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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KTXL) – Sundays are typically a day for football. This Sunday was a day for futbol as Sacramento Republic FC hosted Orange County SC in a first-round playoff match at Heart Health Park.
90 minutes were not enough to decide the outcome, and neither were two overtime periods. The match went to penalty kicks, where Orange County SC won, five-four.
“We had a couple of really, really good chances and we didn’t capitalize,” said Sacramento Republic FC head coach Neill Collins. “I think all season long, our defense against the ball as a team has been excellent. But in these games we’ve not scored enough goals. And (Sunday) night was another night like that.”
Sacramento Republic FC, which qualified for the playoffs for the 11th time in 12 seasons, was facing Orange County SC for the fourth time this season.
“Doesn’t matter where you finish in the league, anything can happen in games like that,” said Sacramento Republic FC defender Lee Desmond. “We were very good defensively, which we have been for the majority of the season. Just didn’t create as much as we wanted, and it’s just a cruel way to go on penalties two years in a row.”
As much as Sunday’s match was about the outcome, it was also about the final match in the career of captain Rodrigo Lopez. A couple of weeks ago, Lopez announced that he would be retiring at the end of the season.
He certainly did not expect to go out with a red card, ejected before the second overtime period.
“Devastating, but look at the career he’s had. He’s not gonna be remembered for that,” said Desmond. “The best player I’ve ever played with, best leader I’ve had in my career. So, he’s gonna leave a big hole, but that’s football.”
Added midfielder Nick Ross, “It’s a shame. I don’t know, I need to see it again but it looked like he got body slammed and then it kinda kicked off from there. Not ideal for him, I’m sure it’s not the way he wanted to go. But it’s not how we’re gonna remember him. It’s not how everyone else is gonna remember him.
“The career he’s had, what he’s done for the city, for the club, that’s not a reflection on him.”
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Andrew Marden
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