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Republic FC defender Aldair Sanchez is set to return for 2024 as another impact player from the 2023 squad. The 21-year-old played a key role in the club’s league-best defense in his first pro season, while contributing on the attack whenever called upon. His sophomore season is unique – not just because he’s one of 17 returning players from 2023, but that he’s the only player on the roster to come through the club’s Open Tryout process, and have his contract extended by club option.

Looking to continue his playing career, Sanchez found Republic FC’s Open Tryout as an opportunity to showcase his skills. He earned an invite to the club’s Training Camp after impressing Head Coach Mark Briggs and President and General Manager Todd Dunivant at the club’s annual Open Tryouts. The opportunity started an exciting chain of events for the youngster – he went on to impress the club’s staff at training camp before becoming the sixth Open Tryout attendee to sign a professional contract with the club.

“The year before, I was literally at home doing nothing,” Sanchez reflected recently. “Then this next year, I’m playing in the USL playoffs, so it’s just such a wild thing to think about.”

During the 2023 Training Camp, the Indomitable Club faced off with MLS clubs just eight days after the beginning of camp. Sanchez stepped on the field and made his case for why he can compete. Going up against Chicago Fire and Real Salt Lake’s attackers in near-season form proved a challenge, but something Aldair was ready to embrace. His early performances made the case for him to join the roster in early March before the start of the season.

Throughout the year, he never played the role of a trialist fighting for more. He tallied two assists to fuel a late comeback win in the U.S. Open Cup in April. A month later, he recorded another assist as Sacramento bested Hartford Athletic in a tough road matchup. When injuries left the squad thin over the summer, he stepped up and helped the Quails keep getting results without skipping a beat. Through the entire campaign, he appeared 30 times – with 17 starts – out of the club’s 34-match season.

“Everyone’s path is different, and this is just another one of those paths,” Sanchez said. “People might be like, well, it’s just an open trial. But that’s what it is – it’s a chance to show what you have. If you’re on the brink of saying like yes or no, I think you should always go and try and put yourself out there and see what happens.”

“Aldair impressed us at the open tryout and only got better throughout the preseason with our first team,” said Republic FC President and General Manager Todd Dunivant of Sanchez when his signing was announced. “He plays with a fearlessness that will strengthen our depth at left wingback and fit seamlessly within our locker room.”

Sanchez appreciates the fact that the club gives players such a legitimate chance. If there’s a player who they think is up to the task, they’re going to give them a fair opportunity to show what they can do and prove they can handle the professional level. In fact, because of Aldair’s experience, the same friend who convinced him to attend tryouts a year ago has plans to attend again and show Republic FC’s staff what he can do for the second straight year.

“They’re not just only going to bring you or give you a week of training – they really want to see you play and see what you have, he continued. “[The club] takes this seriously and this is a real opportunity that people can take advantage of.”

Republic FC’s 2024 Open Tryouts are on January 20 and 21 at Hal Bartholomew Sports Park in Elk Grove. Registration is still open – but interested players are advised to sign up as soon as possible as space is limited. The annual tryout regularly fills up and limited space remains. Since 2014, six players – including Sanchez – have signed a professional contract after attending Open Tryouts.

For more information or to register for 2024 Open Tryouts, visit SacRepublicFC.com/tryouts.

Before the season is in full swing, the Indomitable Club is prepping Heart Health Park for a year full of excitement. A huge part of the environment are the matchday staff that help our fans throughout the park. If you’ve ever wanted to get close to the action and join a winning club, take a look at some of the matchday positions that are open this year. 

Republic FC is looking for energetic, outgoing individuals interested in connecting with the USL Championship’s best fans and a great entry into sports and entertainment careers. Recruitment for as many as 80 seasonal positions supporting Republic FC’s operations on home match days is well underway.

Open roles for the 2024 season include:

• Ticket Scanners
• Guest Services Representatives
• Stadium Operations Assistants
• Merchandise Clerks
• Stage Managers
• Box Office Representatives

To view and apply for open positions, interested applicants can visit SacRepublicFC.com/careers or the club’s job board on TeamWork Online.

Last season, Indomitable team members were integral to Republic FC’s successful season – helping deliver a top-notch matchday experience throughout the year as the club recorded the top attendance mark in USL Championship, welcomed over 20,000 fans to Hughes Stadium to celebrate its 10^th Anniversary, and gave supporters a memorable experience at Hearth Health Park into the playoffs.

On Monday, USL Championship released the 2024 regular season schedule. The full schedule can be found at SacRepublicFC.com/schedule. With some time until March 9 – Republic FC’s campaign kickoff, take a deeper look at the 2024 season slate, by the numbers.

2 New Foes, 2 Come West

The 2024 schedule features two contests against teams Sacramento has never faced before, as well as new clubs in the Western Conference. In May, Mark Briggs’ Men will visit expansion side Rhode Island FC in its inaugural season. In July, North Carolina FC returns to USL Championship play and heads west during the California State Fair for the first contest between the two clubs all-time.

Alongside the two league newcomers, Memphis 901 FC and FC Tulsa join the Western Conference, to split the league with 12 teams in each conference. Sacramento will play 901 FC on March 30 (home) and October 12 (away), and FC Tulsa on April 13 (home) and June 22 (away).

4 Derbies on the Docket

Sacramento will face off with its Northern California neighbors four times throughout the season. In June, the club will line up opposite Monterey Bay FC and Oakland Roots SC in back-to-back matches, visiting Seaside on June 6 and hosting Oakland on June 15. Four weeks later , Sacramento heads to Hayward to face Roots in the East Bay on July 20. Monterey Bay visits Heart Health Park midweek on October 9 to close out the season slate with the Seaside club. All-time, Sacramento has only been defeated three times in 15 games against their regional rivals.

