Cal Expo’s reversal pays off for Sacramento Republic. Here’s when they’ll host Seattle

Cal Expo’s reversal on Wednesday allowing the Sacramento Republic FC soccer team to host a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match has paid off.

The U.S. Soccer Federation held a draw Wednesday night to determine the host for the quarterfinals of America’s longest ongoing soccer tournament, and Republic FC was awarded a home game against MLS club Seattle Sounders FC. The game will be played July 9 at Heart Health Park, days before the California State Fair begins July 12.

Cal Expo officials initially told Republic FC they would likely not be allowed to host a match after the two sides discussed possible dates for this year’s Open Cup in 2023 when U.S. Soccer initially released tournament dates, sources with knowledge of the situation who were not authorized to speak on the matter told The Sacramento Bee.

Cal Expo cited logistical concerns regarding preparations for the State Fair. It owns the 11,569-seat stadium that shares an entrance and parking lot with the midway portion of the fair.

Last year, the State Fair drew about 600,000 visitors during its 17-day run. The fairgrounds starting Thursday will host the Sacramento County Fair, which draws roughly 70,000 people each year.

Republic FC has a regular season game scheduled for July 13, the first Saturday night of the State Fair. The team played a tournament game during the fair in 2022 when it beat Sporting Kansas City to advance to the championship round.

“Cal Expo will do everything we can to host a potential U.S. Open Cup game,” Cal Expo CEO Tom Martinez said in a statement Wednesday. “In fact, we welcome this event and are excited for the Sacramento Republic fans and region to once again experience this caliber of soccer at our venue prior or even during the California State Fair.”

Republic FC has long been working towards building their own stadium in the Railyards north of downtown. Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said in March he was optimistic a stadium deal would get finalized before the end of the year.

Sacramento advanced to the round of eight following their dramatic 4-3 victory Tuesday night over MLS club the San Jose Earthquakes when it scored two goals in a minute during extra time to take the lead. It came after San Jose scored the opening goal of the period breaking a 2-2 tie after regulation.

Sounders FC (3-5-6) is currently 10th in MLS Western Conference standings. It beat the USL club Phoenix Rising, 2-1, on Wednesday night to advance to play Sacramento. Seattle has won the U.S. Open Cup four times, tying six other teams for the third most in tournament history.

Republic FC is enjoying another strong start to its season sitting in first place as the only unbeaten team in the USL’s Western Conference. Sacramento has a 4-1 record against MLS teams in the U.S. Open Cup, and beat three MLS teams during its run to the final round in 2022 before losing to Orlando City SC.