Sacramento Republic GM Todd Dunivant and Head Coach Mark Briggs made their first roster moves this week in preparation for the 2021 season. Their 2020 campaign was cruelly ended when they were punched out of the USL Championship playoff quarter-final by eventual finalists, Phoenix Rising.
With the club’s entry into Major League Soccer pushed back to the 2023 season, management seems to be looking for youth in hopes of developing players for MLS duty. We will be updating this page through the off-season as changes happen.
January 2021 Update:
- Goalkeeper Tomas Gomez joins the club from Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. The 27-year-old Mexican native has five seasons of experience.
- Irish youth international defender, Dan Casey, joins from Irish League runners-up Bohemians.
- Matt Glaeser was hired as an assistant coach for 2021, after a season with the MLS Real Salt Lake organization. He previously worked with Head Coach Mark Briggs in Wilmington.
- 24-year-old attacking midfielder Tucker Bone joins Republic FC following a season with Reno 1868 FC. He attended Jesuit High School in Carmichael and played for local area youth clubs, Placer United and Sacramento United.
- Defensive midfielder Luis Felipe joins Republic FC following three seasons with the San Jose Earthquakes. He also has played for Reno 1868 FC and the Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the NASL.
December 17th 2020 Update:
- The club’s leading goalscorer in 2020, Polish attacking midfielder Dariusz Formella signed a new contract for 2021.
- After a season with San Antonio, defender Mitch Taintor has returned to Sacramento.
- Forward Kharlton Belmar has signed a new contract for 2021.
December 10th 2020 Update:
- Finnish veteran midfielder Petteri Pennanen signed with the Republic, pending Federation and visa approval. Pennanen was voted “Midfielder of the Year” in 2018 and 2019 by his fellow Finnish league players.
- New Jersey native Markhus ‘Duke’ Lacroix joined the club from USL Eastern Conference side Charlotte Independence. The defender had previously played for Reno 1868 FC.
- Jamaican international midfielder Maalique Foster signed a contract with Sacramento after a season in the Israeli Premier League.
November 30th 2020 Update:
- Sacramento native and Academy product Rafael Jauregui signed a professional contract
November 17th 2020 Update:
- Young Player of the Year Finalist Hayden Sargis and fellow Republic FC Academy product Mario Penagos as well as club captain Cameron Iwasa are already under multiyear contracts.
- Contract extensions have been exercised on Rafael Diaz, Shannon Gomez, Jordan McCrary, Jaime Villarreal, and Andrew Wheeler-Omiunu.
- Contract negotiations continue with Kharlton Belmar and Dariusz Formella.
- Contract extensions were not offered to Ashkanov Apollon, Villyan Bijev, Adam Grinwis, Rodrigo Lopez and Drew Skundrich.
- Contracts with Juan Barahona and Matt Mahoney will expire at the end of the league year.
- On loan players Brady Scott and Frank Lopez will return to their respective clubs.
- Sam Werner and Tomas Hilliard-Arce have retired from professional soccer.
Here’s what the roster now looks like:
| No. | Position | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | Goalkeeper | Rafael Díaz (DOM) |
| 27 | Goalkeeper | Tomás Gómez (MEX) |
| 49 | Goalkeeper | Diego Ramos (USA) Academy Player |
| 2 | Defender | Shannon Gomez (TTO) |
| 3 | Defender | Hayden Sargis (USA) |
| 4 | Defender | Mitch Taintor (USA) |
| 5 | Defender | Dan Casey (IRL) |
| 14 | Defender | Markhus “Duke” Lacroix (USA) |
| 15 | Defender | Juan Barahona (SLV) |
| 21 | Defender | Dekel Keinan (ISR) |
| 30 | Defender | Jordan McCrary (USA) |
| 7 | Midfielder | Tucker Bone (USA) |
| 8 | Midfielder | Petteri “Pete” Pennanen (FIN) |
| 10 | Midfielder | Dariusz Formella (POL) |
| 22 | Midfielder | Julian Chavez (USA) Academy Contract |
| 23 | Midfielder | Mario Penagos (USA) |
| 24 | Midfielder | Jaime Villarreal (USA) |
| 28 | Midfielder | Andrew Wheeler-Omiunu (USA) |
| 34 | Midfielder | Rafael Jauregui (USA) |
| 96 | Midfielder | Luis Felipe (USA) |
| 99 | Midfielder | Maalique Foster (JAM) |
| 7 | Forward | Frank Lopez (CUB) |
| 9 | Forward | Kharlton Benmar (USA) |
| 31 | Forward | Cameron Iwasa (USA) [CAPTAIN] |
BOLD = Signed for 2021 season
“Academy Contract” = Retains NCAA Amateur Status