Overview: SAC vs. TUL
- Date: Sunday, November 1
- Kickoff: 6:00 p.m.
- Location: Heart Health Park
- Tickets: Purchase now
- Giveaways: SRFC Mini Flags
- Watch at Home: FOX40+, FOX40.com, ESPN+
How They Got Here: Republic FC
Republic FC enters its 12th playoff campaign in 13 seasons as the Western Conference’s #2 seed for the second year in a row.
For the Indomitable Club, the 2026 season has followed the journey of a team hitting its stride at exactly the right time. Head Coach Neill Collins brought in 11 new players over the offseason, setting the stage for a season defined by growth, resilience, and belief. With so many faces – as well as some early season injuries – it took time to build into the season. With a strong second half of the season, Republic FC is ready to enter the playoffs.
Since August, Republic FC has lost just one game and closed out the season with a 13-game undefeated streak. Led by Memo Rodriguez’s seven goals and 9 assists – including 9 goal contributions in the last six matches – and an historic campaign from Kyle Edwards, The Quails continued to find results. The team has earned 15 points from losing positions, a nine-point improvement from last year, and has come from behind to earn a result in four of its last five matches.
The backline has remained steady as ever and led the Western Conference with just 28 goals conceded. On opening night, Danny Vitiello became the league’s all-time leader in regular season clean sheets and continued to add to his lead with 10 on the season. And in his fifth season in Sacramento, Team Captain Lee Desmond marked new single season highs in minutes, clearances, duels won, and goals.
And now it all leads to this – a Quarterfinal match at home, where Republic FC has been dominant this year. With a 9-2-4 record, no team in the West has been better at home than Sacramento. The stage is set, the stakes are high, and there’s everything to play for.
How They Got Here: FC Tulsa
After claiming the Western Conference Championship and reaching the league Final a year ago, FC Tulsa came into the season with high expectations. Despite losing last year’s leading scorer Taylor Calheira, Head Coach Luke Spencer maintained the majority of its roster, including All-League selection Lamar Batista and standout midfielder Jamie Webber.
Thanks to an impressive defensive form that resulted in a conference leading 12 clean sheets, Tulsa hovered near the top of the table for most of the season. But with a four-match road stretch that spanned nearly the entire month of September, the Scissortails went 2-3-5 in the final 10 matches to finish seventh in the table.
Jamie Webber proved to be one of Tulsa’s most influential players, leading the team with a +5.20 Goals Added mark. His contributions can be directly tied to the team’s positive results, with Tulsa going 6-1-0 in matches in which Webber has added a goal contribution.
2026 Head-to-Head
Sunday will be the fourth time these two Western Conference teams face off this year. Their first meeting came all the way back on Opening Night – March 7 – when Freddy Kleemann and Kyle Edwards found the back of the net to give Republic FC the 2-0 win.
The next two matches were played in Tulsa. On August 5, a midweek match originally scheduled for July 4, FC Tulsa took the win courtesy of Jamie Webber.
The teams wrapped up the season series with a share of the points on October 3. Arquimides Ordonez gave Tulsa the early lead from the penalty spot, only to be leveled by a fantastic free kick from Memo Rodriguez in the 89th minute.
