Gallery: Sacramento Republic FC Stunned as Season Comes to an Abrupt End

Some people feel the rain, others just get wet

All photos by Ryan Townsend for Quail City Soccer

On a pleasantly cool Sunday night, school looming the next morning, Sacramento Republic FC suffered the latest in a series of absolutely crushing defeats. A few weeks ago, I wrote this about the cup final loss to Hartford FC.

“Currently, the joy-to-misery ratio is out of balance.”

Here we are again.

The Tower Bridge Battalion were in peak form and most of the 9,367 fans in attendance stayed until the final whistle. (Quail City)

It seems reductive when you say it out loud; if you don’t score you can’t win. In the first 120 minutes of knockout soccer, at least. SRFC have warrior hearts, the undisputed best supporters in USL, and a bright future awaiting in the Railyards, but none of that mattered when the final whistle sounded on a 0-0 (5-4 penalties) loss to 7th-seeded Orange County SC.

Striker Sebastian Herrera was frustrated all night by Orange County's stout defending (Quail City)

These photos represent the initial hope and eventual despair we experienced, together, at Heart Health Park on Sunday night. In the coming weeks and months, our writing staff are going to be asking the hard questions and pouring through the data to make sense of the 2025 season.

In this moment, though, can we all just pour one out for what transpired and what might have been?

Russell Cicerone leaves the bench for the locker room midway through the first half. He would come on as a sub in the 71st minute but couldn’t convert on a glorious chance to win in regulation. (Quail City)

Midseason signing Khori Bennett returned to USL from Qatar and scored 5 goals in 13 league appearances. He couldn’t replicate that form in cup competition though, going scoreless in five games. (Quail City)

Lee Desmond and Jared Timmer both provided targets in the box on set pieces but didn't score. (Quail City)

Creative midfielder Cristian Parano struggled to find enough space to break through and create chances (Quail City)

Goalkeeper Danny Vitiello had another outstanding season and saved two penalty kicks during the shootout. (Quail City)

29-year-old Liga MX veteran Michel Benítez signed for the club in January and played in 38 matches. He logged over 87 percent of total team minutes. (Quail City)

I want to thank the team’s communications staff for welcoming us into the fold this season. Republic FC are truly a professional and hospitable club, and I look forward to covering this team in the future. There’s some kind of poetic justice in the way my camera battery lasted the full 90 minutes (plus stoppage time) of sideline and endline roaming. I witnessed extra time and penalties from the press box extra seats.

In the end, I filed out with thousands of other disappointed fans. Orange County are on the next round, while we are left to sort through the wreckage.

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