Sacramento Republic FC head coach Mark Briggs will exit the club after the Republic’s disappointing finish to the 2024 season.Briggs and the club “mutually agreed to part ways” after five seasons with the English coach at the helm, according to a club announcement on Monday. Briggs became Republic’s fourth head coach in history at the end of the 2019 season. He started with the club as its academy director. Briggs' departure comes after Republic was knocked out of the first round of its USL Championship playoff match on Friday. The Las Vegas Lights FC defeated Republic FC in a penalty shootout after the teams battled to a scoreless draw in 120 minutes of play.Sacramento Republic FC had kicked off its season being undefeated for its first 14 matches. It also boasted an 11-game winning streak on the road stretching back to the 2023 season. But after suffering a series of injuries among captain Rodrigo “RoRo” López and other key players, the club struggled in the latter half of the season, especially on the road. Including Saturday’s results and stretching back into July, Republic FC lost seven away matches and tied one.“As always these are tough decisions. I can’t say enough about Mark, both in his coaching and his desire to win,” Republic FC Chairman and Owner Kevin Nagle said in a statement. “I wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors.”Briggs called Sacramento “a very special place, with a one-of-a-kind club and incredible fans.”“I’d like to thank the players who’ve been a part of the past five years, the front office who’ve been incredibly supportive, and the fans who welcomed me into the club with tremendous passion and vigor,” he said. “I’m grateful for my time here and it has been an honor to be a part of this community.”As head coach, Briggs helped propel the team to the Western Conference semifinals in 2022 and its conference finals in 2023. A highlight of his tenure was Sacramento Republic FC's Cinderella run in the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The team beat three Major League Soccer teams in "cupsets" to reach the final in Orlando. It was the first time a lower-division team had made the final of the nation’s oldest soccer tournament in nearly two decades. Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg wrote an “excuse note” for hometown fans to get out of school and work obligations to watch the historic championship match, which Republic lost. “Mark will always have a special place in Republic history, and in particular, by leading our team to unprecedented heights for the 2022 US Open Cup final,” Republic FC General Manager and President Todd Dunivant said. “We wish Mark and his family well in his next chapter. We will now turn our attention toward a comprehensive head coaching search and building a championship roster for 2025 and beyond.”Sacramento Republic FC announced in 2022 that Briggs had signed a “multiyear contract” but did not disclose the terms. Briggs now leaves Republic FC with a 44% winning percentage, finishing 74-49-47 and reaching the postseason in four of five years, according to the club.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter