SACRAMENTO, Calif. – No. 1-seed Sacramento Republic FC begins its quest for a second USL championship in three seasons when it plays host to No. 8-seed Orange County Blues FC in the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2016 USL Cup Playoffs at Bonney Field on Saturday night. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. PT.

Matchcenter: http://www.uslsoccer.com/game/show/15143259

Sacramento Republic FC FC news and notes

• Regular Season record: 14-6-10, 52pts

• Sacramento claimed the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference with a 4-0 victory this past Saturday against Tulsa Roughnecks FC that pushed Republic FC past Colorado Springs into the top spot.

• Republic FC enters the postseason on a club-record 11-game undefeated streak, and also set new club records for the fewest defeats in a regular season (6) and most shutouts (12).

• Forward Cameron Iwasa set a club record with 12 goals this season, as did midfielder Danny Barrera with nine assists, which also put him second in the USL in that category behind Portland’s Villyan Bijev.

• Republic FC’s 30 second-half goals were the most of any team in the Western Conference, and trailed only the New York Red Bulls II (36) in the USL as a whole.

Orange County Blues FC news and notes

• Regular Season record: 12-14-4, 40pts

• The Blues were the final team to clinch a berth in the Western Conference playoff field, as they overtook the Portland Timbers 2 on goal difference with a dramatic 4-0 win against Colorado Springs on Saturday.

• Trinidad & Tobago international Trevin Caesar scored two decisive goals in the win against the Switchbacks, and finished as the team’s leading scorer with 10 goals in the regular season.

• The Blues finished first in the Western Conference a season ago, but were eliminated in the Western Conference Semifinals by the LA Galaxy II. The club has yet to win a playoff game in its history.

• Orange County did not register a draw in its final 13 games of the regular season, posting a 6-7-0 record over that span, and finished tied for the fewest draws in the conference with only four all season.

Key Players

• Sacramento Republic FC – M Danny Barrera: The veteran midfielder set a new club record for assists with nine this season, and his experience and ability to control the tempo matched up against an improved Blues midfield will be important. Republic FC has also been dangerous from set pieces throughout the season thanks to Barrera’s deliveries, a factor that could provide an edge for the hosts.

• Orange County Blues FC – M Didier Crettenand: The Swiss midfielder shone again in his second season for the Blues, finishing second on the team with nine goals, a number of which came from set pieces. Crettenand has the potential to sometimes drift in and out of games, but when he is on form he is a handful for opposing defenders, and his ability to score from set pieces should make the Republic FC wary of giving up any cheap free kicks outside their own penalty area.

2016 Team leaders

• Goals: Sacramento – Cameron Iwasa, 12; Orange County – Trevin Caesar, 10

• Assists: Sacramento – Danny Barrera, 9; Orange County – Mats Bjurman, Roy Meeus, 4

Series Notes

• Republic FC took victory in the final two meetings between the clubs to take the season series with a 2-1-1 record, but Orange County has had success at Bonney Field before, taking victory on the road in each of the past two seasons.

Officials

• REF: Timothy Ford

• AR1: Eric Ehrhardt

• AR2: Chris Elliott

• 4TH: Joseph Dickerson

Game hashtag:

• #SACvOC

Twitter social handles

• Sacramento Republic FC – @SacRepublicFC

• Orange County Blues FC – @OCBluesFC