In Search of Silverware: Could Republic FC Compete for the Domestic Treble?

A new look for an old tournament and an old look for a new tournament.

Mar 12, 2025

Going into the 2025 Season, Sacramento Republic will, for the first time in their history, compete in three separate competitions for four separate trophies. In USL Championship play, Republic can win both the Player’s Shield, awarded to the team that finishes the regular season with the most points, and the USL Championship Final, the post-season tournament. Outside of USL Championship play, Republic will be competing in their 11th straight US Open Cup, which has a new look this year, and will make their USL Jägermeister Cup debut.

US Open Cup

For the third year in a row, the US Open Cup has a new look and format. Fans may recall the drama last off-season, when MLS attempted to opt out of the cup entirely, before negotiating that only eight teams would participate. This year, a similar negotiation has taken place, though with more participation: 16 MLS teams will be partaking in the tournament, with the rest of the MLS teams sending their MLS Next Pro sides. Additionally, all USL Championship and League One clubs are participating, as are the 32 amateur and semi-pro teams that have qualified.

Due to all these changes, the format of the tournament has had some significant adjustments. The First Round now contains all 32 amateur and semi-pro sides, all 14 League One teams, and all 10 MLS Next Pro teams, as well as the bottom 8 USL Championship sides from last season. These games have already been drawn, and every match features an amateur/semi-pro side against a professional side. The Second Round is simply the winners of those games matched up against each other.

The remaining 16 USL Championship sides, including the Republic, join in the Third Round. Most importantly, Republic has already been selected to host this Third Round match, regardless of opponent. Finally, in the Round of 32, the 16 MLS squads join the 16 Third Round winners for the final bracket to the finish.

Republic’s chances in the Open Cup look good this year. First, they avoid the first two rounds of the tournament and further their entry by hosting the Third Round. Second, the MLS sides Republic can face are very beatable; not only are the best MLS clubs not in the tournament due to the Champion’s Cup, but the rest will be further preoccupied with MLS and Liga MX’s League Cup, which could tip the match congestion into Republic’s favor.

USL Jägermeister Cup

Entering its second season, the USL’s Jägermeister Cup expands this year to include USL Championship squads. A tournament that started last year, the USL Jägermeister Cup was a thrilling competition between all USL League One sides, governed by tournament rules that pushed for quick, high scoring games. This year, the tournament has expanded to include both the Championship and League One in a World Cup-style tournament: all teams are split into six groups of six or seven teams, that are then randomly drawn from to provide each team with two home games and two away games in their group.

Every team that wins their group advances to the knockout round, that takes place throughout the year; however, the two teams that did not win their group, but scored the most goals (regardless of goal difference), will also advance. This incentives teams to go all in on the high-goal scoring action. Additionally, there are no ties. A match that ends tied at the end of regulation goes straight to penalty kicks, the winner of the shootout gets two points, and the loser gets a point.

Republic’s group contains:

AV Alta FC (USL-1, Lancaster, CA)
Las Vegas Lights (USL-C)
Monterey Bay FC (USL-C)
Oakland Roots (USL-C)
Orange County SC (USL-C)
Spokane Velocity FC (USL-1)

Additionally, we already know the dates for these games. Unlike the US Open Cup, these games are on weekends, with USL league’s games being scheduled around them. For the group stage, Republic has drawn:

Home vs. AV Alta FC (April 26th)
Home vs Las Vegas Lights (May 31st)
Away vs Orange County SC (June 28th)
Away vs Spokane Velocity FC (July 26th)

This is a very winnable tournament for Republic. During the group stage, it’s a great chance for Head Coach Neill Collins to mix some bench players into the regular team while playing the League One squads, though the club needs to be careful they are not too lax in these games. And moving into the knockout rounds, Republic is already familiar with any USL opponent they may play.

A Possible Treble?

With the USL Championship, US Open Cup, and USL Jägermeister Cup all on the docket, it becomes a possibility for the Republic, or any USL squad, to win a domestic treble. The real question is if Republic has the depth to effectively manage two tournaments and the league. We will likely see how serious Sacramento plans on taking one of the tournaments on April 26th, when they debut against AV Alta FC.

What do you think?

Should Sacramento try to be successful in all three competitions this season? Or should The Quails focus their energy on one or two competitions and let the reserves play the rest? Let us know in the poll below and in the comments!