Sacramento Republic FC pushes Saturday kickoff to accommodate Kings’ playoff game vs. Warriors
It’s the perfect doubleheader — the Republic FC soccer team says it is making an accommodation for one of the biggest sports nights in Sacramento history.
The team announced Wednesday it would delay the start of Saturday’s match against the Colorado Springs Switchbacks one hour — from 7 to 8 p.m. at Heart Health Park — in light of the Sacramento Kings hosting the Golden State Warriors in the team’s first playoff game in nearly 17 years.
Republic FC wrote in a news release: “Kickoff time has shifted to allow the community to gather and celebrate the Sacramento Kings as they return to the NBA Playoffs.” Moving the time will presumably give local fans more time to watch both games with limited overlap. The Kings game is set to tip off at 5:30 p.m.
The Kings and Republic FC have been growing their relationship this season. Mike Brown has hosted Republic manager Mark Briggs to observe recent practices and speak to the team while Kings associate head coach Jordi Fernandez, who was born in Badalona, Spain, is an avid soccer fan and a regular at Republic FC matches.
The Kings-Warriors game will be the first postseason contest played in Sacramento since May 5, 2006, when the Kings lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the sixth game of the Western Conference quarterfinals. Since then the Kings’ 16-season playoff drought was the longest in NBA history leading to tickets for Saturday’s game at Golden 1 Center being the most expensive on the secondary market in recent memory.
Republic FC, meanwhile, is off to a strong start to its 2023 USL campaign. They’re tied with the defending league champions San Antonio with 11 points for first place in the Western Conference table. The two teams squared off last week and tied 0-0 in San Antonio.
The Kings-Warriors match up will be televised on ABC 10 beginning at 5:30 p.m.; the Republic game will also be televised beginning at 8 o’clock on Fox 40.
