11 Things Newcastle Fans Need To Know About Sacramento Republic
They won the league in their first full season? Not bad, not bad at all.
Steve McClaren has gotten his first two Newcastle United matches out of the way and, following the comfortable if unspectacular 1-0 victory over Gateshead at the International Stadium and the disappointing 2-1 loss to Club Atlas in midweek, the Magpies' head coach is hoping to see his side return to winning ways this weekend. With most of Newcastle's players having been in the USA for close to a week now, they have had a few days to acclimatise before their second fixture - although new £14.5 million signing Georginio Wijnaldum, midfielder Mehdi Abeid and defender Lubomir Satka only arrived Stateside on Wednesday. Second-up for the Magpies on their trip to "the land of the brave and home of the free" are United Soccer League side Sacramento Republic FC - with the venue for the match being Bonney Field. Having started their trip in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in north-east USA, the Magpies have now landed to in Sacramento, California, to face Sacramento Republic FC on Sunday, before concluding their US tour at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon, with a game against Portland Timbers on Tuesday. However, before continuing on their arduous trip around the rest of the USA, Newcastle must first overcome the Republic on Saturday night (8pm PT kick-off in America)/Sunday morning (4am BST kick-off in the UK). So who exactly are Sacramento Republic FC? And which players such the Magpies be wary of? Well, here's 11 things Newcastle United fans need to know about Sacramento Republic FC ahead of the club's pre-season friendly against the USL side...