Ask any coach whether they’d prefer to be at home or away in the playoffs, and they’d almost certainly opt for the former.

The lack of travel, the comforts of home – and your home fans behind you – are all big reasons why.

Given what Sacramento Republic FC has produced on the road this season – and particularly the past two weeks – might make Head Coach Mark Briggs’ side an exception.

• TURN THE PAGE: After consecutive home outings for which it took only a point – and failed to score – Republic FC rebounded last weekend with an emphatic 5-2 victory on the road against NorCal rival Oakland Roots SC at Pioneer Stadium

• MIGHIGAN MEN: Sacramento backed that up with a hard-fought 1-0 win against Detroit City FC on Saturday night that came via a goal from Michigan natives Russell Cicerone and Jared Timmer, with Cicerone tucking home Timmer’s cross after coming on for his first appearance in 10 weeks.

• ROAD WARRIORS: Sacramento is now 6-0-4 on the road this season in the Championship. Its 11-game road undefeated streak dating to the last game of the 2023 regular season is one shy of equaling the league’s all-time record.

“The last few performances have really showed everything that a Sacramento Republic performance should show,” said Briggs. “Quality in possession, intensity, work rate and desire out of possession. I think you've seen that the past two performances in two very difficult places to play, difficult place in Oakland and then a really difficult place here in Detroit, and we've got two fantastic results.”

No team has gone a full season undefeated on the road in the Championship, but it’s instructive to look at the teams that have gone close.

The two teams that share the Championship record with 13 away wins in a regular season? Both the 2016 New York Red Bulls II and 2022 San Antonio FC squads won the Players’ Shield and the Championship Final.

Others that suffered only one away loss? The 2015 Rochester Rhinos also did the double, while Orlando City SC’s 2012 squad, the Richmond Kickers’ 2013 squad and FC Cincinnati’s 2018 squad all won the Players’ Shield before being upset – at home, of course.

As Sacramento Republic FC shoots for its second league title – with the current prospect that a road trip may be in their future given New Mexico’s current edge in the West, say nothing of the top three in the Eastern Conference standings’ point totals – the road may hold no fear for this squad.