2026 USL Cup Match Recap: Oakland Roots SC 0, Sacramento Republic FC 1
The Republic's USL Cup campaign continued as they looked to establish a dominant position in the group, as they traveled to face off against Oakland. And Sacramento did just enough to secure the three points thanks to a beautiful strike from Mayele Malango.
New coach Ryan Martin has this Roots side in the thick of the Western Conference, as they were in 3rd place in the conference. But, this USL Cup competition got off on the wrong foot as they lost via penalty shootout against Monterey. I am curious what kind of lineup does Coach Martin put out there for Oakland, does he still want to field a full-strength side or cut his losses and rotate his squad? One player to look out for is the reigning USL Championship Golden Boot winner, Peter Wilson. He has been on a hot streak to start this year as he looks to defend his Golden Boot title. You can check out my preview on this Roots side here.
Sacramento had a break from their last match as they licked some wounds. It was a thrilling contest against Orange County that saw the Republic come back twice before Michel Benitez's last-minute penalty conversion gave the Republic three points. The Republic attack has been banging in goals lately, as their USL Cup opener against Spokane was the match before Orange County. And in that contest, the Republic notched four goals on the Velocity. That goal-scoring momentum would be needed again in this contest as Sacramento looked to solidify their top spot in the group. Contests between these two sides are usually close affairs, as the last time these two met was a 3-3 draw in Sacramento.
Coach Ryan Martin made this selection for Oakland:
OAKLAND.
— Oakland Roots (@oaklandrootssc) May 16, 2026
Lifters: 07. Prentice, 09. Wilson, 11. De Vicente, 23. Bravo, 33. Spiegel, 44. Roberson, 51. Wachs, 55. Polio, 99. Trejo.#OAKvSAC | #OaklandFirstAlways pic.twitter.com/rp1PDIaYQC
Coach Neill Collins had this lineup for Sacramento:
How we lineup against Oakland 👊#OAKvsSAC | @TiemannLawFirm pic.twitter.com/aVhoMpbwWl
— Sacramento Republic FC (@SacRepublicFC) May 16, 2026
This match saw the return of one of the key pieces of the Republic defense. Jared Timmer recovered from the injury that saw him on the sideline for the season, up until this match, where he would take his first starting minutes. And this couldn't have come at a more perfect time, as the Republic is still dealing with Freddy Kleeman being out. He would take the place of Ryan Spaulding, who started the last match. Timmer wouldn't be the only player returning from injury, as both Mark-Anthony Kaye and Danny Crisostomo returned to the team sheet to start this match on the bench.
It was an even start for the first 10 minutes, as both sides had time on the ball. When on the ball, Sacramento showed some fluidity in its passing game, deploying high-tempo, quick passing to get through the Oakland midfield. When off the ball, Sacramento sat in a mid-block as Oakland was trying to navigate past the first line of confrontation.
The first chance of the night came in the 43rd minute. The ball was played to Aaron Essel a couple yards out from the Oakland box. He tried his luck from range and powered a shot onto the Oakland goal. Kendall McIntosh was aware of the shot and deflected it down and back into his arms.
At halftime, neither side could get on the scoreboard. Despite having a smaller share of possession, Sacramento looked more threatening. They had the only shot on target in the first half. And they outshot Oakland 7-1. Players like Mayele Malango, Michel Benitez, and Jack Gurr were seeing a good share of the ball as they tried to connect with their strikers and create scoring opportunities. For the Roots, whenever they entered the Republic's defensive third, they seemed uninspired creatively, relying on sending crosses into the box and hoping to connect with a teammate. Sacramento's passing looked sharp in the first half, they just needed to find that final ball to hopefully break through the Oakland defense.
At halftime, Coach Collins made a substitution with Blake Willey stepping onto the pitch to replace Jared Timmer. This shifted Aaron Essel from the defensive midfield to the center back position.
Sacramento opened the scoring in the 56th minute. Sacramento sprung a quick counterattack, building play across the top of the Oakland box. Pep Casas played the ball wide to Mayele Malango out wide on the left wing. He cut back to the middle of the park and aimed his shot in the upper corner as it got past Kendall McIntosh.
