Republic FC Makes Marquee Signing with Mark-Anthony Kaye

Republic FC announced that the club has signed Mark-Anthony Kaye. This acquisition is pending league and federation approval.

Mark-Anthony will be bringing experience at the highest level to the club. Before establishing himself in MLS, Mark-Anthony won silverware at the USL level, winning the league championship in 2017 with Louisville City. This earned him a roster spot on LAFC's inaugural roster in 2018. In 2019, he became a regular starter as LAFC earned the MLS Supporters' Shield. This performance earned him a selection to the MLS All-Star Team, as he scored 4 goals and recorded 8 assists during the season. Then, in 2020, he helped LAFC reach the CONCACAF Champions League Final, where they lost to Liga MX's Tigres UANL.

After leaving LAFC, Kaye has stints with Colorado Rapids, Toronto FC, New England Revolution, and, most recently, San Jose Earthquakes. His MLS career spans 201 appearances across the regular season and playoffs, with 16 goals and 26 assists.

Republic FC Head Coach Neill Collins on Mark-Anthony Kaye: “When a player with Mark-Anthony’s experience and quality decides that this is where he wants to be, it validates everything we’re building. He’s a proven winner, a leader in the locker room, and a competitor who sets the tone every time he steps on the pitch. He elevates those around him and is going to make our entire squad strong as we begin our pursuit of Championship silverware.”

 “Our ownership has made it clear that the expectation here is to compete for trophies every season. Their willingness to invest in top talent reflects that ambition, and this signing is another example of that commitment in action.”

Mark-Anthony Kaye on coming to Sacramento: “It’s clear that this club has its sights set on reaching a new level, and I’m excited to be a part of that. I want to use my experience and my talent to help the team win, but at the end of the year, we want to be able to count the number of trophies we’ve put in the cabinet. The USL is a competitive league, and I’m here to win.”

This is the kind of signing where you look at it and kind of have to take a step back. The caliber of player Mark-Anthony Kaye is, and the accolades that he brings to this club are on another level. Now I won't expect Mark-Anthony to be a starter every match of this season. Only one-third of his appearances last season for San Jose were as a starter. But to have this caliber of player coming off your bench, as a worst-case scenario, is insane. Mark-Anthony's vision and ability to control a game are something that the Republic has been in dire need of for a while. The middle of the park is somewhere that the Republic has lacked a presence in the past couple of seasons. And a player like Kaye is someone that opposing defenses will have to respect. The Republic will be looking to take advantage of Mark-Anthony's playmaking abilities. This level of player is a sign of where the Republic wants to be at the end of the season. Both Collins and Kaye are setting the expectation this season of bringing home trophies. Sacramento came so close to bringing home some silverware in the USL Cup last season, but was ousted from the playoffs in the first round. This signing is a clear letter of intent that the Republic will be competitive in every competition they enter this season.

Welcome to the club, Mark-Anthony!