Athletic Club Boise ends Sacramento Republic FC's USL Cup run with 2-0 win

Nick Moon beat Sacramento Republic FC in the 7th minute, and Athletic Club Boise never let go of the lead in a 2-0 upset Saturday night at Athletic Club Boise Stadium in Garden City, Idaho. In front of 7,247 fans at a 6:30 p.m. PT kickoff, Boise advanced from the Prinx Tires USL Cup while Sacramento, which had needed only a win or draw to move on, saw its unbeaten tournament run end in its second game in four days.

Thomas Amang set up the opener for Moon, and Omar Yehya delivered the assist on Tumi Moshobane’s 64th-minute goal that doubled the margin. Jonathan Kliewer made six saves to preserve the clean sheet, and the result gave Boise a third shutout in its last four games and a third straight win over USL Championship opposition.

The match turned on Boise’s first punch. Sacramento finished with 65% possession and more shots on goal, but the Republic spent most of the night trying to play back into a game that had already tilted toward the home side. Once Moon scored early, Boise could keep its lines compact, close the middle and force Sacramento into longer possessions that produced pressure without a breakthrough.

Sacramento arrived with enough control in Group 1 to advance on either a win or a draw and still finished third on eight points. The Republic had also come in off a 2-1 regular-season win over Rhode Island FC, when Mark-Anthony Kaye had his first two-assist game since 2021, but the short turnaround and the road setting left little room for error against a Boise team that knew exactly what it needed.