Sacramento Republic FC secures key home win during rare World Cup night off
The only professional soccer game played in the western half of the United States on Wednesday night took place in Sacramento, when Republic FC hosted Rhode Island FC and won, 2-1.
It was a unique scenario given it was the first night off for the World Cup since it began 28 days earlier. FIFA scheduled a day off between the Round of 16 and the Round of 8, or quarterfinals, which pick back up on Thursday when France takes on Morocco after Argentina and Switzerland advanced Tuesday.
But to say the World Cup caused fans to flock to Heart Health Park to continue riding the soccer wave might be overselling it. While thousands had showed up to several World Cup watch parties that the local pro team has hosted in downtown Sacramento in recent weeks, there were a reported 8,436 fans in attendance Wednesday at Cal Expo, notably below the 10,000 or so Republic FC usually attracts.
That said, it was a much-needed victory for Republic FC, which entered the night in 10th place in the Western Conference after coming into the season with expectations of competing for a league championship. They’ve been ravaged by freak injuries throughout the season and have yet to find their stride.
But Wednesday’s match that included a pair of assists from offseason acquisition Mark-Anthony Kaye, a one-time MLS All-Star in 2019 and Canadian national, gave Sacramento three points and moved them up five spots in the standings.
They’ll have a quick turnaround, with a USL Cup match Saturday against Athletic Club Boise, a club in the lower League One tier of the USL.
“We need consistency in our team selection,” Republic FC manager Neill Collins said, alluding to his team’s injury issues. “I would say that we are two or three games behind a lot of teams, and think that’s partly what makes you feel worse when you look at the standings. If we can put more points on the board in those games, we’ll feel a lot better. But we’ve got more than half the season left, and more performances like tonight and I think we’ll be where we need to be come the end of the season.”
Striker Kyle Edwards scored in the 19th minute with an awkward header on the assist from Kaye, who lofted a cross from the left corner of the 18-yard box. It was Edwards’ third goal of the season. Rhode Island responded with a goal in the 25th minute on a header from midfielder Hugo Bacharach.
Sacramento made it 2-1 on a long strike Mayele Malango just before halftime, also assisted by Kaye. The goal was Malango’s first of the season.
Republic FC has at least 17 games left remaining on the schedule (more are possible by advancing in the USL Cup), giving them ample time to climb back toward the top of the table, which is where they envisioned being at the start of the season.
They think the opportunities have been there, but their 13 goals scored rank dead last in the 12-team Western Conference. They expect goals will be coming more consistently the rest of the way.
“When you look at our games, and obviously we haven’t been able to pick up as many points as we’ve wanted,” Kaye said. “We played well, and we’ve moved the ball well, and we’ve created opportunities. It’s just the final produce, the final decision in the final third.”
What’s next for Republic FC?
Republic FC goes on the road for three straight matches before returning to Heart Health Park on Aug. 1 to host Sporting JAX.
It will be the penultimate night of the California State Fair happening next door at Cal Expo.
