2025 Playoff Match Recap: Sacramento Republic FC 0(4), Orange County SC 0(5)

Seven spots were already claimed in the quarterfinals, with the last one up for grabs as Sacramento hosted Orange County in the first round of the 2025 USL Championship Playoffs. And this match went the distance as Orange County emerged victorious after a nervy penalty shootout.

Orange County had to wait until the final day to find out whether their berth in the postseason was secure. A result against Indy Eleven on the last day of the regular season was needed and achieved by Danny Stone's men to clinch their spot. Coming into this one, Orange County were unbeaten in their last five matches. They got three impressive draws against El Paso, New Mexico, and Louisville. And their two wins were against San Antonio and the aforementioned Indy Eleven. Orange County owns the regular-season matchup. They got one win early in the season against Sacramento, winning 2-1. And then got a second win in the USL Cup, giving Sacramento their only loss in the group stage.

Sacramento didn't need to wait until the final matchday to know whether they would make the postseason. The Republic clinched the second seed in their second-to-last match with a win against the Charleston Battery. However, their recent form is concerning, as they have won only two of their last seven games. Those two wins are the aforementioned Charleston Battery and a win against Orange County. That win came with a rotated squad, holding on as Khori Bennett scored the winner. The Republic hoped that rotating the lineup in their last match against Miami would improve squad health and give players who needed it a break.

If you wanted to read my pre-match thoughts, you can check out my match preview here.

Coach Neill Collins made this selection for Sacramento: 

Starting XI for this evening#SACvsOC | @TiemannLawFirm pic.twitter.com/s708U3dxnh

— Sacramento Republic FC (@SacRepublicFC) November 3, 2025

The starters were a return to the regular lineup, rather than the rotated squad we saw against Miami. Danny Vitiello got the start in net. The backline would be comprised of Jack Gurr and Michel Benitez out wide with Jared Timmer, Freddy Kleeman, and Lee Desmond in the middle. The midfield duo would be Blake Willey and Justin Portillo. And the starting attack would be Rodrigo Lopez, Cristian Parano, and Sebastian Herrera. Notable bench players include Russell Cicerone, Nick Ross, Khori Bennett, and Dominik Wanner.

Both teams were finding space down the wide channels, with some glancing shots in the opening phase of the match. Sacramento took it one step further and forced a couple of saves from Colin Shutler. In the 9th minute, Jack Gurr tried to catch the keeper away from his near post and aimed his shot there. Shutler slid over and handled the save. And then in the 10th minute, Michel Benitez sprinted through the Orange County backline and tried his luck from distance, but Shutler safely dealt with that one.

Sacramento was in control of the match midway through the first half. They held long spells of possession, trying to find their wingers breaking at pace. Jack Gurr and Crisitan Parano were the main targets on the right-hand side, forcing the likes of Ryan Doghman back to play some defense. However, the Republic couldn't find a way to trouble the keeper, settling for sending in crosses into the Orange County box that were eventually cleared. Orange County was doing their best to bend but not break under the Republic pressure. They relieved this pressure with some quick counterattacks that found their strikers running towards the Republic's territory. Sacramento's backline and midfielders were doing well enough to get back in time and cut out the attacks. Blake Willey got on the end of one of these spells in the 30th minute to take a shot from just outside the Orange County box, but it went over the bar.

Shots were at a premium when the whistle blew for the halftime break. Neither team recorded a shot on target, as both sides did well to limit the quality of their opponents' chances. Sacramento so far looked good at snuffing out Orange County's attacks before they could find their strikers. Ethan Zubak's name hadn't been called on in the first half, as the backline usually had a man on him as he was making his runs. On the attacking side of the ball, the Republic played wide and were trying to find Jack Gurr and Cristian Parano. But they weren't able to convert those threatening positions into tests for Colin Shutler in net.

At halftime, Coach Collins made a substitution. Ryan Spaulding was asked to take Justin Portillo's place. This moved Michel Benitez up in the midfield with Blake Willey.

Sacramento was aiming to put Orange County under immediate pressure by taking the second-half kickoff and kicking it out of bounds deep in Orange County territory. And this nearly worked out for them as they got a corner kick shortly thereafter. A routine between Rodrigo Lopez and Michel Benitez led to a pass being played to Jack Gurr at the top of the Orange County box. Gurr took his opportunity off the volley and blazed it over the bar.

The tempo of the game slowed down as the match hit the 60th minute. Both teams were using the entire width of the pitch to try and find an opening in the opposition's defense. Orange County was maintaining longer spells of the ball. And with substitution Ousmane Sylla stepping onto the pitch, the visitors were looking for the dagger. The atmosphere in the stadium grew increasingly nervous and tentative as time ticked on, with Orange County in possession.

Looking to liven things up going forward for the Republic, Coach Collins brought on a pair of substitutions to the attackers in the 70th minute. Sebastian Herrera and Cristian Parano stepped off the pitch to be replaced by Khori Bennett and Russell Cicerone. We haven't seen Cicerone since the cup final against Hartford.

