Republic FC Continues with New Additions with Memo Rodriguez

Republic FC has announced another midfield addition, with Jose "Memo" Rodriguez joining the roster. This deal is pending approval from the league and the federation.

Memo got his start in the Houston Dynamo academy system in 2011. He was a standout in his class, becoming a two-time Dynamo Academy Player of the Year. His performances at a youth level earned him a Homegrown Player deal with the Dynamo before the 2015 season. The next two seasons would be spent in the USL as he was loaned out to Charleston Battery and Rio Grande Valley. He continued to have success at this level and continued to grow as a player, as he got 10 goals and 6 assists in 53 appearances between these two clubs.

He returned to Houston in 2017 and stayed there for six seasons. Over the course of his time with the Dynamo first team, he would become the club's top homegrown player, with the most all-time appearances. This tenure would see him play in the MLS, US Open Cup, Leagues Cup, and CONCACAF Champions League, where his final tally for Houston would be 21 goals and 10 assists in 147 appearances. Memo was able to earn a piece of silverware with the 2018 Open Cup run, where he added three goals and one assist.

Memo would then move to the LA Galaxy and Austin FC, splitting time between the two in 2023. And then in 2024, he moved to Sporting Kansas City, where he'd spend two seasons. He recorded 3 goals and 5 assists in 51 appearances across all competitions.

Republic FC Head Coach Neill Collins on Rodriguez: "We’re thrilled to welcome Memo to the club. He’s a player with top level experience who brings quality in possession, leadership in the midfielder, and a relentless work rate that fits the identity we’re building. He’s hungry to win and we believe he’ll quickly make an impact on our season.”

Memo Rodriguez on coming to Sacramento: "I’m excited to join the club and I can’t wait to get started and see all the fans on opening night."

The more midfield signings we see for the Republic, the more in flux the starting lineup becomes. I would expect to see Rodriguez line up as an attacking midfielder or central midfielder. So his focus would be on supporting the attacking front line. Which makes me question, how many midfielders are we going to see in the starting lineup? My guess is three midfielders if we go with a 5-3-2, or what we saw in preseason with a 4-4-2. Both of which are different systems from what we saw from Neill Collins last season. A three-midfielder system with Rodriguez and Arturo Rodriguez as your attacking midfielders, with Danny Crisostomo behind them as a defensive midfielder, I think, is what we are going to see if everyone is healthy. Man, I'm very curious about this roster build.

Welcome to the club, Memo!

(Photos thanks to Sacramento Republic FC)