‘I just needed a chance’: Sacramento Republic FC’s title dreams hinge on surprise star

Nothing special happened for Rafael Diaz last year. He didn’t pull a sword from a stone. A genie didn’t grant him any wishes. He didn’t buckle down and finally take the game of soccer seriously.

The Sacramento Republic FC goalkeeper just did his thing. The difference was people finally noticed.

Diaz, a career backup, finally got his shot as a starter last year. He didn’t miss. Diaz posted a 7-0-3 record in 10 United Soccer League Championship regular-season starts. With Republic FC’s season kicking off Friday night, much of the championship hopes rest on Diaz’s newfound success in net.

The secret? There is no secret. He was always there.

“All I can say is I just got a chance,” Diaz said. “When I got a chance, it wasn’t a surprise to my teammates.”

Republic FC travels to Los Angeles to face Galaxy II on Friday night. Diaz might not play as he recovers from a preseason injury, but he’s firmly entrenched as the No. 1 keeper after stopping a gaudy 75.7 percent of shots last year. As a comparison, Charlotte’s Brandon Miller led the league in saves last year with 65; he stopped 73% of shots on goal.

Diaz’s success can be traced to coach Mark Briggs, who told the goalkeeper the starting job was his to lose last year. The effect of that decision was immediate and obvious.

“You saw a complete change, not only in his performances, but his bubbliness around the field, his bubbliness around the group. He had an opinion,” Briggs said. “It was different. He had a little chip on his shoulder and he’s earned the right to be the No. 1 now. It’s great to see how he’s evolved in a short period of time.”

Not bad for a guy who entered professional soccer in 2013 and started just 24 games before last season. Diaz, who played for four years at St. John’s, said his stock might have fallen because he got shelled in the second half of a showcase game before the MLS draft. He went undrafted, bounced between a couple of USL clubs and had a cup of coffee with the MLS New York Red Bulls in 2017 before the season started.

Diaz was a week away from quitting soccer in 2018. He had a job lined up and was ready to quit playing when Republic FC called. He signed but made just one start that year; he had six starts in 2019.

“There’s moments along the road where you’re asking yourself, ‘Am I still good enough?’” Diaz said. “I’ve had many dark thoughts. ... I just needed a chance.”

Now come the expectations.

Diaz will turn 30 years old this season on a club that’s made the playoffs in seven consecutive seasons. Republic FC general manager Todd Dunivant and Briggs were busy in the offseason, adding talented players with MLS résumés, including midfielder Fatai Alashe, the fourth overall pick in the 2015 draft.

The push is obvious: Score more. Republic FC had a middle-of-the-pack 27 goals last year. Reno 1868 FC scored 49 goals to lead the league. Republic FC took plenty of shots, but finishing chances was a problem. Forward Cam Iwasa, a Sacramento native, saw his production nosedive last year. The team’s all-time leader in goals scored with 50, Iwasa had just three goals last season. Dariusz Formella led the team with eight goals. Iwasa and Formella will be joined by Kharlton Belmar, who has 47 goals in USL play; he scored just once last season.

The strikers will be aided by a midfield that’s almost completely different from last season. Tucker Bone (who tallied four goals for Reno in 2020), Maalique Foster and Petteri Pennanen are expected to help drive the offense forward.

Alashe said the team has spent more than five weeks gelling the new parts in with the old. Diaz has had a quiet role in spring practices. Some goalkeepers are known for screaming maniacally at their defenders; Diaz isn’t afraid to speak up, but he lets his teammates figure out where they need to be.

“He’s a leader when he needs to be and I think it’s something we feed off of,” Alashe said. “He’s a calm presence in communicating and getting his point across. It’s important to feel confident during the game in the guy behind you in that he can make plays.”

Briggs laughed at the suggestion goalkeepers often have a screw loose. Where does Republic FC’s starter rank on the crazy scale?

“Rafa’s quite normal, actually,” Briggs said. “He’s a calming presence, rather than the goalkeeper who is screaming and shouting at ya. That’s helpful, to be honest. Especially in pressure moments, it’s helpful to have that calming presence.”

Diaz is simply thankful to have some stability for the first time in his career. He’s stepped into net for the Dominican Republic national team this winter, earning a scoreless tie with Serbia in a friendly and anchoring shutout wins over Dominica and Anguilla in World Cup qualifiers. The team had asked him to play for years but he finally felt ready to step onto the big stage.

He’s not kooky like other goaltenders, but it seems to be working just fine.

“A lot of people come to me and they’re like, ‘You’re normal!’” Diaz said. “Maybe that’s why it’s taken so long for me to be good. Maybe I should have been crazier earlier and things would have been different.”

Maybe so, but it’s working out for Republic FC and Diaz in the present.