Know Your Opponent: Spokane Velocity FC

Sacramento heads into the final matchday in group play with their fate in their own hands.

Sacramento is set to face USL League One leaders Spokane Velocity with the fate of who moves on in the group hanging in the balance. Spokane has already been eliminated from this competition. But there are three sides still alive in this group, all vying for the automatic qualifying spot. After this match, fans will have to tune into Monterey's match against AV Alta to see if they win. And if neither Monterey nor Sacramento achieves the desired results, it will be Las Vegas that advances to the next stage of competition. The fate of the group comes down to Sacramento needing to beat Spokane within 90 minutes and Monterey failing to meet that result. But before we even get to that point, we need to look at the opposition ahead. Spokane.

Spokane Velocity FC

Manager: Leigh Veidman

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Regular Season W-L-D: 8-3-5 (1st in USL League One), 1-2-0 (6th in Group One)

Last 5 Games: WLDWL

Previous USL Cup Results: W 2-1 vs. Oakland, L 0-1 @ Monterey, L 0-2 @ Las Vegas

Players to Watch: Anuar Peláez, Luis Gil

Top Goalscorers: Anuar Peláez - 6 goals

Top Assists: Pierre Reedy, Lucky Onyebuchi Opara - 3 assists each

Top Yellow Cards: Anuar Peláez - 3 yellow cards

Top Red Cards: Camron Miller - 1 red card

48’ SHAVON JOHN-BROWN WASTING NO TIME IN 2ND HALF

🌊 2 : 1 WES#WESvSPK #LeagueOne #LetsGoSpo #UpTheFalls #WelcomeToTheEdge #UnfinishedBusiness pic.twitter.com/rShFS54IhW

— Spokane Velocity FC (@SpokaneVelocity) July 17, 2025

Anuar Peláez was the difference maker for @SpokaneVelocity against his former club to close out Round 1 of the 2025 #USLJägermeisterCup ✨

Full highlights 🎥 https://t.co/ScEKTPQPZI pic.twitter.com/A2SvKbQ0Cv

— USL Jägermeister Cup (@USL_Cup) April 28, 2025

Like some of the other USL Cup matches, it will be interesting to see what kind of team Spokane fields. They are already eliminated from the competition, so I wonder if they will rotate their squad to focus on the league campaign.

Coach Collins had this to say on the upcoming matchup: "Ya, I think like every game, first and most importantly, try and win the game. [...] But what we'll do is take care of what we control, and that's go and try and win this game, score as many goals as we can. And if we win this game we'll be in a good chance of going through to the next stage."

Russell Cicerone on the preparation: "Yeah, I think we had a little bit of a disappointing time at the weekend with the 0-0 draw. But I thought we played great, we created a lot. We knew when they went down to 10 men that they were going to defend super hard right at the top of the box. And we've got to find a way to be able to break that down. But I still think we still we've been playing really good. And we're just continuing that energy into this week. We have an important one to move on in the Jägermeister cup. So, spirits are high and we're ready for game on the weekend."

Let's start with the Spokane defense. In the league, they are tied for fewest goals conceded with only 12, and they are tied for most clean sheets with 6. However, this hasn't translated to this cup competition, where they have faced three USL Championship sides. All three of which have been able to get past this Spokane backline. Spokane plays in a rigid back four system with their wingbacks not advancing as far forward into the attack. In the midfield, there will also be two defensive midfielders that the Republic will have to negotiate past. In that system, however, there will be space going down the wide channels, as Spokane doesn't have that many men to send to cover those areas as they would in a back five. That means players like Jack Gurr and Michel Benitez will have room to operate and combine with their wingers to overload those areas of the field, trying to generate scoring opportunities. There will be space between the Spokane midfield and defense, especially in transition, as their defensive midfielders are often asked to take up attacking positions in the opposing half.

If Spokane does put out their first-choice lineup, all eyes should be on Anuar Pelaez. He is the main target for Spokane to build through. Pelaez is tied for 5th in USL League One in shots taken and goals scored. That being said, there are several avenues that Velocity can use to find Pelaez, chiefly Luis Gil. Gil is 2nd in League One for chances created with 28. But he's not afraid to call his own number and take a shot, as he's found the back of the net four times. The midfield trio behind the striker is mainly working to try and find their target, whether it be Pelaez or Neco Brett coming off the bench. Players like Pierre Reedy and Shavon John-Brown will be looking for ways to go down the wing and through the Republic defense.

Republic's Way of Victory: Well, there's no other option but to go all out in this one. The opportunity to move on to the next stage of the competition is on the line, and the Republic will need to come away with all three points to have a shot. Sacramento will need to keep Spokane's defense on its back foot and force them to keep their defensive rotations sharp. And then punish them if they were to make a mistake. Take advantage of any numerical advantage with a back four defense. I do expect Spokane to come into this match with a defensive stance, so the Republic's strikers will need to capitalize on any opportunity they can get. Congest the space around Luis Gil or whoever is in the attacking midfield spot, and don't let them get off all the passes they want. And then crowd out their lone striker, Anuar Pelaez or whoever lines up in that position. There will be secondary runs coming off the striker, so be aware of that as well.

(Photo credits and quotes provided by Sacramento Republic FC)