First-place Sacramento Republic bracing for busy schedule and difficult roster decisions
Sacramento Republic FC is entering a challenging portion of its schedule.
Manager Mark Briggs’ club will play four games in two weeks, with the next coming Wednesday when Republic FC visits struggling Orange County SC in Southern California. Briggs will have to make difficult decisions on playing time while his first-place team hopes to remain unbeaten.
“You have to take in all the information that you’re being given,” Briggs said after a training session Monday. “You also have to take in the minutes that the guys who have been playing regularly, who needs a break, who’s put a lot of strain on their body, while also monitoring the guys coming back from injury. How many minutes can they play? How many minutes can they play without putting themselves at risk of reinjuring the injury?”
Wednesday’s game in Irvine will come four days after Republic FC beat Indy Eleven 3-1 on Saturday behind three goals from forward Russell Cicerone, who played the entire contest. Other key contributors who appeared in the entire match were midfielder Arnold Lopez, outside defender Jack Gurr and fellow defender Shane Wiedt.
Should that quartet remain in the starting 11 Wednesday, it would force Briggs to make more difficult decisions ahead of Saturday’s home match against Oakland Roots, Sacramento’s regional rivals, who are currently in the playoff mix in the Western Conference in sixth place with 14 points.
Complicating things further, one of Briggs’ top replacement options on defense, Damia Viader, just recently returned from a groin injury that cost him roughly three weeks. Viader, who was key during last season’s run to the U.S. Open Cup final, is expected to remain on a minutes restriction.
“Three games in six or seven days, we’re going to have some tired bodies,” Viader said, referencing the fact most weeks include just one game. “But we’re going to use the full squad and we’re aiming for the six points.”
Briggs said Monday he already began mapping out which players could be in action Wednesday and which will need rest. The team’s performance and medical staffs use tracking data provided by wearable sensors to monitor strain.
Many of the players who received minutes in Saturday’s match were given a regeneration practice Monday, meaning a focus on stretching and rehab, while reserves saw most of the time running around on the practice field. The team was expected to hold a tactical walkthrough practice Tuesday before flying to Southern California for Wednesday’s match.
Orange County (1-6-3) has been struggling of late. The club dropped its last four matches and is playing for an interim coach, Morten Karlsen, after firing Richard Chaplow, who helped Orange County win a USL Championship final in 2021. The team failed to defend its title last year, finishing last in the Western Conference.
Despite those struggles, Briggs is expecting Orange County to play with fight against Republic FC, which might have to avoid playing down to its competition.
“We’ve got to the position we’re in based on our identity and based on basics of working hard and playing simple, working harder than our opponents, winning individual battles,” Briggs said. “If we don’t do that, we’re not a good team.”
