SACRAMENTO, Calif – It was a difficult fight for Sacramento Republic FC against Seattle Sounders FC 2 on Saturday night at Papa Murphy's Park. In a contest that produced three red cards, one for Republic FC and two for S2, both teams had to try and survive periods of the match down a man. Ultimately the difference in the match and Sacramento’s 1-0 win before a sellout crowd of 11,569 fans was that Republic FC managed to handle being down a man better.

“I think we actually started playing better when we were down to 10 men,” said Republic FC Head Coach Simon Elliott. “All of a sudden, everyone realized that they had so much responsibility and they got more engaged. It took about 10 minutes, but the last part of the first half was actually decent.”

Sacramento's 20th-minute red card to defender Mitchell Taintor arose after the defender lost possession in his own half, which resulted in a desperate challenge to stop what would have been a one-on-one chance for S2 striker Felix Chenkam.

“We turned the ball over in a bad area of the field and that’s what leads to it. We’ll look at it tomorrow, but the lesson for me is don’t turn the ball over in your own field,” said Elliott. “We got punished for it and we came very close to paying a heavy price for it. We paid a price in the sense that Mitchell’s out for the next game, I presume, but I think we’re a little fortunate to get the three points, as well.”

It meant experienced players like Villyan Bijev had to step up and push the team forward, and both he and Cameron Iwasa played an important role in helping the hosts retain possession when down and up a man. Iwasa notably completed 31 of 36 passes on the night, and misconnected on only one pass in S2's half as he and the Republic FC forward line did what they could to mitigate the circumstances.

“I just try to stay calm and work hard. If I’m pressing hard up front, I think my teammates behind see that and also gives them a bit of energy,” said Bijev. “I think the phrase we use is kind of like you’re pulling a train. Whoever’s playing up front, whether it’s me, Cameron [Iwasa] or Christian [Eissele], if they start pressing really hard then it encourages the rest of the team to follow.”

MONARCHS MEET CHALLENGE: Real Monarchs SLC knew exactly the proposition it faced from Phoenix Rising FC in the Western Conference’s marquee matchup of Week 4 on Saturday night. After all, the club’s USL-record nine-game winning streak had come to an end at the Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex last season.

But thanks to Sebastian Velasquez’s second-half goal, and a stellar defensive display led by goalkeeper Connor Sparrow, the defending USL Regular Season champion emerged with a big road win against another side that’s expected to be near the top of the standings come the end of the season.

“It was a great test for us,” said Velasquez after the game. “Phoenix is a great team, they have a great stadium, great crowd, it’s a tough place to play and to come out here and get three points is very good for us.”

Returning a good contingent of players who were key to the club’s success a season ago has helped provide continuity into 2018, but what has also been notable is the contributions the club’s major offseason additions have made. Two of those new faces, Josh Heard and Maikel Chang, combined to set up Velasquez’s 56th-minute game-winner, with the Cuban notching his third assist of the season in the process.

Incorporating the club’s new additions and acclimating them to the expectations the Monarchs have set for the side is still a work-in-progress but given what Real has produced in the attacking third so far this season the prospect for even bigger things awaits.

“We obviously have a standard from what we did last year,” said Velasquez. “I think we’ve kept that standard, we’ve brought in players that we think are going to take us to the next level, take us to a championship. We’ve just got to take it day by day, game by game. I think we’ve done well for the start of the season, but it’s just the beginning, we still have a long way to go.”

ORANGE COUNTY FINDS WAY TO WIN: Looking at the Western Conference standings there's a name that may surprise some in Orange County SC sitting on top going into Week 5. After a third consecutive win, the latest a 3-0 victory in the 405 Derby against the LA Galaxy II this past Saturday at Champions Soccer Stadium, the side has quickly picked up steam over the past two weeks.

“I’m very happy to get the three points. It wasn’t our best performance but good teams find a way to win,” said OCSC Head Coach Braeden Cloutier. “That’s what we did tonight, got a bit of luck on your side and scored three very nice goals, but the game itself will need to improve.”

With plenty of changes on the field in addition to Cloutier's elevation to the Head Coaching position after serving previously as an assistant ahead of the 2018 season there could have easily been a slow start from OCSC, but an impressive team ethic was built in offseason and that has pushed to the early success.

“I just think the team has bought into what we are doing here and have become a strong group in such a short period of time,” said Cloutier. “The all get behind one another and are constantly challenging each other day in and day out. They definitely are not content or satisfied.”

Orange County had already made good use of its man-advantage against Los Dos after Jean Engola's red card in the 30th minute, with New England Revolution loanee Mark Segbers striking just before the halftime break, but went into the second half looking for added sharpness. A second red card for the Galaxy II's Alex Mendez and Segbers' second goal of the night inside the opening 15 minutes after the break made the rest of the contest a walk for Cloutier's side.

“We raised the intensity. We wanted a hot start to the second half to put another one up on the scoreboard early. Try to kill their spirits and take control of the game,” said Segbers.

With its first home win of the season under its belt, Orange County now has the chance to take that momentum on the road when it visits San Antonio FC on Saturday night at Toyota Field.

“[We will] continue to be strong away from home,” said Segbers. “The first home win is out of the way, we want to stay tough on the road and get as many points as we can.”