The road to a USL Championship title must start now
San Diego Loyal SC vs. Sacramento Republic FC
Torero Stadium – University of San Diego
Saturday, March 19 at 7 p.m.
TV: ESPN+
Head coach Landon Donovan said it loud and clear at the San Diego Loyal kit reveal. The Loyal will be aiming towards a USL Championship title this year.
Is it possible? Of course, it is. With Donovan leading this team, anything is possible.
The title race started last week against LA Galaxy II with a 2-1 victory for the Loyal.
“Over the course of the game, we just wore them out,” Donovan said. “They were just worn out. And if you do that more often than not things can go your way. I’ve talked to our team in preseason about how teams are going to defend like the Galaxy did in the second half against us since we had the ball so much. Being patient and thinking of the game in a 90-minute segment versus trying to score right away.”
At the same time, for the Loyal to make a good run towards playoffs, they must treat every game as a final and take advantage of playing at home.
We saw it last season, and we are seeing it this season again. The San Diego Loyal SC has a huge advantage with its crowd at home. It’s only right for the team to give the crowd what they want: another home win.
Sacramento Republic FC is the team to beat this weekend.
Odds are in the favor of San Diego, as they have won two and drawn three in its five matches against Sac Republic.
The last time these two teams met was in October of 2021, in which Sacramento tied the game with a goal in the 77th minute. That same game midfielder Alejandro Guido scored for San Diego in the 67th minute.
It’s going to be interesting to see if head coach Donavan makes any switches to his starting 11.
The odds are that he will, but then again, he only made two subs last game against Galaxy II. Defender Kyle Adams for forward Nick Moon and forward Thomas Amang for forward Kyle Vassell.
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Both teams are coming off a win which adds more anticipation to this game. Sacramento Republic FC won their last match 3-1 against El Paso Locomotive.
The expectations for this fixture will just have to keep building until kick-off at Torero Stadium this Saturday, March 19, at 7 pm.
Juan Daniel Avila is a senior journalism student at San Diego State University. He’s been writing for 3 years and working in the broadcasting sector as a commentator for 4 years. Started at EVT in January 2022.