December 6, 2023 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Sacramento Republic FC News Release
Sacramento, Calif. – Today, Republic FC announced the club has signed defender Jonathan Ricketts ahead of the 2024 season. Ricketts will be added to the club’s roster pending league and federation approval. Per club policy, the terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
“Jonathan adds size and bite to our team out wide,” said Republic FC President and General Manager Todd Dunivant. “He’s a two-way player that can contribute to the attack but also get stuck in. We think his mentality fits in very well with our group and style of play.”
Ricketts joins Republic FC after two seasons with Western Conference foe Rio Grande Valley FC. With the Toros, he logged 64 appearances across all competitions from 2022-2023, helping the club to the 2022 USL Championship Playoffs. In 2023, he recorded 26 starts on 29 appearances, tallying three goals and two assists. Statistically, he ranked as one of the best one-on-one defenders in the league with 210 duels won – second most in the regular season. He was named to the USL Championship Team of the Week three times and featured in each of his club’s nine clean sheets.
A native of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Ricketts launched his professional career in USL League One with his hometown club, Chattanooga Red Wolves SC in 2020. He was a standout across two seasons with the club, ranking among the league’s leaders in appearances (44), minutes (3,850) clearances, and interceptions (293) from 2020-2021. He was named to the USL League One Team of the Week on five occasions in the 2021 season as the Red Wolves advanced to the league semifinals for the first time in club history. Before turning pro, he competed collegiately at Bryan College, where he made 70 appearances and recorded 33 goals and 28 assists. He earned Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) All-Conference First Team his junior and senior seasons at Bryan, as well as a spot on the 2019 All-AAC tournament team. Ricketts also featured for Chattanooga’s USL League Two affiliate, Dalton Red Wolves SC, in 2019.
Republic FC continues its preparations for the 2024 USL Championship season. On January 20th, the club will host its annual Open Tryouts to identify local talent and invite at least one player to join the club for training camp. In 2023, defender Aldair Sanchez earned an invitation to training camp from Open Tryouts, eventually earning a multi-year contract and significant…