Sacramento Republic FC newcomer Russell Cicerone has hat trick in USL win over Indy Eleven
Sacramento Republic FC found itself down two goals in the first 15 minutes of Tuesday’s 4-2 U.S. Open Cup loss to the Colorado Rapids. That made starting fast an emphasis Saturday night against Indy Eleven at Heart Health Park.
“We wanted to start the game on the front foot and be aggressive from the first minute,” manager Mark Briggs said.
The result: two goals from standout forward Russell Cicerone in the first eight minutes en route to a 3-1 victory over Indy, continuing Sacramento’s best start in franchise history. The Republic remains the only unbeaten club among the 24 in the USL at 6-0-3 after earning three more points to sit with 21 atop the Western Conference standings.
Cicerone scored all three of Republic FC’s goals, giving him his second career hat trick as a professional. His first came while playing for Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC in August of 2021. This marked Sacramento’s first hat trick since March 2019.
“Scoring goals in football is extremely hard to do,” Cicerone said. “Three in one game is a special accomplishment, but it’s a team accomplishment. How hard the guys work to get themselves in situation to put the defense under pressure, it’s a team effort. I was just glad I was able to capitalize.”
Cicerone scored his first goal in the third minute when Indy Eleven keeper Yannik Ottl mad a mistake with a clearance that left the ball roughly 25 yards out in front of the goal with the net unattended. Cicerone lobbed the shot over his head with his right foot to get on the board. His second goal came after a rebound in front of the net in the eighth minute.
His third was notched in the 86th minute when he took a pass from Zeiko Lewis, who weaved through traffic with strong footwork and found Cicerone streaking to his right. He took one touch to gather the ball while the second hit the back of the net. It pushed the lead back to two goals after Indy scored on a free kick in the 51st minute to make it 2-1.
“It just shows his quality, right?” Briggs said of Cicerone. “For me, it’s about his ruthless edge. He has a ruthless edge. You saw it at the end there. As soon as I saw Russell running free, you know it’s going to be a goal because he’s ruthless to be a top player. And you have to be ruthless to win championships. And he was ruthless three times tonight.”
Said Cicerone: “When you get into those situations, those opportunities, the ball has to hit the back of the net. That’s what (Briggs) brought me in to do. That’s one of the reasons I’m here.”
Cicerone, who was acquired in the offseason, is up to seven goals, which ties him for the USL lead. His emergence as a scorer has been among the key reasons Sacramento has been the best team in the league through the first quarter of the campaign, and why the club remains confident it can compete for a second USL championship after getting eliminated in the second round of the playoffs last Fall.
Briggs, meanwhile, was recently named the USL’s Coach of the Month for April amid his group’s best start in franchise history. Yet after losing in the U.S. Open Cup final last year, and coming up short in the playoffs, Briggs doesn’t sound all that impressed with his club’s accolades in early May.
“It’s nice to start the season the way we have and gain the points we have,” Briggs said. “But honestly, it means nothing. It’s great that the guys are implementing what’s asked and showing the right mentality, but you don’t win trophies in May. You win trophies in November and October.”
And for Cicerone, the promise of his acquisition in the offseason away from Pittsburgh is hitting the right notes.
“Talking to Mark this offseason when I was signing here, I knew how good of a team were are and it was almost a finished project and they just needed a couple of pieces,” Cicerone said. “Right now, if we continue this pace, it looks like everything we talked about in the offseason is coming true.”
Sacramento will next travel to play Orange County SC on Wednesday before returning to Heart Health Park for another match against the rival Oakland Roots on May 20. Republic FC beat Oakland 1-0 on April 26 in the U.S. Open Cup round of 64.
