Boise took down Sacramento Republic 2-0 in front of 7,247 fans<\/a> at Expo Idaho. The statement win allowed Boise to finish second in its group<\/a> for the midseason tournament. But only the group winners automatically advance to the quarterfinals, and Boise did not qualify for the single wildcard berth.<\/p>\n \u201cWe really wanted to make a big cup run,\u201d AC Boise coach Nate Miller said. \u201cI know that didn\u2019t happen. We only lost one game in this group. It\u2019s hard to get out.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s two big leagues and only eight teams get through. So it\u2019s tough.\u201d<\/p>\n The tournament features 42 teams from the USL Championship and USL League One, home to Idaho\u2019s first-year team. Boise scored a shootout win over Las Vegas in April and added a 4-3 victory over Monterey Bay in May before holding up its end of the bargain with Saturday\u2019s result.<\/p>\n But League One regional rival clinched the group title and a quarterfinal berth by beating the Oakland Roots 3-1 earlier Saturday. Spokane also beat Boise 2-1 on June 6 in a result that ultimately decided the group.<\/p>\n Boise (9-7-4 across all competitions) still sent a message with a convincing victory over one of the USL\u2019s premier clubs.<\/p>\n Sacramento (9-6-5 across all competitions) finished second in this tournament<\/a> a year ago. It took MLS\u2019 Minnesota United to a shootout<\/a> in the U.S. Open Cup\u2019s round of 32 this spring. And MLS awarded it an expansion club<\/a> nine years ago before a stadium deal fell through.<\/p>\n None of that history mattered though when Nick Moon put Boise on the scoreboard in the seventh minute and forced club staff to scramble for a new corner flag.<\/p>\n Moon found Thomas Amang in the center of the field and continued his diagonal run to the box. No Sacramento defender followed, so Amang hit Moon with the give-and-go pass into the 18-yard box.<\/p>\n Moon then chipped a nifty shot over Sacramento goalkeeper Danny Vitiello before sprinting to the corner kick flag and delivering a flying karate kick that snapped the pole at its base.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t think I broke it. I thought it just flew up,\u201d Moon said with a grin. \u201cThomas and I, we play well together, and nobody really tracked me through the middle. It was just a pretty easy slipped ball through and a decent finish.\u201d<\/p>\n Tumi Moshobane provided the final margin in the 64th minute. After starting Moon\u2019s first-half goal with his hold-up play, he sparked another run down the left wing by laying it off to Jonathan Ricketts.<\/p>\n Ricketts sprung second-half sub Omar Yehya to the end line, and Yehya rewarded Moshobane for all his work by finding him in the box. Moshobane outworked Sacramento midfielder Danny Crisostomo for the ball and banged it into the far side of the net.<\/p>\n \u201cCredit has to go to Omar for coming in,\u201d Moshobane said. \u201cHe gave us that verticality with his runs, which opened up the defense for us.\u201d<\/p>\n Sacramento dominated the game on the stat sheet, controlling 65% of the possession and outpassing Boise by a 2-to-1 margin. But the Idaho club turned in one of its best defensive performances of the season. And goalkeeper Jonathan Kliewer, forced into the lineup after a midweek injury to Jared Mazzola, made six saves for the clean sheet.<\/p>\n \u201cWe talked a lot that with the weather and everything, how we were gonna have to suffer through this game,\u201d Miller said, noting the 102 degree kickoff temperature. \u201cWe knew both teams were gonna suffer. We knew both were gonna die on the field. We better be the ones doing it and winning.<\/p>\n \u201cI saw a lot of selfless performances out there from my players, a lot of attacking players defend(ing) for the majority of a game.\u201d<\/p>\n UP NEXT<\/p>\n Boise returns to its USL League One schedule Friday, when it hosts Maine\u2019s Portland Hearts of Pine. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.<\/p>\n This story was originally published July 11, 2026 at 11:34 PM.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Idaho Statesman<\/p>\n Michael Lycklama<\/a><\/p>\n Idaho Statesman<\/p>\n Michael Lycklama has covered Idaho high school sports since 2007. He\u2019s won national awards for his work uncovering the stories of the Treasure Valley\u2019s best athletes and investigating behind-the-scenes trends. If you like seeing stories like this, please consider supporting our work with a digital subscription to the Idaho Statesman.
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