San Diego Loyal SC vs. Sacramento Republic FC

Torero Stadium – USD

Friday, June 9 at 7:00 pm

TV: ESPN+

Friday will be a special night in Linda Vista, San Diego. The Loyal will host top-seeded Sacramento Republic FC for the second time on the season and first at home at Torero Stadium.

Not only will the Loyal have a tough challenge ahead of them … they will be doing it in style. The team is debuting their new blue kits, that are another representation of the beautiful city of San Diego.

And now for something different. 👾 pic.twitter.com/hxiwTRNvyw

— San Diego Loyal (@SanDiegoLoyal) June 8, 2023

The kits will be the alternate to the Torrey green home kits and may even be worn on the road at times as well.

The Loyal returned home after three-straight matches on the road. The last home match didn’t go their way, as they fell to RGV Toros 3-2. Since then, San Diego has beaten Miami FC 3-2 (no, not Lionel Messi’s new squad), lost to Oakland Roots 2-0, and then finished in a 3-3 draw to San Antonio FC last time out.

Their match against San Antonio FC is one for the record books, and I sure wish it happened at home in front of the incredible Loyal supporters. After trailing 3-0, the Loyal stormed back and completed the comeback against the reigning USL Champions.

Ronaldo Damus scored two goals and proved to be a massive reason for their comeback. As a result, Damus was honored Player of the Week.

The man who 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗱 the comeback! 🧨@damus_ronaldo of @SanDiegoLoyal has been named the @play_eFootball Player of the Week!#ReadyToShine🌟 pic.twitter.com/qPtHhxATVZ

— USL Championship (@USLChampionship) June 6, 2023

Damus now has four goals in the USL this season which is one behind Evan Conway, who leads the team. Conway is tied for 7th in the USL in goals scored in 2023. San Diego is four goals behind Sacramento for the league lead at 25. If SD takes charge at home Friday night, they put themselves in a prime position to compete for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference once again. In 2022, SD finished second behind the eventual champion, San Antonio.

As mentioned above, this will not be an easy match for Nate Miller’s squad. SAC has lost just one match all season long. They own the best record in the entire USL with 28 points and a massive (+18) goal difference. The Loyal put up a fight in their first contest, losing just 1-0 on the road early in the season.

Fast forward to now, the roster looks different for SD as now they have two dynamic scorers in Damus and Conway. If those two continue to play well, then there is no reason why the Loyal can’t upset the top seed.

The Loyal sit in 4th place in the West with 21 points and a slim (+3) goal difference. SD has a chance to really gain some ground in hopes to not fall further than 4th in the conference. Oakland is right behind them with 20 points … in one less match played. It’s also crucial to win, as San Diego will then bounce right back and host San Antonio again on Wednesday, June 14.

Chris Spiering

Chris is a graduate of the University of San Diego. He is the former Sports Editor for the USDVista newspaper. Chris is also an athlete and is huge fan of San Diego sports. Chris has covered the San Diego Loyal, and contributes regularly about the Padres.