If you’ve only followed the Donner Pass Derby rivalry between Reno 1868 FC and Sacramento Republic FC in league play since Reno joined the Championship, you’ll know it’s been pretty one-sided. This season, in fact, 1868 FC swept the regular season series between the two clubs by a combined score of 6-1, which included a 4-1 victory on the road at Papa Murphy’s Park. On the face of it, that doesn’t bode well for Republic FC as it heads to Greater Nevada Field on Saturday night, but this is the playoffs, and you know what that means? Win, or go home, and in games where that has been the stakes between the two sides, Sacramento has been unbeatable.

Each of the past three seasons, Republic FC and 1868 FC have met in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, and each time Sacramento has advanced – twice on home turf and in 2018 at Greater Nevada Field. If Sacramento can use the Open Cup as inspiration, it could find itself in the Western Conference Semifinals for the second time in three seasons.