11 Things Newcastle Fans Need To Know About Sacramento Republic

8. Who Are Their Star Players To Watch Out For?

When Newcastle face Sacramento Republic on Saturday night (US time)/Sunday morning (UK time), which players should Toon fans be watching out for? Here's three danger men: Thomas Stewart (forward) - The 28-year-old former Northern Ireland Under-23 international played for the likes of Linfield, Derry City and Partick Thistle before signing for the Republic last season. He netted 13 times in just 19 appearances as he helped fire Sacramento to the 2014 title - and he will cause the Newcastle defence problems all evening. Rodrigo Lopez (midfielder) - Mexican-born former US Under-20 international Lopez is the cog that makes the Republic tick. The midfielder loves to bomb forward and cause the opposition harm, netting an outstanding 25 times in 50 appearances for Sacramento. The relationship with Portland Timbers has worked well for the Republic here, as Lopez used to play for the MLS outfit in the past. It will be interesting to see whether he manages to outshine the Magpies' newboy in midfield, Georginio Wijnaldum. Kaleemullah (forward/winger/attacking-midfielder) - He may be just 22 years of age but Kaleemullah has already been capped 25 times by Pakistan and has netted on four occasions for his nation. In five appearances for Sacramento, who brought the pacey forward to the US from Kyrgyzstan this year, he has yet to score but he has already impressed the faithful. Blessed with searing pace, there is no doubt he will look to get in behind the Magpies defence during the match and run at Mike Williamson (should the Newcastle centre-back play) whenever he can. Although those three are the key men to watch, here's a few other notable players: Justin Braun (forward/captain) Dominik Jakubek (goalkeeper) Derek Foran (defender) Ivan Mirkovic (midfielder) Nemanja Vukovic (defender)