• Sacramento currently sits in 3rd place in the USL Western Conference, with 24 points (7 wins, 3 draws/ties, and 3 defeats). Rising are in 2nd place with the same tally, but a higher goal difference.
• The two sides met a few weeks ago at Rising Sports Complex, with goals from Cameron Iwasa, Villyan Bijev and Wilson Kneeshaw lifting Republic to a 3-1 victory. Chris Cortez scored the consolation goal for Rising in the 62nd minute.
• The May 19 game between both sides was a feisty encounter, with 8 cards handed out in total, and a penalty awarded to Rising which Didier Drogba uncharacteristically missed.  Five of Sacramento’s 19 yellow cards this season were handed out in this game.
• Republic’s MLS ambitions took a blow this past week, with the announcement that FC Cincinnati would complete the first slate of expansion clubs. Sacramento had been shortlisted, but concerns remain over stadium funding.
• Despite their high position, Sacramento have only scored 18 league goals to date, giving them the lowest goal difference (+4) among the top 5 teams in the Western Conference. They haven’t scored a goal from open play in the league in the 2 matches following their clash against Rising (Jeremy Hall’s goal v Orange County last weekend came from the penalty spot).
• However, Republic are coming off the back of a US Open Cup extra-time win against Seattle Sounders on Wednesday. Jure Matjašič scored an extra-time winner to settle the match in the 115th minute.  Matjašič joined Republic in the close season from NK Domzale in Slovenia’s PrvaLiga, and has contributed 1 goal and 1 assist in 8 league appearances this season.
• Cameron Iwasa, who opened the scoring against Rising on May 19, remains Sacramento’s most potent threat up front. He has scored 5 league goals so far this season, and also added to his tally with an Open Cup goal in the 60th minute against Seattle last Wednesday.  A close season signing from Sporting Kansas City, this is Iwasa’s second spell at Republic.  He also made 47 appearances for tonight’s opponents in 2015 and 2016, scoring 13 goals.  Currently averaging a league goal every 210 minutes, this suggests Iwasa could be due a goal tonight!
• Christian Eissele and former Liverpool reserve Villyan Bijev have also scored two league goals apiece for Republic this season.
• All 18 of Republic’s league goals have been scored from inside the penalty area.  They have headed home only once, and are twice as likely to score in the second half as the first.

• Mitchell Taintor comes into this match in form in the Sacramento defense. The former New England Revolution academy player was named onto the USL Team of the Week following his performance against Orange County last Saturday.  Taintor has played 12 league games for Republic this season, and collected Republic’s sole red card thanks to a 20th minute professional foul against Sounders 2 in April.  He has also clocked up one MLS appearance on loan to Toronto FC, heading home a consolation goal in a 5-1 defeat away to Houston Dynamo on April 21.
• Josh Cohen remains a permanent fixture in the Republic goal. He is the only player to have played every minute of Sacramento’s 13 league games to date, as well as 2 of their 3 Cup ties. In doing so, he has recorded the second most saves of any goalkeeper in USL.  The former Rising keeper has conceded a mere 14 league goals this season, kept 3 clean sheets, and boasts a 74.1% save success rate.  Nine of the 14 league goals conceded were scored in the second half.

• Six other players have played a part in all 13 league games, but not the full 90 minutes.  The Bulgarian Bijev has started all 13 games, but been subbed off on 3 occasions.  The other players to feature in a part of every league game this season are midfielders Adam Moffat, Jaime Villareal and Jeremy Hall; Trinidad and Tobago international defender Shannon Gomez; and top-scorer Cameron Iwasa.
• Republic have officially announced every home league game at Papa Murphy’s Park as a 11,569 sell-out this season – the highest average attendance for any USL Western Conference side.

From The Ashes Prediction: A 1-1 draw