2026 Playoff Match Recap: Sacramento Republic FC 2, El Paso Locomotive FC 1

A trip to the Western Conference finals was on the line as Sacramento took on El Paso Locomotive. The Republic prevailed in this match, getting on the scoreboard early with a goal from Cal Jennings. Locomotive quickly responded with a goal from Alex Mendez. But a goal from Michel Benitez would prove to be the difference maker that saw the Republic through to the next round.

After dispatching San Antonio in the opening round, the third seed of the Western Conference, El Paso Locomotive, were seeking to reach the Conference Finals for the first time since 2020. To do so, they needed to pin their hopes on Rubio Rubin. Rubin nearly clinched the Golden Boot for the USL Championship before narrowly losing to Phoenix's Ihsan Sacko. But his goal contribution record is still impressive, with 17 goals and 4 assists for the Locomotive. El Paso won the first clash between these two sides early in the season back in March, coming away with a 2-1 victory.

The Republic are now riding a 14-game unbeaten streak as they will look to keep it going deep in the playoffs. A late goal from Blake Willey was enough to make the difference and see the Republic past Tulsa in the opening round. They also got past Tulsa without star midfielder Memo Rodriguez. The question heading into this one was whether Memo Rodriguez was fit enough to make the teamsheet for this playoff match. But without him, the Republic had some experience against El Paso to hang their hat on. The two sides met recently in October, with the Republic winning 1-0 on the road.

Coach Junior Gonzalez had this lineup for El Paso:

Los once en Cali 👀 https://t.co/bbsIaj7P4T

— El Paso Locomotive FC (@eplocomotivefc) November 8, 2026

Coach Neill Collins made this selection for Sacramento:

Starting XI is in 🔒 #SACvELP https://t.co/kOV0p53SSo

— Sacramento Republic FC (@SacRepublicFC) November 8, 2026

And the Republic faithful would have their prayers answered as there was one change made to the starting lineup from the match against Tulsa. Memo Rodriguez returned to the starters as he took the place of Alfredo Midence. Interestingly, Memo would slide over to the right wing to duel against the El Paso left of Armando Moreno, Eric Calvillo, and Ricky Ruiz.

It was a frenetic start to the match as both sides were finding pockets of space. For El Paso, the left side of Armando Moreno and Ricky Ruiz combined with Rubio Rubin to really test the Republic's centerbacks. They created a couple of chances for El Paso that put Danny Vitiello on alert. For the Republic, it was Jack Gurr who got out flying as he ran past his markers into acres of space down the right. He sent in a couple of dangerous balls to try and find Cal Jennings, but nothing to test Abraham Romero in net.

The Republic shot out to an early lead in the 11th minute on the opposite flank. Mayele Malango got possession of the ball in the midfield and went on a run that saw him get past multiple El Paso defenders. He connected with Cal Jennings, making a run past the El Paso defense and into the Locomotive box. Jennings put his shot at the far post to take the lead for the Republic.

Jennings opens the goal scoring for the Republic 💪 https://t.co/35p4ML77Yg

— Sacramento Republic FC (@SacRepublicFC) November 8, 2026

But El Paso equalized in the 18th minute. A botched clearance from the Republic defense saw the ball bounce around in their own box. Alex Mendez was the first to respond as he took on Danny Vitiello and nailed his shot into the bottom corner.

ALEX MÉNDEZ LEVELS IT! 🔥 https://t.co/pED6BiplMY

— El Paso Locomotive FC (@eplocomotivefc) November 8, 2026

As the rest of the first half played out, El Paso held the majority of the possession. But Sacramento did their best, applying a high press to try to pin the Locomotive back in their own territory. This forced El Paso to try long balls to reach their front three. But when Sacramento won the duel, players like Mayele Malango and Jack Gurr sprang forward to give Cal Jennings service.

The sides went into halftime level. El Paso held most of the possession heading into the break and had more chances. But the Republic defense did enough to keep them at arm's length after conceding the equalizer. Sacramento's best chances came on the break, with some slashing runs coming from the flanks.

The Republic opened the second half brightly as Jack Gurr was firing a volley of crosses into the El Paso box. None of them could find their marks as a couple of half-chances came of it. Memo Rodriguez and Pep Casas were doing their best to combine with Gurr on the wing to try and open up space for him. Pep Casas got a chance of his own during this period as he glided past the El Paso defense to fire a shot, but it landed in Abraham Romero's arms.

A cheeky throw-in play from the Republic led to them reclaiming the lead in the 57th minute. Jack Gurr threw the ball in to Mayele Malango, who played a quick 1-2 with Memo Rodriguez. Malango ran behind the El Paso defense and fired a quick shot that got deflected by Abraham Romero. The ball wasn't successfully cleared as Michel Benitez ran onto the opportunity and fired his shot past the keeper to restore the lead for the Republic.