17 Home, 17 Away

A balanced schedule for the second consecutive year means that Republic FC will line up on home turf 17 times this coming season. In the past two campaigns, Sacramento has recorded 24 victories at Heart Health Park – tied for the most in the league in that span with Tampa Bay Rowdies.

34 Games, 34 Weeks

Each team in the league will play 34 regular season contests. New for 2024, however, is that the season will be played across 34 weeks instead of 32, allowing clubs to be more competitive in additional competitions like the U.S. Open Cup and better serve fans and players alike. As a result, Saturday night becomes the stage for nearly every USL Championship contest throughout the season. 

44,908 Miles

Republic FC’s 17 away games will see the club travel 44,908 miles. The season’s longest road trips will come in March and May to face Miami FC in South Florida and league newcomer Rhode Island FC – each over 5,000-mile round-trip journeys. The club will face off against Detroit City FC and Charleston Battery on opposition turf as well with both trips clocking in at well over 4,000 miles round-trip. Only 100 miles separate Sacramento from Pioneer stadium in Hayward, CA, where the club faces Oakland Roots SC – the shortest trip of the year.

Earlier today, Detroit City FC named Danny Dichio its new Head Coach. The Englishman will lead the Michigan side that made its second-straight postseason appearance in 2023, upsetting number-one seed Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC in the conference quarterfinals.

Dichio joined Republic FC’s technical staff ahead of the 2022 season. He spent the 2021 season as an assistant coach for Toronto FC II in USL League One. Before joining the second team side, he was a head coach for the club’s academy, moving multiple players on to collegiate soccer or the professional ranks. He began his coaching career in 2009 when he joined Toronto FC as a team ambassador and academy coach.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Sacramento Republic working with a fantastic group of players that brought great success to the club for the past two seasons,” said Dichio. “I wish nothing but the best for the club and its fans in the future, and thank them for understanding my desire to become a head coach.”

“This is an exciting opportunity for Danny and one that he deserves,” said Republic FC President and General Manager Todd Dunivant. “He has played a significant role in helping our club reach monumental heights over the past two seasons, including a U.S. Open Cup Final appearance and a 2023 Western Conference regular season title. We wish Danny nothing but the best as he takes on this new challenge.”

Prior to coaching, Dichio played professionally in his native England, as well as in Ireland and Italy, featuring for West Bromwich Albion in the EFL Championship, U.C. Sampdoria in Italy’s Serie A, and Sunderland A.F.C. in the Irish Premier League. He later joined Toronto FC for their inaugural MLS season in 2007, going on to become a club legend by scoring the first goal in club history against Chicago Fire. He was teammates in Toronto with Republic FC President & General Manager Todd Dunivant in 2007-08.

With Republic FC, Dichio played an integral role in building the rosters for two standout campaigns – including the club’s historic appearance in the 2022 U.S. Open Cup Final. In 2023, the club was the Western Conference regular season champion, setting new club single season records across the board, including goals scored, clean sheets, fewest goals conceded, and home wins. Across the two seasons that Dichio has been with Republic FC, the club has an overall record of 44 wins, 21 losses, and 18 draws.

The move to Detroit will be Dichio’s first USL Championship head coaching role, and he will be just the second USL coach for Le Rouge as former Head Coach and General Manager Trevor James becomes the club’s first-ever Sporting Director.

Dichio is the latest among several Republic FC academy staff and first team coaches that have taken a professional step forward following their time in Sacramento. Most recently, 2021 goalkeeper coach Matt Glaeser took his first Head Coach job with USL League One side Forward Madison, leading the club to a second postseason berth in 2023.

On behalf of the Republic FC, we wish Danny and the entire Dichio family the best of luck in Detroit. Forever Republic.

Another physical contest between Republic FC and San Antonio FC ended 3-1 at Heart Health Park Friday night.  After a stellar second half, the Indomitable Club earned its fifth straight win a and the right to host the Western Conference final where they’ll face Phoenix Rising FC.

As expected, the match began as a tight, physical battle between the two Western Conference heavyweights. With a spot in the next round on the line, the two sides were equally stout in the opening half. But after the break, scores from three different players opened-up the game for the Quails, while the backline clamped down to neutralize the league’s top offensive squad.

“[I told them] just to remain in the game, to remain focused and just to stay composed and understand what will happen in the second half – the game will open up and that’s when we can really hurt them,” Mark Briggs noted of what he told the club at halftime. “We managed to capitalize and score three goals. So over the moon with a whole-group effort, I thought it was a fantastic performance.”

The contest marked a welcome return to the pitch for Damia Viader who hadn’t appeared since September 23 at Colorado Springs due to injury. Entering at the break, the Spaniard provided the type of presence on the left flank that changed the game. San Antonio was forced to adjust defensively to respect his abilities on the flank as well as inside, resulting in his first assist since June – also against San Antonio – on Russell Cicerone’s 49^th-minute winner and his first goal since June 9 at San Diego in the 80^th minute.

On the back end, Sacramento matched San Antonio’s physicality all evening. Up against the Texas side’s aggressive and direct style, Sacramento recorded 27 aerial duel successes – the second highest total this season. The starting center-back combo of Conor Donovan, Shane Wiedt, and Jared Timmer combined to win possession 18 times.

“I thought we handled a very difficult opponent extremely well,” Briggs said of his squad’s effort. “We handled their physicality. We handled their athleticism… limited them to not many opportunities.”

As the top seed, Republic FC again will play at home as they take on Phoenix Rising FC on Saturday night in the Western Conference Final. Kickoff from Heart Health Park for the second-ever playoff meeting between the two squads is set for 7:00 p.m., with a ticket to the USL Championship final on the line. Tickets are available at SacRepublicFC.com/tickets.