It was a historic night for two of Republic FC’s youngest stars as the club defeated Las Vegas Lights for the third time this year. AJ Edwards recorded his first USL Championship goal, while academy product Blake Willey became the youngest homegrown player in club history to notch an assist.
Sacramento’s tenacity was evident early on. They nearly opened the scoring with back-to-back chances in the 17th minute. Following a restart, Russell Cicerone laid a pass off to Michel Benitez on the left flank. Benitez, who added his first goal and first assist for Republic FC in the previous two contests against Las Vegas, sent in a strong shot from 15 yards, but goalkeeper Raiko Arozarena deflected it out. On the ensuing corner kick, Las Vegas was caught sleeping as Rodrigo Lopez’s cross reached the head of Sebastian Herrera. The defense watched the ball go over their heads as it moved toward goal, but the shot deflected off the crossbar.
The Quails continued to keep their pace as the game progressed. Blake Willey had a good opportunity to net his first career goal in the 34th minute. The 18-year-old won a tackle and passed the ball to Russell Cicerone, who carried it into the box for a return pass to Willey for a low shot on target, but Arozarena was able to collect it for another save.
Minutes later, another corner kick almost paid dividends when RoRo sent the ball to Jared Timmer on the far post. Timmer headed the ball back in front of goal for Freddy Kleemann who got a boot to it, but a defender made enough contact to put it just over the target.
Neill Collins’ squad picked up right where they left off on the other side of the break and with the pressure building, substitute AJ Edwards found the go-ahead goal in the 50th minute. The play began as Sacramento intercepted a Vegas clearance before Rodrigo Lopez passed to Edwards on the right. The San Jose native dribbled the ball to the endline and from an impossible angle, curled the shot past the goalkeeper for his first goal in Old Glory Red and his first in USL Championship.
Another career milestone came in the 67th minute when homegrown midfielder Blake Willey became the youngest homegrown player to record an assist for the first team (18 years, 2 months, 6 days). Willey sent a fantastic ball forward, slotting it between Las Vegas’ backline for Russell Cicerone. The striker would convert the opportunity for his team-leading fourth goal of the regular season. Willey becomes the fourth player from the club’s youth academy to record an assist for the first team.
Sacramento has now held Las Vegas scoreless in all three head-to-head contests this year. Tonight, Vegas didn’t register a single shot on target to give Republic FC its fifth clean sheet of the regular season.
After four straight weeks on the road, Republic FC will return home next Saturday to host El Paso Locomotive FC in the first of two matches during the California State Fair. Tickets to the 8:00 p.m. match are available now at SacRepublicFC.com and include entry to the Fair on gameday, providing an unforgettable Summer experience for the entire family. The contest will also be broadcast on FOX40, as well as streaming on the FOX40+ smart TV app and CBS Sports Golazo Network.
Sacramento Republic FC 2 – 0 Las Vegas Lights FC
USL Championship
Cashman Field, Las Vegas, Nevada
July 4, 2025
Scoring Summary: SAC – AJ Edwards (Rodrigo Lopez) 50’, Russell Cicerone (Blake Willey) 67’; LV – none
Misconduct Summary: SAC – Rodrigo Lopez (caution) 22’, Freddy Kleemann (caution) 53’; LV – Nate Jones (caution) 4’, Younes Boudadi (caution) 20, Patrick Leal (caution) 45’, Gennaro Nigro (caution) 78’
Sacramento Republic FC: Danny Vitiello, Lee Desmond, Freddy Kleemann, Jared Timmer, Michel Benitez (Chibi Ukaegbu 83’), Nick Ross (Rayan Djedje 90+2’), Blake Willey, Jack Gurr (AJ Edwards 31’), Russell Cicerone (Trevor Amann 83’), Rodrigo Lopez (C) (Luis Felipe 78’), Sebastian Herrera (Dominik Wanner 78’)
Unused substitutes: Jared Mazzola
Stats: Shots: 20, Shots on Goal: 6, Saves: 0, Fouls: 14, Corner Kicks: 6, Offsides: 0
Las Vegas Lights FC: Raiko Arozarena, Nate Jones (Vaughn Covil 81’), Elias Gartig, Younes Boudadi (Coleman Gannon 70’), Gennaro Nigro, Patrick Leal (Joe Gyau 70’), Daouda Peeters (Christopher Pearson, 60’), Shawn Smart, Johnny Rodriguez, Stefan Stojanivic (Nighte Pickering 60’), Valentin Noel (C)
Unused Substitutes: Nicholas Ammater, Maliek Howell
Stats: Shots: 6, Shots on Goal: 0, Saves: 4, Fouls: 20, Corner Kicks: 1, Offsides: 5