BENITEZ PUTS US BACK ON TOP! https://t.co/kgovWTY8Kx

— Sacramento Republic FC (@SacRepublicFC) November 8, 2026

Coach Collins made a pair of substitutions in the 71st minute. Cal Jennings and Mayele Malango were replaced by Kyle Edwards and Ryan Spaulding.

El Paso and Sacramento were finding some chances going into the final 15 minutes of regulation. El Paso got a couple of shots after cutting up the Republic defense, but they were off-target, or Danny Vitiello had a handle on them. Then, going the other way, some pressure from Pep Casas forced an errant ball to be played by the Locomotive defenders. Kyle Edwards picked up the ball and dribbled it into the opposing eighteen, but his shot was caught by Abraham Romero.

Coach Collins made another substitution in the 81st minute. Blake Willey stepped into the match to replace Memo Rodriguez.

El Paso pushed forward to find an equalizer and extend their season. Sacramento repelled most of their attacks. But El Paso nearly came close with the last kick of the game as Alex Mendez rifled a shot that hit the post.

And the full-time whistle blew with Sacramento on top. The Republic secured their spot in the Western Conference final as they strangled the life out of the El Paso attack for most of the second half. Cal Jennings was on fire in all facets of his game as he was rewarded with a goal. But his off-ball pressure really put the El Paso defense under the gun whenever he was around. Also, shoutout to Michel Benitez for nabbing the winner, as it's great to see him back in form after coming back from an injury. Sacramento will be on the road for their next match as they take on the top seed in the Western Conference, New Mexico United. Onwards!

Coach Neill Collins on the match:

“Thought it was a great game. I thought it was a great game. I thought it was two very, very good teams, and I thought El Paso probably shaded it in the first half. I thought we got a great goal, a superb goal, but we weren't quite at our best, and I thought we were a little unfortunate to lose the goal in the fashion that we did. But at halftime, I knew that we hadn't given our best yet, and I felt that they maybe had. And I thought right from the first whistle in the second half, we came and took control of the game, and I thought we got the goal deservedly. And really, when we watch that back, we should probably have had another goal with some of the opportunities that we created. And I think it's been a mark of this team being able to come on strong in the second half. So that's how they did tonight. And that's no mean feat. That's a very good El Paso team.”

Coach Neill Collins on the next opponent being New Mexico:

“Excellent, excellent football team. Play a really attractive style of play. They're going to test us, but we, but they know and we know we're going to test them. So it's going to be an exciting game. I don't think it'll be nil-nil.”

Cal Jennings on his goal:

“I got a chance a little bit before that, didn't put it away at a tough angle, and then the last one I saw, we picked it up kind of at the midway line. I think it was Mayele. I'll have to go back and look at it, but slipped me in nicely and just tried to keep my composure and slotted away.”

“I definitely haven't scored as many goals as I'd like to so far, but I'm a rhythm finisher. So the more that I put in the back of the net, the more confidence I'll grow with. And tonight it was my night and Michel's night to get the winners, and I'm thankful for that. And more to come.”

Key Takeaways:

• The Republic kept El Paso at a distance for most of the match, especially in the second half. The goal came off a Sacramento defensive miscue that El Paso capitalized on.
• Sacramento got the job done again without having to rely on Kyle Edwards or Memo Rodriguez to be the key difference makers. Mayele Malango and Cal Jennings were on fire in this one.
• A little bit scary to end the match with that shot hitting the post, but sometimes you just need to be a little lucky.

Sacramento Republic FC: 2 goals, 17 shots, 5 shots on target, 40.4% possession, 5 corners, 0 offsides, 2 yellow cards, 0 red cards.

El Paso Locomotive FC: 1 goal, 16 shots, 6 shots on target, 59.6% possession, 3 corners, 1 offside, 0 yellow cards, 0 red cards.

Republic FC Lineup: Danny Vitiello, Lee Desmond, Jared Timmer, Michel Benitez, Jack Gurr, Mayele Malango (OUT, 71'), Danny Crisostomo, Pep Casas, Mark-Anthony Kaye, Memo Rodriguez (OUT, 81'), Cal Jennings (OUT, 71')

Republic FC Bench: Jacob Randolph, Freddy Kleeman, Tim Leibold, Ryan Spaulding (IN, 71'), Blake Willey (IN, 81'), Reid Paskey, Alfredo Midence, Kyle Edwards (IN, 71'), Forster Ajago

Photos and quotes, thanks to Sacramento Republic FC.