Reno 1868 FC headed to Sacramento today to take on the Sacramento Republic FC. This was Reno’s first game since March. Sacramento played Tacoma Defiance on Monday. Reno was 5-1-1 all-time vs Sacramento going into this game. Reno won the donner pass derby in 2017 and 2019. The donner pass derby ended in a draw in 2018. Sacramento eliminated Reno from the playoffs in the first round in 2019.
Pregame Thoughts
I thought Reno 1868 FC needed to play their game. They are using San Jose’s system and there are still some growing pains with that. If Reno could stick to their game they’d be able to control the pace of the game. A big part of Reno’s game in the past has been building momentum. That was one thing that I was hoping that they would do. In the past building, momentum has allowed them to do things like score 3 goals in 5 minutes to beat Sacramento. Lastly, I thought they should score first. I thought scoring first would be a good way to start Reno’s return to play.
As far as Sacramento. I thought they needed to play better in midfield. Their midfield performance on Monday vs Tacoma was terrible. One of the biggest issues Sacramento Republic FC has had playing Reno 1868 FC (and the rest of the league) is that they let teams come back into games. They let Tacoma come back into the game. I was thinking that if Sacramento got up they might let Reno come back into the game. I also thought that if Sacramento can score first they might be able to control the game.
What Happened In The First Half?
Not much happened in the first half. Neither team controlled the game. Foster Langsdorf got a yellow card in the 19’ minute. He ran into the keeper. Watching the game, it just looked like his forward momentum was too much for him to stop.
Sacramento got a chance in the 21’ minute. The ball comes just outside of the top of the box. The shot looked like it was going to go crossbar down. Ben Beaury (keeper for Reno) made an incredibly athletic save to stop the ball from going in.
Sacramento had another chance in the 22’ minute. The ball was crossed into the box from the right side of the keeper. the ball was headed towards the goal. Ben Beaury made an incredible leap to his right to keep the ball out. The ball was crossed in by
What Happened In The Second Half?
In the 51’ minute, Reno had a chance to score. San Gleadle crossed the ball into the box. Foster Langsdorf headed it from point-blank range. The ball went right over the net. The ball just hit the wrong part of fosters head.
Sacramento had a chance in the 59’ minute. The ball was crossed into the box from the keeper’s right. Sacramento made a couple of passes. Sacramento attempted a shot that was blocked. The clearance by Reno was blocked and the ball landed right in front of the net. Their second shot was saved by Ben Beaury then cleared. During the play, one of the Sacramento players went down after attempting to shoot the ball. It looks like he lost his footing because the pass was behind him.
In the 66’ minute, Reno had another chance. Emilio Ycaza Got the ball around the halfway line. He turned around, took the ball down the middle, and took a shot just outside of the box. Adam Grinwis would make a diving save to his right.
74’ Jordan McCrary (Sacramento) got a yellow card
88’ Minute Mo Dabo (Reno) got a yellow card
In the 91’ minute, Sacramento’s Cameron Iwasa chased a through pass into the box. He looked to make a one-touch pass towards the center of the box. Reno’s Thomas Janjigian dove to stop the pass. A handball was called. Sacramento was awarded a penalty kick Cameron Iwasa would go on to score. Watching the game, I didn’t think it was a handball. When Sacramento was awarded the penalty kick I felt like the ref just handed the game over to Sacramento.
The game ended 1-0 Sacramento
Referee Thoughts
I thought the ref did ok for most of the game. He wasn’t falling for Sacramento players falling all over the place trying to draw penalties. For the most part, he didn’t interfere with the game. Then he called a handball that resulted in a penalty kick. That penalty kick would be the winning goal. I’m frustrated about that because it didn’t look like a handball from any of the replays I saw. On top of that nothing about the way, the ref was calling the game would lead me to believe that he would make that call. There were similar instances throughout the game with no calls. I give the ref in this game a 3/5. He did ok for 90’ minutes but that handball call was trash.
After Match Thoughts
I was and am heartbroken about that call in extra time. It’s not entirely the ref’s fault Reno lost the game. Reno was playing on their heels most of the game. Possession was bout even but it just seemed like Reno was playing defense too much. Reno also didn’t play with the same kind of energy we’ve seen from the team in the past. They looked slow, kind of sluggish, and didn’t play with much urgency. Some of that is to be expected since this is the team’s first game since March. I was expecting something like that to happen but I thought they might shake it after 15 to 20 minutes into the game. Instead, it went on for the whole game.
Reno isn’t taking enough shots. Reno had 6 shots to Sacramento’s 22. Of those 6 shots, only one of them was on target. Reno’s attack states in this game are inexcusable. Reno needs more shots, better-selected shots, and more shots from inside the box. After looking at the attack stats (6 shots, 1 on target, 1 blocked, 4 outside the box, 2 inside the box, 16.7% accuracy), Reno probably didn’t deserve to win.
Reno needs someone to step into that top striker role. It didn’t happen today. It might not happen this year. The way the system is that Reno plays works is more team-oriented and less individual then what we have seen in the past. In the past, we have seen more of a system based around a single striker. However, if someone doesn’t step up and start scoring goals and creating chances Reno won’t make the playoffs.
I like Ben Beaury. I wasn’t expecting what I saw today. He only played in one game last year. I didn’t know a lot about him going into this match. Reno just got him on loan too. He looks like he is a strong athletic keeper that will keep Reno in games. He was a strong addition by the coaching staff. If Reno can turn up the offense with him in our net we can defiantly win our group despite tonight’s result.
Standings
Jul 19 2020
Group A
Sacramento Republic (5pts)
Tacoma Defiance (5pts)
Reno 1868 FC (3pts)
Portland Timbers 2 (0 pts)
Next Match
Reno 1868 FC heads to Tacoma to take on Tacoma Defiance on Thursday. Reno is 1-0-0 vs Tacoma in 2020 and Reno is 2-0-1 vs Tacoma all time. The game will be played at the Cheney stadium. The start time for that is set for 7 pm.
Zac Electrifly 