Major injury to Rodrigo Lopez is ‘big blow’ to Sacramento Republic’s championship hopes
Sacramento Republic FC midfielder Rodrigo Lopez wasn’t sure he was going to attend Tuesday’s U.S. Open Cup match against the Colorado Rapids.
Lopez, less than a week removed from surgery, was saddled with a bulky, awkward brace that stabilizes his right leg and extends up his hip.
“I didn’t want to miss it,” Lopez said in a conversation with The Sacramento Bee. “The doctors told me to take it easy and stay home, but it was an Open Cup game, something that we really wanted. ... I just knew that being at home would be a lot harder than being at the stadium.”
Lopez, of course, is perhaps the most important player in Sacramento Republic FC’s decade-long history. He’s a team captain and was the club’s first signing as an expansion franchise ahead of its first season in 2014. The 36-year-old is on his third stint with Sacramento after bouncing around. Last summer, he sent in one of the club’s most iconic penalty kicks, capping a victory over MLS side Sporting Kansas City to advance to the U.S. Open Cup Final.
That win for Republic FC, which competes in the second-tier USL, marked a third consecutive victory in the tournament over a team from the top league in the United States. Sacramento was a heavy underdog in all three matches with a payroll roughly 10% of its MLS counterparts. Lopez was named Player of the Tournament as the Republic became the first non-MLS team to reach the Open Cup final since 2008 before losing on the road to MLS’ Orlando City SC.
Lopez, who is affectionately known as “RoRo,” is a franchise pillar, serving as one of the team’s best players — a midfielder with the freedom to roam the front lines and defend — and a culture setter who plays a prominent role in the good vibes that are apparent to anyone who has spent time around the club.
Which was why Lopez was bent on attending Tuesday’s matchup against the Colorado Rapids in the Open Cup’s Round of 32. He remains in the earliest stages of his recovery from a complete tear of the rectus tendon in his right leg, which is putting his return this season in doubt.
Lopez suffered the injury April 22 against Detroit City and isn’t expected to resume training until July or August. The USL regular season runs through mid-October.
“It’s a hard one to take,” manager Mark Briggs said of Lopez’s injury.
Lopez has been hit hard by the injury along with other family-related matters away from the pitch. His injury comes while Sacramento has been the USL’s best team during the first two months of the season. He credited the team’s performance staff, including Stephen Alli, the club’s director of operations and cognitive development, and a team therapist for maintaining a positive frame of mind.
Sacramento’s roster has been in a two-year overhaul and was supplemented over the winter in hopes of winning a USL championship this fall with Lopez serving as an important cog. Forwards Sebastian Herrera and Russell Cicerone, along with midfielder Arnold Lopez, are among the newcomers who have already made sizable contributions.
Republic FC entered the weekend with league’s best record (5-0-3) and goal differential (plus-12). Sacramento is tied with the Eastern Conference-leading Charleston Battery with 18 points.
“It’s a really big blow,” Lopez said. “I had surgery in December as well for my sports hernia, and I didn’t have a good offseason, where I usually train really hard. I didn’t have a sound foundation for my body to be ready for the season. I didn’t do a full preseason.
“(But) I was starting to feel like myself. I was starting to get into a good rhythm, started to feel strong. Moments like that, just very unfortunate, because I was very satisfied with my role in the team and the team has been winning, and the team obviously is in first place still, and I was really looking forward to playing the full season.”
Back to Tuesday, Lopez’s emotional battle with the injury was on display — along with his importance to his teammates.
Herrera, a first-year player with Sacramento, scored his second goal of the night against Colorado on the south side of the stadium, tying it 2-2. With Lopez reclined in a field-level seating area on that side of the field and unable to move on his leg, Herrera ran over to him to celebrate while a slew of teammates and staffers joined in.
“He was the first person to welcome me,” Herrera, a Colombian national, said through a translator. “He’s a captain on and off the field, and a presence you feel every single day. On the field, with his quality and everything he provides us, but also off the field with how he interacts with the group, his presence, everything that he encompasses is something we all appreciate.”
Said Lopez of the celebration: “It meant a lot. It was a very touching moment for me. ... I had some tears down my face after him and my teammates came to celebrate with me, showing their support for me and they’re with me.”
Herrera was brought in to offer Republic FC a goal-scoring threat as a No. 9 leading their attack. Lopez, one of the USL’s best assist men, knew their bond was going to be vital toward a championship run. Their connection, despite an eight-year age difference and only knowing each other for a few months, has been apparent.
“I haven’t known him for very long,” Lopez said. “But it seems like I’ve known him and played with him for many years. ... It felt really natural. As soon as he got here we bonded really well.”
Between the lines, Lopez’s absence means Sacramento will be without one of its best ball handlers and passers for the majority of the season. He led the team in goals and assists last season. Briggs mentioned Cicerone and Keko, among others, who will see their roles expand to fill the void left by Lopez’s injury.
“I think we have a number of players that can step into those positions and try to get on the ball like RoRo between the lines,” Briggs said. “But RoRo’s a difficult player to replace, but we have quality and people have an opportunity now to step up and show what they can do.”
This story was originally published May 13, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
