Sacramento Republic FC News Release - www.sacrepublicfc.com

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Sacramento Republic FC (4-3-0, 12 pts) travels to Sandy, Utah, to take on Real Monarchs SLC (0-4-2, 2 pts) on Wednesday night at Rio Tinto Stadium. Kickoff is 6 p.m. PST.

The match will be the first meeting between Republic FC and USL-expansion side Real Monarchs SLC. On September 30, 2014, Republic FC fell 2-0 in a friendly match against Real Monarchs’ parent club, Real Salt Lake, in the only matchup between Republic FC and a Utah-based club.

Republic FC enters the match following a 2-1 loss to Orange County Blues FC on Friday night.  The match was just the second loss for Republic FC at Bonney Field in 14 regular season USL home matches. The match was the last in a four-match home stand where Republic FC finished 3-1-0, outscoring their opponents 9-3 in that period.

Republic FC forward Justin Braun scored the lone goal for Republic FC in the loss to The Blues.  The goal was the second for the captain on the season and his first since scoring the first goal of the season for Republic FC on March 21. This match will be a homecoming of sorts for Braun, who was born and raised in Salt Lake City and played for Real Salt Lake briefly in 2012.

Republic FC goalkeeper Patrick McLain has been playing well lately, allowing just three goals in his last four appearances. In his last four matches, McLain recorded  a 0.75 GAA at home, with 11 saves and two shutouts. 

Republic FC midfielder Gilberto and forward Thomas Stewart made their 2015 USL debuts against the Blues on Friday. Gilberto started and played the entire second half after returning from a short loan with Marília Atlético Clube, a Brazilian club. Stewart returned to action following foot surgery, playing 26 minutes on Friday with his first shot of the 2015 USL season going just over the crossbar.

Real Monarchs SLC enters the match following a 1-0 loss to LA Galaxy II on Saturday night.  Los Dos got a stoppage time goal from Bradley Diallo to hand the Monarchs their third straight loss.

The Monarchs have had a balanced attack this season, with four different players scoring and three different players recording assists. Midfielder Ricardo Velazco leads the club in minutes played, shots and is tied for the lead in assists. Velazco is one of a few Real Salt Lake academy players to join the Monarchs for their inaugural season.

The match will be the sixth match in the month of April for Republic FC. The club has gone 3-2-0 in the month that included a stretch of three matches in eight days. April is the busiest month of the season for Republic FC, which has used the busy month to move into first place in the Western Conference.

The match will be live streamed at SacRepublicFC.com/matchday and updates will be provided via Twitter @SacRepublicFC or using #SLCvSAC.