Top bins from Malango! 💣 pic.twitter.com/W6OoLq8LWf
— Sacramento Republic FC (@SacRepublicFC) May 17, 2026
Oakland got their first chance in the 61st minute. Florian Valot tried an effort from range, but that was parried down by Danny Vitiello.
Coach Collins made a pair of midfield substitutions in the 64th minute. Mark-Anthony Kaye and Danny Crisostomo returned to the pitch to replace Pep Casas and Tyler Wolff.
Oakland was still trying to find a way back into this match. Wolfgang Prentice broke free down the Oakland left in the 68th minute and put in a cross to Florian Valot. Valot chested the ball down and fired a close-range effort at the Sacramento goal, but Danny Vitiello fell on the opportunity and stopped the ball.
Dominik Wanner came on to the pitch for an appearance in the 73rd minute as he replaced Mayele Malango.
Ryan Spaulding would also come on in the 80th minute to replace Arturo Rodriguez.
And with a last gap in stoppage time, Oakland tried to find a last-minute equalizer. Tommy McCabe put a long ball into the Republic box that was brought down by Jesus de Vincente. Danny Trejo took the snapshot that forced Danny Vitiello to scramble to block the near-post shot. The shot was deflected off the post and went out.
And then the final whistle blew with the Republic taking the victory. It wasn't a flashy performance, but the Republic grabbed the win to solidify their position at the top of the group standings. The Republic defense had a pretty quiet night, but they did a great job of limiting the number of touches the Roots had in the Republic's box. Next up for the Republic is a visit to the Western Conference leaders, San Antonio. Onwards!
Coach Neill Collins on the performance:
"I thought it was an excellent performance from start to finish. I thought at halftime, we were unlucky not to be ahead. We should have done more in the final third with the opportunities that we created, but I thought in the second half, right from the word go, we came out. We added a little bit in that final third. Mayele got a goal. It's fantastic, but we expect them to do things like that. We know he's capable of it. The only disappointment about today was, we should have got a second with the moments that we created, but so good on so many fronts."
Mayele Malango on the game:
“The team is playing well, we play as a team, we are very, very composed. And we get a chance to score goals so we get one… and one away. So I'm happy to get the result we did.”
Key Takeaways:
- The defense stood tall, and the attack got the job done to get a win against their rivals.
- Great goal from Mayele Malango. Hopefully, he also becomes a greater attacking threat and scores more goals this season.
- Jared Timmer, Mark-Anthony Kaye, and Danny Crisostomo all returned from injury, which was needed to refresh the lineup.
Sacramento Republic FC: 1 goal, 11 shots, 2 shots on target, 45.8% possession, 2 corners, 2 offsides, 1 yellow card, 0 red cards.
Oakland Roots SC: 0 goals, 5 shots, 2 shots on target, 54.2% possession, 1 corner, 0 offsides, 0 yellow cards, 0 red cards.
Republic FC Lineup: Danny Vitiello, Michel Benitez, Lee Desmond, Jared Timmer (OUT, HT'), Jack Gurr, Pep Casas (OUT, 64'), Aaron Essel, Tyler Wolff (OUT, 64'), Arturo Rodriguez (OUT, 80'), Mayele Malango (OUT, 73'), Forster Ajago
Republic FC Bench: Jacob Randolph, Ryan Spaulding (IN, 80'), Chibi Ukaegbu, Rohan Chivukula, Dominik Wanner (IN, 73'), Mark-Anthony Kaye (IN, 64'), Danny Crisostomo (IN, 64'), Blake Willey (IN, HT'), Kyle Edwards
What were your thoughts on the match? Sound off in the comments below!
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Check out the stats from this match here!
(Photo thanks to Sacramento Republic FC)
EDIT 5/18/26 @ 20:47: added post-match quotes and fixed the graphic for the Oakland lineup.
All Is Quail Blog Author/Co-Host
The “numbers guy”, Riyan! Riyan is a native of Sacramento and has been following the Republic since day one. He has covered the team across different media outlets including now his own, All is Quail Soccer. Aside from putting numbers in spreadsheets, he has a love of video games and finding a good book to put in his ever growing to-read pile.
Know Your Opponent: Oakland Roots SC
