CONGRATULATIONS, LETIZIA. ABSOLUTELY. AND AS HISPANIC MONTH COMES TO AN END, WE’RE HIGHLIGHTING A SACRAMENTO PROFESSIONAL SOCCER PLAYER WHOSE HARD WORK IS PROOF THE AMERICAN DREAM COME TRUE. YES, I SPOKE WITH SAC REPUBLIC FC CAPTAIN ABOUT HIS REMARK ABOUT JOURNEY TO SUCCESS. RODRIGO LOPEZ SPLASHED ONTO THE SACRAMENTO SOCCER SCENE IN 2013. THE FIVE FOOT EIGHT MIDFIELDER AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN AS RO-RO, WAS THE FIRST PLAYER SAC REPUBLIC FC EVER SIGNED. HE WAS ALSO THE CLUB’S FIRST MVP IN THEIR FIRST USL CHAMPIONSHIP WIN IN 14. FOR THIS 35 YEAR OLD MARRIED FATHER OF TWO FOOTBALL AND FAMILY IS A WAY OF LIFE. AND IT’S ALWAYS BEEN THAT WAY. IT ALL BASICALLY STARTED WATCHING MY DAD PLAY. YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS HAD A SOCCER BALL AROUND ME AND I WAS ALWAYS ON THE FIELD WITH HIM. HE WAS PLAYING. I WAS PLAYING BY MYSELF. BORN IN GUADALAJARA, JALISCO, MEXICO, HIS FAMILY MOVED TO CALIFORNIA WHEN HE WAS JUST 11 MONTHS OLD. I’M VERY PROUD TO BE A MEXICAN AMERICAN AND, YOU KNOW, THIS COUNTRY HAS GIVEN ME A LOT. YOU KNOW, I’M A CITIZEN OF THE U.S. NOW, BUT, YOU KNOW, I STILL I STILL LOVE MY ROOTS. I STILL LOVE GOING TO MEXICO. HIS DAD LEFT HIS JOB AS A PROFESSIONAL SOCCER PLAYER IN MEXICO TO FIND A BETTER LIFE FOR HIS FAMILY IN AMERICA. WORKING AS A FARM WORKER. I FIRST GOT TO INTERIOR CALIFORNIA WITH MY PARENTS. MY DAD STARTED WORKING ACTUALLY ON THE FIELDS, PICKING FRUITS AND VEGETABLES AND AFTER THAT, WE WERE ABLE TO MOVE TO SANTA BARBARA. HIS HARDWORKING PARENTS WORKED SEVERAL JOBS TO FUND HIS PASSION FOR SOCCER. MY MOM ALWAYS WORKED TWO JOBS, AND SINCE I CAN REMEMBER, I ALWAYS TRAVEL. I’M PLAYING IN MEXICO. AND OBVIOUSLY I MADE A DREAM COME TRUE. HIS DREAM NOW A REALITY WITH HIS OWN SONS BY HIS SIDE AND HIS ELDEST SON, RAMON, IS ALREADY FOLLOWING IN HIS FOOTSTEPS. HE LOVES THIS CLUB JUST AS MUCH AS I DO, MAYBE EVEN MORE. ROMAN HAS GROWN UP ON THE SAC REPUBLIC PITCH, JOINING HIS DAD FOR PRACTICES AND GAMES. IT MEANS A LOT TO ME THAT MY MY TEAMMATES TREAT HIM LIKE A LITTLE BROTHER. HE THINKS HE OWNS THE CLUB, BY THE WAY. HE’LL WALK WITH MY CREDENTIAL, AND HE’LL JUST GO TO THE VIP. BUT RAMON HAS ALSO CHANGED HIS DAD’S FOR THE BETTER. IN THE FIRST HALF OF MY PROFESSIONAL CAREER, I DIDN’T REALLY WORK HARD. I’LL BE HONEST. I THOUGHT MY TALENT WAS GOING TO TAKE ME. I THOUGHT MY TALENT WAS GOING TO TAKE ME TO THE HIGHEST LEVEL. AND AND IT DIDN’T. SO ONCE I ONCE ROMAN WAS BORN AND I STARTED REALIZING WHAT WORKING HARD WAS, THAT THAT’S WHEN MY CAREER TOOK OFF. HIS HARD WORK IS REALLY PAYING OFF. ROBERTO TO BE GETTING BETTER WITH TIME RECENTLY LEADING HIS TEAM TO A HISTORIC APPEARANCE IN THE U.S. OPEN CUP FINAL IN THE TOM BRADY OF SOCCER AROUND HERE. YOU JUST KEEP GETTING BETTER WITH TIME. LIKE, WHAT’S THE SECRET TO ME TODAY? WHILE ROBERTO IS KEEPING HIS FAMILY SAVVY RECIPE A SECRET HE IS SHARING HIS SECRET TO SUCCESS ON THE FIELD. ARE YOU A BETTER PLAYER THAN YOUR DAD WAS. I THINK SO. BUT I GOT EVERYTHING FROM HIM. A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY THAT MY MY TECHNIQUE IS PROBABLY THE BEST, YOU KNOW, IN THIS COUNTRY. AND AND IT’S ALL IT’S ALL BECAUSE HIM. I MEAN, IT WASN’T ME GOING OUT THERE. IS HIM TEACHING ME. YOUR DAD TOLD YOU HE’S PROUD OF YOU? YES. IT TOOK HIM A LONG TIME. SO MEXICAN. RIBEIRO NOW SHARES THAT PRIDE WATCHING THE NEXT GENERATION PASSING ON HIS COMMITMENT TO FAMILY AND FOOTBALL AS THEY THE OTHER LAST HOME GAME TONIGHT. BUT THEY’RE IN THE PLAYOFFS. I MEAN, HE REALLY KEEPS GETTING BETTER WITH TIME. HE WAS THE FIRST PLAYER THEY SIGNED AND THEY HAVE JUST DONE SO MUCH WITH THEM, WITH HIM AND HIS PARENTS OWN THEIR OWN BUSINESS NOW IN SANTA BARBARA AND HIS FAMILY STILL LIVES IN SANTA BARBARA. AND THEY WATCH HIS GAMES ONLINE. AMAZING STORY. YEAH. I LOVE IT. GOOD JOB, LISA. GOOD JOB TO RO-R
‘A full heart and no regrets’: Sacramento Republic FC captain Rodrigo ‘RoRo’ Lopez to retire
