Republic FC's Rodrigo Lopez reflects on US Open Cup journey
SACRAMENTO - The Sacramento Republic is headed to the U.S. Open Cup final in Orlando next week to do something that hasn't been done since 1999.
We caught up with their star player who's approaching club legend status.
"I think it was just written perfectly for me to finish it up," said Rodrigo Lopez
It always had to be Rodrigo Lopez. Who else would be more fit to take the penalty that would put Sacramento Republic into the U.S. Open Cup Final?
"It was probably one of the best moments in my career," he said.
But there was a time when Lopez was close to hanging it up. He began his career with Chivas USA in 2005 and bounced around a multitude of clubs. In a different era of Major League Soccer, his lack of size in a physical league was held against him. In 2013, he was playing for the Orange County Blues just trying to hold on while sacrificing significant time with his family.
"I was away from her while she was pregnant; I was over here sleeping in the closet for this career," he said.
Burned out and disillusioned, he decided to take time away from the game. He found work as a construction worker through a friend and was able to support his newborn son. But he soon realized just how difficult the work was even for one that was a professional athlete.
"I had the wheelbarrow," Lopez remembers. "I was all over the place and I kind of dropped it and my friend was laughing and made fun of me and said 'this is hard work, this isn't soccer - running around the soccer field,'" he said.
He became significantly stronger, working out nearly every day at a variety of venues while playing Sunday league soccer with his father, a former professional himself. The Sacramento Republic came calling but at the time Lopez had his reservations about returning. Namely, he was getting paid more for his construction job.
"I didn't want to take it at first but I took that second opportunity to the game and that's when I really started working hard and then the rest is history."
On the advice of friends and family, he took one more shot at professional soccer. In his first year with the club, he was named the USL Pro Co-MVP as Republic won its first championship. After a U.S. Open Cup loss to San Jose that same season, he received the phone call he had always wanted.
"I was really close to going to San Jose that year."
The MLS side Earthquakes called him and wanted him to join the club.
"It felt so good to have someone come out and want me rather than me knocking on doors and asking for an opportunity," he said.
But ultimately he deferred. Lopez saw what Sacramento was building and, with more input from those close to him, stuck it out with Republic. In 2015, he left to play in Mexico with Celaya and was loaned to Liga MX side Toluca. With his dreams of playing top-flight Mexican soccer now fully realized, he came back around to Sacramento in 2020 and then once more in 2022.
Now the 35-year-old has cemented himself as a club legend, owning one of the most famous goals in club history and helping Republic do something no lower division team has done since 2008: They look to be the first lower division Cup winners since 1999. Through it all, Lopez has stood firm in his love for his club. Sacramento is home and is where he pictures his life.
"Win or lose, I'm definitely proud," Lopez says. "[The] First day I stepped here in Sacramento I knew this would be my home for a long time. This is where we wanna stay."
Lopez and the Republic will take on Orlando City in the U.S. Cup Open on Sept. 7 and CBS13 will be there. Our special coverage of the event begins Sept. 6 on CBS13 Mornings.