The Sacramento Republic FC lost a crucial match Wednesday night to their new NorCal rival, the Oakland Roots. The 2-1 defeat came with playoff implications. Oakland and Sacramento entered the night separated by one point as the two teams fight for the 4th and final playoff spot in the Pacific Division for the 2021 season. With the loss, Republic FC dropped to 6th in ranking and fell two points back while the Roots rose to 4th and were awarded three points, totaling 34 points. Watch highlights hereFive games remain in the regular season, with all five matches against the Pacific Division.Phoenix locked up the division, while San Diego sits in second. It’s going to be interesting down the stretch as all five upcoming opponents are also in the playoff hunt. In fact, those five teams are separated by just 7 points.Lucky for the Republic, three of their remaining five games are in the confines of their home-field advantage at Heart Health Park. With those three games, they will be very much in control of their own destiny. Buckle up.