Updated: 6:01 PM PDT Oct 21, 2025
Sacramento Republic FC’s captain and first-ever signing, Rodrigo “RoRo” Lopez, announced his plans to retire at the end of the season.Lopez has been a standout player in Sacramento for seven seasons, but his career across the U.S. and Mexico spans 22 seasons.(Video Above: Sac Republic star Rodrigo López shares remarkable journey to success)”This game has been my life. I started playing fútbol when I was just 3 years old at the Santa Barbara Boys and Girls Club, running around the field with nothing but pure joy in my heart,” Lopez said in a news release. “As I close this chapter, I do so with a full heart and no regrets. Fútbol has given me more than I ever dreamed of.”However, Lopez is not going far. He will soon transition into a player development role, bridging the team’s youth academy and first team. “Not only is RoRo an excellent athlete and leader of men, he’s an amazing person and the perfect example of what Sacramento is all about,” said Republic FC Managing Partner Kevin Nagle. That sentiment was echoed by Republic FC President and General Manager Todd Dunivant, who called Lopez, “a transformative force.””His first year in Sacramento ended in a championship, and it will only be fitting to send him out the same way,” Dunivant said.Dunivant is referring to the team’s upcoming playoff run, which will now be Lopez’s final as a player. The team is set to host a Western Conference Quarterfinal match on Nov. 2. Before the playoffs, Republic FC’s regular season finale is set for Saturday, Oct. 25 at Heart Health Park. At that game, the team will celebrate Lopez’s career with a special cheer card, a limited-edition shirt with proceeds benefiting organizations meaningful to the Lopez family, contests, several moments recognizing Lopez, and a post-game ceremony. Find tickets and more information on the team’s website. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
Sacramento Republic FC’s captain and first-ever signing, Rodrigo “RoRo” Lopez, announced his plans to retire at the end of the season.
Lopez has been a standout player in Sacramento for seven seasons, but his career across the U.S. and Mexico spans 22 seasons.
(Video Above: Sac Republic star Rodrigo López shares remarkable journey to success)
“This game has been my life. I started playing fútbol when I was just 3 years old at the Santa Barbara Boys and Girls Club, running around the field with nothing but pure joy in my heart,” Lopez said in a news release. “As I close this chapter, I do so with a full heart and no regrets. Fútbol has given me more than I ever dreamed of.”
However, Lopez is not going far. He will soon transition into a player development role, bridging the team’s youth academy and first team.
“Not only is RoRo an excellent athlete and leader of men, he’s an amazing person and the perfect example of what Sacramento is all about,” said Republic FC Managing Partner Kevin Nagle.
That sentiment was echoed by Republic FC President and General Manager Todd Dunivant, who called Lopez, “a transformative force.”
“His first year in Sacramento ended in a championship, and it will only be fitting to send him out the same way,” Dunivant said.
Dunivant is referring to the team’s upcoming playoff run, which will now be Lopez’s final as a player. The team is set to host a Western Conference Quarterfinal match on Nov. 2.
Before the playoffs, Republic FC’s regular season finale is set for Saturday, Oct. 25 at Heart Health Park. At that game, the team will celebrate Lopez’s career with a special cheer card, a limited-edition shirt with proceeds benefiting organizations meaningful to the Lopez family, contests, several moments recognizing Lopez, and a post-game ceremony. Find tickets and more information on the team’s website.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel