With the California State Fair as the backdrop, Sacramento Republic welcome the easiest of carnival games in Sporting Jax to town. Sacramento Republic are coming off the high of defeating Oakland Roots last Saturday 3-1 with a Kyle Edwards special. Sporting Jax…all they got is Ventura Alvarado in the starting 11, replacing the suspended Ryan Edwards.
It would be a night Memo Rodriguez and Tyler Wolff would pick Sporting Jax apart. Memo Rodirguez would pick up a hat trick of assists in 5 minutes, while Tyler Wolff would pick up a hat trick of goals in a 5-0 decimation by Sacramento Republic against Sporting Jax in a loss that would be Sporting Jax’s worst defeat by goals and goals to nil this season.
The opening few minutes was the Kieran Sadlier v Chibuke Ukaegbu show with the Sacramento Republic defender getting the better of Sadlier. After 5 minutes Sacramento would take control of the game.
Sporting Jax have been the team providing all the gifts, and on 7 minutes they handed Sacramento Republic the lead on a silver platter. To be blunt, Jake McGuire (not Christian Olivares…despite what the Sacramento Republic announcers continued to say) hung Jordan Rossiter out to dry on a pathetic pass that was too heavy for Rossiter to control, the bounce off Rossiter’s foot going right to Pep Casas. Casas would quickly get to the end line and center to Tyler Wolff. Rossiter didn’t get deep enough to stop it, and the ball would go under McGuire as Wolff buried it from point blank range.
Sacramento Republic were off to the races, and they would spend the next phase of play targeting Harvey Neville. Neville would see the book in the 14th minute after an intentional tackle of Mayele Malango, not bothering to play the ball. He was lucky 6 minutes later to not pick up a second booking after a foot to the ankle of Wolff.
In a 60 second span in the 24th minute Neville would get forward and should have caused problems for Sac Republic. He did not. Neville’s first effort would see him get to the end line, his centering ball to Emil Jaaskelainen behind the forward. In the next phase of play he would try to find Rafferty Pedder only to see the ball cleared.
The game would be broken wide open in a 5 minute span where Sacramento Republic would make it 4-0, all 3 from Memo Rodriguez assists. The first would come after Danny Wilson conceded the corner off the foot of Mark-Anthony Kaye, Memo Rodriguez finding Jared Timmer. Timmer would beat Emil Jaaskelainen to the spot, finishing far post.
2 minutes later Memo Rodriguez would get time and find Wolff who had gotten on the right side of Wahab Ackwei. After a 30 yard solo run, he would go far post to finish after McGuire covered the near post. Sac Republic’s 4th first half goal would come in the 42nd. After Jack Gurr forced Neville to concede a dangerous corner on a centering ball towards Malango, Memo Rodriguez would find Lee Desmond making the near post run to finish. No one from Sporting Jax would mark him.
It would take 3 minutes for Malango to get the home side’s first chance of the half, taking the Memo Rodriguez pass and putting his shot right into the chest of McGuire.
2 minutes later a long ball towards an offside Wolff would be laid off to the onside Jack Gurr. Gurr would find Wolff with the centering ball, and he would round Ackwei. However, the Wolff shot would find the outreached hand of McGuire to deny what looked to be a sure goal.
Sacramento Republic would throw wave after wave at Sporting Jax in the 2nd half as the visitors struggled to get the ball in their attacking half, much less final third.
Ventura Alvarado would last 61 minutes before being substituted out for Antonio Gomez. 4 minutes later Sacramento Republic would make a triple change of their own with Tim Leibold, Danny Crisostomo and Kyle Edwards coming on for Jack Gurr, Mark-Anthony Kaye and Memo Rodriguez.
Tyler Wolff would finally pick up his hat trick on 69 minutes. Pressure by Ukeagbu on Tyshawn Rose would see a back pass intercepted by Malango. Malango would round Danny Wilson before laying off to Edwards. Edwards shot would be blocked by Antonio Gomez back to Wolff. Wolff’s shot would be deflected by Ackwei on the way into the back of the net. Much like the first goal of the night, pressure would cause Sporting Jax to crumble.
Sacramento Republic would bring Alfredo Midence on for Mayele Malengo on 72 minutes. 4 minutes later Sporting Jax would make a triple change of their own with Edgardo Rito, Jacob Evans and the debuting Jean Mota for Tyshawn Rose, Rafferty Pedder and Kieran Sadlier. Arturo Rodriguez would return to the Republic lineup and replace Blake Willey on 82 minutes to complete the substitutes.
The only highlight for Sporting Jax in the 2nd half would come on 87 minutes when an attempted bicycle kick from Jean Mota went right to Danny Vitiello. Mercifully there were only 2 minutes of 2nd half stoppage time.
I don’t say this lightly but I think it has to be said: Saturday’s performance was the first time I saw the Sporting Jax players flat out quit. I get there’s a gap the side of the Pacific and Indian Oceans in quality between the two sides, but Sporting Jax have at least made an effort (even if it wasn’t a good one). Tonight that didn’t happen.
Sporting Jax have next week off before the return fixture at home with Indy Eleven (Saturday, August 15th at 7:00 pm). If there was a time to hit the reset button now is it. Fox looks a character on the sideline that is completely devoid of ideas, and based on reactions on the pitch tonight looks to have lost the dressing room.
Liam Fox is not the long term solution as manager for Sporting Jax and the time has come to pull the rip chord. There’s no reason to wait like Miami FC did 2 season ago. It might continue the streak of season Liam Fox started a season and was sacked, but it’s the only solution I see for players that now are giving off the appearance they have quit on their manager.
Announced Attendance: 10,126