Republic FC Squanders Two-Goal Lead in Return Home
Republic FC Draw 2-2 with Phoenix Rising & Bennett Receives Red Card
After five straight games on the road, Sacramento Republic FC returned to Heart Health Park on Saturday night to a sold-out crowd eager to welcome the Quails back to town. For 45 minutes, the homecoming felt perfect. Russell Cicerone’s 20th-minute strike and a Phoenix own goal in the 32nd minute gave Sacramento a 2-0 halftime lead. But a second-half surge from Phoenix Rising and a red card to Khori Bennett turned the match, and the two Western Conference foes split the points in a 2-2 draw.
First-Half Dominance
Republic FC started quickly, nearly scoring twice inside the opening 10 minutes. Khori Bennett forced a diving stop from Phoenix goalkeeper Patrick Rakovsky off a Ryan Spaulding cross, and Jack Gurr tested him again moments later after a slick buildup from Cicerone and Blake Willey.
The breakthrough came in the 20th minute when a long ball over the top fell to Cicerone. Despite being tugged from behind, the forward muscled through and slotted his right-footed shot past Rakovsky for his seventh goal of the season. Twelve minutes later, Sacramento doubled the lead. Spaulding beat his man one-on-one on the left and whipped a cross into the area that Phoenix midfielder Noble Okello deflected into his own net.
By halftime, Sacramento had outshot Phoenix 7-3 and completed 75% of their passes despite having only 38% of the ball. The Quails also created nine shots from inside the box and touched the ball 22 times inside the Phoenix penalty area.
Second-Half Shift
Phoenix clawed back in the 59th minute when Lee Desmond was called for a foul in the box and Rémi Cabral converted the penalty. With Sacramento still leading but tiring after a three-match week, Bennett received a second yellow card in the 75th minute, leaving the hosts to finish with 10 men. Just four minutes later, Phoenix found the equalizer as Ihsan Sacko headed home a Hope Avayevu cross.
Despite the momentum shift, Republic FC still had a late chance to win it. Rodrigo López’s stoppage-time corner caused chaos in the box, but the ball was cleared off the line.
Post-Match Reaction
Head Coach Neill Collins acknowledged the disappointment of letting a two-goal advantage slip but praised his side’s effort under difficult circumstances:
“When you’re two to zero up at home, you’re always disappointed not to take home three points. … We gave away a really cheap penalty, and then the second goal was really unlike us. … On another night, we see it through. It’s just a reminder of how difficult every game is.”
Cicerone echoed the frustration but looked ahead:
“Pretty disappointed to be up two goals at home. … I know it’s been a long week, a lot of tired legs, but we’re gonna get better from this, for sure.”
Looking Ahead
The draw extends the Republic’s unbeaten run to four matches across all competitions, but also serves as another reminder of how tight the Western Conference race has bec ome. Sacramento remains in playoff position, but will need to convert draws into wins to climb higher in the standings.
The Quails head back on the road next Saturday to face reigning league champions Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. When the two sides met earlier this season at Heart Health Park, the match also ended in a 2-2 draw — a result Sacramento will be eager to improve upon away from home.