Four Republic FC Players Named to USL Championship Team of the Week
September 20, 2022 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Sacramento Republic FC News Release
On Tuesday, the USL Championship announced Republic FC’s Duke Lacroix, Maalique Foster, Damia Viader, and Keko have all been named to the league’s Team of the Week. The quartet led Sacramento to its second straight 4-0 victory over defending league champion Orange County SC on Sunday afternoon in front of a national TV audience.
Foster claimed his second selection with his second two-goal game of 2022. The striker netted two first half goals, in addition to two chances created in Sunday’s win, and he now leads the team in goals this season with seven. In Week 16, Foster received Player of the Week Honors with his brace over Monterey Bay F.C.
Viader finished the match with a goal and assist, creating two chances. His 7th minute goal to open the scoring was his third of the season. In the match, he completed 87 percent of his passes and created a pair of chances, including Foster’s 45th minute score.
Lacroix helped keep pressure away from Sacramento’s goal on the backline, allowing the club to tally its 10th clean sheet of the season in league play and 14th across all competitions. The veteran defender completed a near-perfect 98 percent of his passing attempts while tallying 10 recoveries and winning four of five one-on-one duels.
Keko provided the assist on Republic FC’s first two goals in Sunday’s 4-0 win. To help open the scoring, he served a cross from the right-hand side and found Viader unmarked at the top of the six-yard box. Eleven minutes later, Keko would break through the defense’s backline, pulling Orange County’s goalkeeper off his line to provide an inch-perfect pass for Rodrigo Lopez to send a 40-yard strike into the back of the net. The Spaniard tallied four chances created on the afternoon and won five of seven one-on-one duels.
In 2022, Republic FC players have been selected to the league’s top squad 20 times. Viader is among the club leaders with three selections this season, while Keko, Foster, and Lacroix each claim their second honor.
Republic FC returns to action on Saturday, September 24 against Western Conference leader San Antonio FC. Kickoff from Toyota Field is set for 5:30 p.m. PT, and the contest will be broadcast live in Spanish and English on FOX40.com and the FOX40 News mobile app, as well as on Antenna TV 40.2 and streaming on ESPN+.
• Discuss this story on the United Soccer League Championship message board…
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