There was a long spell of just pure tenseness as the match crept past the 85th minute. Sacramento got the first chance in a while for either side in the 88th minute as Ryan Spaulding won a duel and put a low cross into the Orange County box. The cross got deflected backwards into the path of Russell Cicerone, but his first-time strike was put over.

Both teams got one more chance in stoppage time. First for the Republic, a quick cross from Jack Gurr was put to the feet of Khori Bennett. His reaction shot was pushed out by Colin Shutler. And then, from the corner kick, the Orange County defense cleared it, and they sprinted into a counterattack. Mouhamdou War put a cross into the Sacramento box that got to Nico Benalcazar. His shot required a block from the Republic defenders, and that's when the whistle blew.

Shots were even harder to come by in the second half. Orange County found a firmer foothold in this match and slowed the game to a screeching halt. Both teams were still holding up to repel any attacks into their own boxes. Colin Shutler was the more active keeper in the ninety minutes as Orange County still hadn't registered a shot on target. Danny Vitiello's only action was to swat away crosses and capture balls launched into the Republic's box. An extra 30 minutes were needed because there was nothing to separate the two sides.

Coach Collins made a pair of substitutions at the start of extra time. Nick Ross took over the midfield spot that was held by Michel Benitez. And Cody Baker was tasked with stepping into the backline for Jared Timmer.

Sacramento was testing their luck again from range in the 95th minute. From a dead ball, Rodrigo Lopez took a couple of dribbles to get himself closer to the Orange County box. And then, as the Orange County defenders took a step towards him, he rifled a shot from distance that kissed the post and went out.

And as the match was reaching the break in extra time, double red cards were issued. Some tempers flared after the ball was put out of touch, and Chris Hegardt of Orange County and Rodrigo Lopez were tangled up. The two fought out of the tangle, bringing all the players close into a melee. Both Lopez and Hegardt were ejected for inciting the incident.

In an effort to try and stabilize the midfield at the start of the second half of extra time, Luis Felipe was brought on to replace Blake Willey, who had an impressive performance on the ball.

The second half of extra time was rather testy as both sides were growing accustomed to playing a man down.

Orange County opted to make a keeper change right before the penalty shootout, with Colin Shutler being replaced by Tetsuya Kadono.

In the shootout, Danny Vitiello was able to make a couple of blocks. But the Orange County switch worked out as Tetsuya Kadono was cold in net, turning away three of the Republic's attempts, including the last one to seal the match.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀 😮‍💨#ForCounty 🍊 pic.twitter.com/i9qSxfKX5Q

— Orange County SC (@orangecountysc) November 3, 2025

Sacramento ended their season for the second year in a row via the penalty shootout. Damn, what a cruel way to end the season. There were some bright spots in the match. Blake Willey looked confident with the ball. Cristian Parano and Jack Gurr did their job, forcing the most dangerous part of the Orange County formation back into their own territory. The defense was impeccable in open play, allowing zero shots on target and preventing Orange County from feeding Ethan Zubak. But all of that is outweighed by the negatives and the results. The attack was just a letdown. The team fell into the same pattern that we've seen for multiple seasons now, with trying to find their way forward via Jack Gurr. But once that avenue is shut down, what's next? Sacramento only had one shot on target out of their twelve shots total. It was not enough to carry the team forward. And just like that, Sacramento left themselves vulnerable again to the penalty shootout and paid heavily for it. An unfortunate way to send Rodrigo Lopez into the sunset. Next up is the offseason and then 2026. Onwards!

Key Takeaways:

• It wasn't enough to move into the next round. Refereeing aside, the strikers looked tentative, and apart from Gurr, who was able to create those chances?
• Orange County brought out the low block that Sacramento does not know how to break down.
• Damn, another season with zero trophies to show for it.

Sacramento Republic FC: 0 goals, 12 shots, 1 shot on target, 50.9% possession, 10 corners, 1 offside, 5 yellow cards, 1 red card.

Orange County SC: 0 goals, 11 shots, 0 shots on target, 49.1% possession, 3 corners, 2 offsides, 2 yellow cards, 1 red card.

Republic FC Lineup: Danny Vitiello, Michel Benitez (OUT, EOR'), Lee Desmond, Freddy Kleeman, Jared Timmer (OUT, EOR'), Jack Gurr, Rodrigo Lopez, Blake Willey (OUT, 106'), Justin Portillo (OUT, HT'), Sebastian Herrera (OUT, 70'), Cristian Parano (OUT, 70')

Republic FC Bench: Jared Mazzola, Ryan Spaulding (IN, HT'), Cody Baker (IN, EOR'), Dominik Wanner, Chibi Ukagebu, Nick Ross (IN, EOR'), Luis Felipe (IN, 106'), Russell Cicerone (IN, 70'), Khori Bennett (IN, 70')

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Check out the stats from this match here!

(Photo thanks to Sacramento Republic FC)