Forged in Old Glory Red and White

Welcome to the refreshed Indomitable City Soccer! To celebrate the new look and feel of our sports communities, we’re sharing stories of how and why we became fans of our favorite teams. If you’d like to share your story, head over to the FanPosts to write your own post. Each FanPost will be entered into a drawing to win a $500 Fanatics gift card. We’re collecting all of the stories here and featuring the best ones across our network as well. Come Fan With Us!

Hey, my name is Joe, one of the photographers for Indomitable City Soccer. You usually will see me on the sidelines at the home games, wearing a William Murray hat and camera gear, shooting the game while quietly chanting with the Tower Bridge Battalion. This is my first season shooting the games and am grateful to be a part of the talented group here covering the team game to game.

I found myself moving to Sacramento a few years ago to finish up school and quickly fell in love with the city: the culture, food and diversity. I had heard that Sacramento would be developing a soccer team to play on a national level. I ordered the first of many scarves that I would first don on nights out with friends, silently proclaiming my faith in the team and the city it would represent.

One night at de Vere's Irish Pub with a friend who’d had too many martinis, I was ordering a round when I noticed a group chanting and sporting the Old Glory Red. Talking to them, I found out they were members of the Tower Bridge Battalion, prepping for the inaugural home game against the Harrisburg City Islanders. Their enthusiasm and welcoming nature gave me a strengthened belief that this team was going to be something unique for Sacramento.

I convinced my brother to attend the first game with me, his initial thought was that this would be some small, collegiate-style game. He realized when at the stadium that this was something much bigger, and proceeded to buy a scarf, shirt and hat to mark the occasion. We sat down, cracked open beers and enjoyed the game. Despite the loss, and began a tradition for us to attend all of the home games of that season; from those games, memories were made.

The slew of memories included: bringing our parents to a game, my mom and dad cheering and laughing at the chants the Battalion had for the opposition, bringing friends who had no idea how the offside rule worked but were joining with me in the chanting, and celebrations while wearing one of my many scarves.

One especially fond memory was when the Republic won the USL championship in 2014, my brother and I were in the center de Vere’s pub, cheering and exchanging high-fives with other fans, amazed to see how far the team had come in just its first season.

These memories, as well as the performance of the team and the support of the city, solidified my fandom. Coming into this season, I opted to be on the sidelines, shooting and help contribute to the stellar coverage Indomitable City Soccer has provided to you, my fellow fans. I am hoping my previous experience in shooting college sports will give a better illustration of this team and city. My recommendation to all reading this is go to a game and find out for yourselves.

Editor’s Note: For those of you looking to get into that Fanpost drawing, make sure to take a look at the note down below.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. SB Nation Why Are You a Fan Reader Sweepstakes starts on 8:00am ET on May 25, 2017 and ends at 11:59pm ET on June 8, 2017. Open only to eligible legal residents of the United States, 18 years or older. Click here for Official Rules and complete details, including entry instructions, odds of winning, alternative method of entry, prize details and restrictions, etc. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. Sponsor: Vox Media, Inc.