Why I’m a fan of Sacramento Republic

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!

Oh my goodness, it was so hot out. The sun was blaring down on us and I had forgot a hat, sunscreen — anything other than cash for beer didn't make the trip. Despite the inferno blasting from above, energy inside the stadium was electric. People were already having fun and it was at least 30 minutes before kickoff.

In classic American soccer style, jerseys of all kinds were spotted: Real Betis, Portugal, Inter Milan, Germany, Arsenal, Chivas, Santos, Sounders. Even the teams on display that day, Dorados and Norwich, were extremely diverse. This was Sacramento Soccer Day, July 18th 2013. At an exhibition match at Raley Field, Sacramento Republic was born. I had a really great time, and looked forward to what was coming next from Warren Smith.

A short time later I get a call from a good friend; "You owe me, like, $400. Pay up when you can buddy" Oh, do I? Had I forgotten a bet back in college, did I sleep walk into his house and destroy his couch?

No. Instead, he had gone out and got us season tickets to the new team in town, Sacramento Republic FC. Welp, guess I was committed at that point. We figured we would be two of a handful of fans, sitting in a mass of empty bleachers at Sac City College. But we would have fun anyways, and at least we would have something in a land long forgotten by MLS.

We could not have been more wrong. I think it took us 30 minutes just to get off the light rail and in to that first packed game at Hughes Stadium. It was a madhouse. You could not keep out the energy and excitement if your tried. That energy, that sense of fun, continued all season. Spurred on by the high-powered fast play of Preki’s coaching, the team was impossible to dislike. We had a little Borussia-mento going on and I was enamored.

When Preki left in 2015, Republic found a new coach, Paul Buckle, who was also willing to play fun, adventurous football. SRFC’s smart, aggressive, attacking style is what has made me enjoy the team in the first place and has kept me coming back for more.

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