2025 Match Recap: Sacramento Republic FC //, El Paso Locomotive FC //

The State Fair was in town and the Republic were looking to get a win in front of the festival crowd, but in their way was an El Paso side that have been running up the table.

After taking the helm of El Paso in May of last year, Wilmer Cabrera has turned the side around from last season. Locomotive finished last season dead last in the Western Conference. But now with a full off-season to prepare, Cabrera has taken the Locomotive to third in the conference heading into this one. Wilmer Cabrera has been lighting it up for El Paso as the club's leading goalscorer, with 10 goals so far in the league, just one goal off from leading the league. Another scoring threat for El Paso, Armando Moreno, was suspended prior to this match for picking up a red club in El Paso's last match. That match saw El Paso lose 1-2 to in-state rivals San Antonio. If there's one weakness in El Paso, it's their defense. The Locomotive have only kept two clean sheets so far in the season, with 22 goals scored against them. The last time these two met came towards the end of last season where Sacramento lost in El Paso 1-2.

Sacramento came into this match looking to prove that they can be consistent and win games against the top opponents in the league. The last match for them was a 2-0 win in Las Vegas to complete the regular season sweep. But we've seen this team dominate that same Las Vegas side and then go on a cold streak. We have proof of concept of Neill Collins' system and tactics, but the club now needs to bring mentality every week. The Republic were in 7th place in the conference heading into this matchday, and with a compressed Western Conference, getting hot and stringing together a couple wins could see the side propel themselves up the table. But on the other hand, going on a similar cold streak like we did during the month of June would see the side lose the progress they've made and slide outside of the playoff spots.

Coach Wilmer Cabrera had this setup for El Paso:

Coach Neill Collins made this selection for Sacramento:

//

//

Key Takeaways:

Sacramento Republic FC: / goal, / shots, / shots on target, ///% possession, / corners, / offsides, / yellow cards, / red cards.

El Paso Locomotive FC: / goal, / shots, / shots on target, ///% possession, / corners, / offsides, / yellow cards, / red cards.

Republic FC Lineup: Danny Vitiello, Lee Desmond, Jared Timmer, Freddy Kleeman, Jack Gurr, Michel Benitez, Nick Ross, Blake Willey, Russell Cicerone, Sebastian Herrera, Rodrigo Lopez

Republic FC Bench: Jared Mazzola, AJ Edwards, Chibi Ukaegbu, Rayan Djedje, Dominik Wanner, Luis Felipe, Trevor Amann

What were your thoughts on the match? Sound off in the comments below!

Follow me on Bluesky (@allisquail.bsky.social) for live match coverage and more!

Check out the stats from this match here!

(Photo Credits to Sacramento Republic FC)