Sacramento Republic FC have agreed to a USL contract with goalkeeper Joshua Cohen for the 2018 season, with a club option for the 2019 season, pending league and federation approval.

“Finding a goalkeeper was a big challenge, but as we see now our recruitment efforts have paid off,” said Republic FC Head Coach and Technical Director Paul Buckle. “We believe Josh has the skill set to become a significant asset for our club moving forward, and his stats last season, leading one of the best defenses in USL, back that up.”

Cohen joins Republic FC after helping lead Phoenix Rising FC to their first ever playoff berth and heading up the third best defense in the USL Western Conference. In 2017, Cohen played in a career-high 28 matches, recorded a 1.13 goals against average, recorded eight clean sheets and earned a 71.2 percent save percentage. He was also named USL Player of the Month in September.

Cohen has been a fixture in the USL for the last three seasons, making over 40 appearances, maintaining a 1.14 goals against average and recording 13 shutouts.

The goalkeeper had an incredibly successful collegiate career at UC San Diego. In 51 matches, Cohen allowed only 29 goals and amassed an 84.7 percent save percentage. Cohen also recorded 22 shutouts in college and allowed over 10 goals in a season just once. He was named to the NSCAA Division II First Team All-American while at UC San Diego.