Oh man what a performance to put on national television. Both teams put on a great show but it was Sacramento that blew out the home side Oakland Roots. The Sacramento offense was alive and well and Kieran Phillips came away with a brace. Nick Ross, Shane Wiedt, and Trevor Amann were also goal scorers.

Oakland had been surging up the Western Conference standings as of late. And actually were ahead of the Republic coming into this match. However they got thoroughly outplayed by a Pittsburgh Riverhounds side, losing 5-0, in their last outing. The last time these two played came earlier this season were Oakland had to hold onto their lead as Sacramento made a late push, winning the match 3-2.

Sacramento also looked dismal in their last match, a goalless draw against North Carolina. Questions were surrounding the club wondering if they could recapture the form they had at the start of the season, despite the injuries. In their last 9 matches in the league, Sacramento only came away with 2 wins, over Monterey and Hartford. The team were stalling in their form and needed something to wake them back up .

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(Photo courtesy of Sacramento Republic FC)