Sacramento Republic begins major offseason roster overhaul. Will fan favorites stay?

After a disappointing USL season, Sacramento Republic started to share with the public its plans for an extensive lineup overhaul Friday. The team announced four Quails will return while many more will not after the team missed the playoffs for the first time.

Dan Casey, Duke Lacroix, Luis Felipe and Maalique Foster will return to Sacramento next season, with Casey bringing a strong physical presence to the defensive line, which also featured Felipe and Lacroix, and Foster adding quickness and speed up front.

Republic also announced it won’t exercise a contract option for goalkeeper Tomas Gomez nor Finnish player Petteri Pennanen. Sacramento said it doesn’t plan to renew contracts for Kharlton Belmar, Rafael Diaz, Shannon Gomez, Jaime Villarreal, Jordan McCrary, Andrew Wheeler-Omiunu and Fatai Alashe. The club remains engaged in contract negotiations with creative forward Dariusz Formella, fan favorite Tucker Bone, flashy Argentinian player Emil Cuello and goalkeeper Carlos Saldaña.

“Our preparations for the 2022 season are already underway, and the focus remains on building a roster that can compete for a championship, support our community, and reflect the indomitable spirit of the city,” said Republic FC President Todd Dunivant. “We are going to come back stronger than ever in 2022 and beyond.”

Shannon Gomez joined Republic after two seasons with MLS team New York City FC. He finished with 86 appearances in Sacramento, including 78 starts and four assists. In 2018, he led the team in minutes, starts, and appearances before sustaining a season-ended knee injury.

Villarreal signed with Republic FC after rising through the ranks of L.A. Galaxy’s academy system. Belmar appeared 41 times and logged over 2,500 minutes, adding six assists and two goals. Wheeler-Omiunu appeared 28 times with over 1,800 minutes.

This story was originally published November 12, 2021 at 10:06 AM.