SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Sacramento Republic FC moved to the top of the Western Conference at least for one night with a 4-0 victory against the Portland Timbers 2 in front of a sellout crowd of 11,569 fans at Bonney Field on Saturday night. For a second consecutive week, Sacramento took an early lead when Danny Barrera’s chipped cross was headed back across goal by Tommy Thompson for Mike Da Fonte to put home a header. Two minutes later, Portland almost struck back only for Sacramento’s J.J. Koval to deny Neco Brett with a goal-line clearance. T2 continued to threaten throughout the first half as Republic FC goalkeeper Evan Newton made a pair of big saves, but Sacramento doubled its lead a minute before halftime as Cameron Iwasa won the race to a breakaway and notched his 10th goal of the season. A quick link-up off a free kick between Danny Barrera and Thompson three minutes into the second half saw Sacramento make it 3-0, and while Portland continued to press forward in search of a way back into the contest, but a goal on his debut for Wilson Kneeshaw saw Republic FC close out its victory to move top of the Western Conference.

Scoring: 
4’ – SAC – Mike Da Fonte (Tommy Thompson)
45’ – SAC – Cameron Iwasa
48’ -  SAC – Tommy Thompson (Danny Barrera)
82’ – SAC – Wilson Kneeshaw (James Kiffe)

Three Things That Matter:

• 1. Cameron Iwasa was mainly a bit player in his first season with Republic FC, recording only a goal and assist in just over 500 minutes of action in the regular season, but this season he has blossomed into a reliable source of goals for Sacramento. Iwasa’s 10th goal of the season, arriving just before the halftime break, made it 2-0 to Republic FC after the side had to absorb some strong pressure, and put him just one goal back of Tommy Stewart’s club record set two seasons ago with six games to go in the regular season.

• 2. The final score might not show it, but Portland Timbers 2 gave Republic FC a good run for its money on Saturday night in a highly entertaining contest in which the only difference was the finishing between the two sides. T2’s playoff hopes took another hit with its second consecutive defeat after Wednesday’s disappointment against Real Monarchs SLC, but the young side is becoming one of the most entertaining to watch and deserves a lot of credit for the way they got out on the front foot consistently again on Saturday night.

• 3. Sacramento’s back-to-back wins have moved Republic FC back to the top of the Western Conference standings, and additionally have put pressure on both Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 to match the result in their contests on Sunday. With a busy week ahead that starts with a visit to Orange County Blues FC, Sacramento seems to have found its attacking rhythm at just the right time of the season, much to the delight of its devoted fanbase.

USLSoccer.com Man of the Match

Tommy Thompson, Sacramento Republic FC – Thompson showed his deft touch to provide both the assist on Mike Da Fonte’s opening goal, and his own finish three minutes into the second half to lead Republic FC to another big victory.

Upcoming Games:

Sacramento Republic FC at Orange County Blues FC – August 24, 10:30 p.m. ET, Anteater Stadium

Portland Timbers 2 at Seattle Sounders FC 2 – August 29, 10:30 p.m. ET, Starfire Stadium