular season. The club still has at least a game in hand on much of the conference, and with an ever-tightening playoff picture, every point is important and stringing together a few good results could completely flip the table.
“There’s obviously a disappointment that we missed out on getting through in the Cup, but this is a team of professionals and our attention now turns to Charleston and what we can control – and that’s how we play in the 17 league games we have left,” said Head Coach Neill Collins. “There’s still a lot of football to be played and a lot to play for, and we’ve still got loads of time to put it right.”
Know Your Opponent – Charleston Battery
Perennial Eastern Conference powerhouse Charleston Battery will be looking to get back to winning ways after a rare two-game slide. After falling to Indy Eleven on July 4, they bowed out of the USL Cup after losing in penalties to Charlotte Independence last week.
The good news for Battery, though, is that they get to return to their home fortress at Patriots Point Soccer Stadium, where they have not lost in league play since March 8, 2025. The homefield advantage played a big role in Charleston’s undefeated June, which earned Ben Pirmann Coach of the Month honors and Emilio Ycaza the Player of the Month award.
It was the second consecutive month that a Battery player claimed the league-wide honor. In May, Colton Swan became the youngest-ever player to receive the award. The 19-year-old leads Charleston with seven regular season goals and two in the USL Cup, but will be unavailable on Saturday following his call-up to the U.S. U-19 Men’s National Team for the upcoming 2026 Concacaf U-20 Championship.
The Black & Yellow’s roster also features two former Republic FC players: Maalique Foster and Douglas Martinez. The duo of international forwards combined for 80 appearances, 14 goals, and five assists for the Indomitable Club and played a key role in the team’s run to the 2022 Open Cup Final.
Head-to-Head
Despite Republic FC and Charleston Battery being two of the longest-standing clubs in the league, this head-to-head series has a relatively short history, with Sacramento posting a 3-1-1 record. When they met at Heart Health Park last October, the Indomitable Club claimed all three points with a 1-0 victory.
