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Matchweek 19 Preview: OKC Heads West for Showdown in Sacramento

By Tyler Vaughn, 07/19/18, 5:45PM CDT

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Week 18 was wild. The first ever matchup between Energy FC (12th, 21 points, 6-10-3) and Las Vegas Lights FC will probably end up being one of the USL’s most memorable matches of 2018. Scoring records were set, the attacking on display was enthralling and everyone, save the defenses, had a lot of fun.

Don’t expect the same type of match on Saturday night, as the Greens travel west to take on Sacramento Republic FC (4th, 36 points, 10-5-6). This fixture sets up a crucial eight days for the club, as the guys return home in Week 20 to host 8th place Fresno FC and 11th place San Antonio FC.

Republic FC are coming off two wins last week; 3-1 away to the Swope Park Rangers and 1-0 away to Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. They also feature one of the best players in the league: Cameron Iwasa. The reigning USL Player of the Week scored two and assisted on the third against Swope and leads the team in goals (9) and assists (4).

Another reason for Sacramento's success this year has been the performance of goalkeeper Josh Cohen and the Sacramento backline. Cohen is second in the league in saves (65) and fourth-best in clean sheets (7). Sacramento has also only conceded 20 goals on the season, which is tied for sixth best in all of the USL.

Against Colorado Springs, Head Coach Simon Elliott lined Sacramento up in a 4-3-2-1: Josh Cohen; Emrah Klimenta, Mitchell Taintor (Jeremy Hall, 61’), Justin Schmidt, Shannon Gomez; Adam Moffat, Jaime Villarreal; Luis Espino Vazquez (Cole Seiler, 80’), Cameron Iwasa, Villyan Bijev; Christian Eissele (Wilson Kneeshaw, 70’).

In addition to Iwasa, Bijev is definitely one to watch out for on Saturday. The 2016 All-League First Teamer has scored three and assisted three this year, and he’s created the tenth-most chances in the league.

For Energy FC, the club announced that starting goalkeeper Matt VanOekel would be out the remainder of the season after suffering an injury against Colorado Springs and undergoing successful surgery. On a positive note for the Greens, Cody Laurendi has been cleared to play and re-signed with the club for the remainder of the year.

On the attacking side of things, Head Coach Steve Cooke has plenty of options to choose from and many players that are in good form, including Alex Dixon, who was named to the USL’s Team of the Week. During the last ten matches, the Greens have been finding the back of the net almost twice per game on average, scoring 18 goals in that span.

While the six-match unbeaten run has been impressive, the last big result on paper for the Greens was the 2-1 victory away to Portland, when they were second in the Western Conference. In the five matches since then, none of OKC’s opponents are currently among the playoff positions. A result away to Sacramento would go a long way to boosting Energy FC’s playoff hopes and send a message to the rest of the conference that this team has really turned a corner.

Elsewhere in the league this weekend, there are several key matchups that could have playoff implications. Saturday sees San Antonio (11th, 22 pts) take on Real Monarchs SLC (1st, 41 pts), while Saint Louis FC (10th, 22 pts) host Orange County SC (3rd, 36 pts). Tulsa Roughnecks FC (16th, 12 pts), who have shown improvement under new manager Michael Nsien, travel to Colorado Springs (9th, 25 pts). On Sunday, T2 (7th, 29 pts) face Vegas (13th, 20 pts).

Saturday’s match from Papa Murphy’s Park kicks off at 10:00 p.m. CT and will be streamed on espn+.