It has been five months since Sacramento Republic FC played its final game of the 2016 season at Papa Murphy’s Park, but even now the USL Cup Playoffs loss in a penalty shootout to Orange County SC still leaves a sour taste in midfield veteran Danny Barrera’s mouth.

On Saturday night, Orange County will again be the visitor as Republic FC hosts its home opener for the new campaign. Barrera is certainly excited for the early opportunity to square off with Sacramento’s Southern California rival.

“We keep going back and forth with them,” he said this week. “It’s nice to have them back at our house and have another chance to play them.”

While the Western Conference Quarterfinal a season ago brings back memories of disappointment for Barrera, the opposite is true for Orange County’s Roy Meeus. One of the players to score from the spot as OC took a 5-4 shootout win after the teams had finished scoreless after 120 minutes of action, the performance was a high point for the Belgian defender during a strong first season with the club.

Meeus’ proficiency from the penalty spot saw him score four goals in addition to his four assists in the regular season. Leading off the shootout for Orange County, Meeus’ confident finish set things off on the right foot in front of Republic FC’s sellout crowd.

“It is a unique atmosphere when you’re playing in front of 11,000 people and they’re all cheering and they all want you to miss because they want their team to win,” Meeus said. “It’s an exciting feeling when you take your penalty and it goes in. It’s hard to describe that feeling, especially when it’s one that helps your team win.”

Meeus is one of a handful of holdovers who remained with Orange County this offseason as the club underwent a complete transformation. A new name and new logo began proceedings, and was followed by the announcement of a partnership with Los Angeles FC and the appointment of a new Head Coach in Logan Pause. For the 27-year-old Meeus, the transformation at the club has been big.

“I think everything’s going good,” Meeus said. “We had a great preseason, we were unbeaten, we won every game, and I think we have a really, really high-quality group. We’re all guys that get along, we’re amicable with each other, so that’s great – a good foundation to build on. Every good team has to have a good vibe going on, and that’s exactly what we have, so it’s looking exciting.”

“You can’t really describe it,” said Barrera. “It’s the best place I’ve played in the USL as far as soccer-specific stadiums, and how close the fans are to you, and how big a soccer community this city is. As far as being in the lower leagues, I haven’t seen anything like it. Fans that care, the whole city is on board with it and very in tune with what’s going on with the team, which is awesome.

“To have them there every weekend, they’re very passionate about it and of course that gives our whole team an extra incentive. They go out there and cheer us on, and the best thing we can do is give them something to smile about at the end of the game.”

For Meeus and his teammates, though, the chance to spoil the party is definitely an appealing opportunity.

“We go in wanting to win,” Meeus said. “We don’t go in thinking about a draw. We want to go there and get the three points. That’s what we do, and we won’t be happy with anything less than three points.”