By Chris Biderman
The Sacramento Bee
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jaime Lopez has spent months waiting for his moment to show what he could do.
Lopez, 30, has been incarcerated for eight years, including the last two at Folsom State Prison. His Mondays through Thursdays are usually spent working in Prison Industry Authority programs which, at Folsom, include translating books into braille and working at a factory that makes California license plates.
Lopez’s weekends are spent playing sports and training for events like Tuesday morning’s.
“All these programs and sporting events, I dedicate and commit myself to them, and it’s a big part of my life,” Lopez said. “It’s helped me a lot emotionally.”
Lopez a few minutes earlier finished helping his team of the incarcerated win a soccer scrimmage against Sacramento Republic FC staffers and backups, 6-1. The team called itself “Intergalactico.”
The scrimmage was a culmination of Lopez and his teammates working months to win other sporting competitions put on for Folsom’s incarcerated, including a simulation of Olympic events where the winners formed the team that got to practice and play with Republic FC. Lopez spent the scrimmage as a pressing forward, threatening the net with regularity. He grew up playing soccer, he said, but stopped playing after high school.
“I just started running the streets,” he said.
Lopez scored one of his team’s goals with an impressive header, which came minutes after connecting in conversation with Republic FC star Rodrigo Lopez before the team’s shared Folsom Prison’s exercise yard. The two discussed Jaime Lopez’s cousin, Octavio Guzmán, who played with Rodrigo Lopez on Republic FC’s championship team in 2014 after a college career at Chico State.
Guzmán scored a goal in Republic FC’s win over Harrisburg City Islanders that clinched the United Soccer League title.
“I followed him a lot, and I didn’t make the grades to go to college,” Jaime Lopez said of his cousin. “But he was a big impact in my life, and I used to go out to see him play for Sac Republic . It sparked a fire in my heart. And unfortunately, I made bad decisions (which) got me in here. But now I take advantage of all these programs. That way I’m able to get back out there, and I might be able to, maybe one day, put on that jersey, which is my goal.”
Lopez, who is from Pittsburg in the Bay Area, is up for parole in 2027. Until then, he plans to continue working and playing sports to experience rare moments like Tuesday morning.
“It’s like something that’s unexplainable,” Lopez said. “It’s unbelievable. ... All this stuff helps me with my (prison) time.”
Sacramento Republic FC’s connection to Folsom Prison
Republic FC president and general manager, Todd Dunivant , has been going to Folsom State Prison once a month for the last seven years, he said. He’ll occasionally bring staffers and players to connect with incarcerated people while providing respite from their sentences. A handful of them reconnect with Dunivant and the organization after serving their time.
“I think it makes a difference for them,” Dunivant said, “because they get a slice of humanity that they don’t normally get in here. They’re seen as people. When you roll out the ball, honestly, you don’t remember where you are. You feel you could be anywhere.”
Tuesday was unique because Dunivant and manager Mark Briggs brought the entire roster of 25 to 30 players to train and play with the imprisoned. It started with a quick warmup and then drills where the incarcerated played with members of Sacramento’s first team. Then, assistant coaches, staffers and backups took on the incarcerated team that earned the right to take the field after winning the prison’s Olympic event.
“It’s really encouraging that we actually got to play against them, see how they play and how they train,” said Sergio Mejia , who’s been at Folsom Prison since 2017 and is up for parole in 2025. “The morale always gets lifted.”
Republic FC sits third in the Western Conference of the USL Championship table. A win Saturday against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC in their final regular season game would earn a home playoff date in the first round. Sacramento’s players and coaches have long believed their home field advantage at Heart Health Park is among the best in the league.
The club is hoping to win its second USL championship after winning its first and only in its inaugural season of 2014. That means Tuesday morning at Folsom State Prison came in the heat of the stretch run as they look to rectify disappointing finishes to the last two campaigns.
“It’s a good moment to step back and have a little reflection,” Dunivant said. “Guys are just going to have fun. I think when you’re out here, you realize how much you have in common, whether it’s inmates, whether it’s a professional soccer player, whether it’s a staff member, I think you realize that we all love this game. We all love to compete.
“It breaks down a lot of barriers, and I think that’s something that’s been really cool to see.”
A player’s connection to the prison system
Jack Gurr used to make visiting a prison a regular occurrence.
Republic FC’s popular defender, known for his speed up the flanks and crosses into the box, used to regularly visit a family member when he played with Atlanta United 2 and Atlanta United in 2020 through 2022. Gurr’s family member, whom he requested not be named, was on a day release program.
Which helps explain why Gurr was one of Republic FC’s most animated players when he got to practice and play with the incarcerated Tuesday.
“For me, obviously, it’s pretty personal,” Gurr said. “When you’ve got that personal connection, you know how much it means to the people here. It’s been a massive impact on him, integrating back into the system as easy as possible. And I love coming down here and spending time here.”
Gurr, like Republic FC’s other key players, didn’t participate in the scrimmage on Folsom’s turf. But he did work drills with the imprisoned that included regular smiles and laughter.
“It’s honestly, we’re all here having fun together,” Gurr said. “That’s what it’s all about with soccer. It can take you to some amazing places. We got people from all over the world here, and they’re able to just come here and have a game of soccer. You know, what more could you want?”
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