MLS Officially Coming to Sacramento

The front office, ownership group, city government, and fans have scrapped, clawed, and fought their way to hear this simple phrase: “MLS to Sacramento.” Today, they finally received that news. Throughout the process, however, the city has lived through many setbacks; both unpredictable and frustrating.

When Warren Smith and Joe Wagoner co-founded the team in 2012, and more likely before then, the goal was to bring Major League Soccer (MLS) to a city that was on the brink of losing its only major league team, the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, and add to a city that has done very little growth to appeal to the outside world. When Sacramento Republic FC first took the field in 2014 at Hugh Stadium, the support hit an absurd 20,000 supporters and ended the season as USL Champions. With instant success, and an overwhelming amount of city and fan support, there appeared to be no doubts this organization would accomplish its goal.

Over the next five years, Republic’s supporters would suffer through many shocking rejections, none of which appeared to hurt more than in December 2017, when MLS life appeared to be sucked out of the Sacramento community.

At that point, Sacramento’s bid stood at what would seem to be its peak with two MLS spots to be filled, fanhood standing strong, a solid front office foundation, approved stadium plans, and established investors such as Meg Whitman at the helm. There was very little worry in Sacramento that a deal would not get done with Nashville SC and FC Cincinnati being its only threat.

On December 19, 2025 that hope began to fade as the MLS Commissioner Don Garber flew to Tennessee to announce SC Nashville as the next team to join MLS. With only Sacramento and Cincinnati remaining, the pressure was on to fill that last spot, but as whispers of billionaire Meg Whitman leaving the investment group grew stronger and the price of the MLS bid getting heftier, there was very little hope a deal would get done. As mid 2018 approached, Cincinnati rightfully earned the last remaining spot and all of Sacramento cried out a quote stated by Garber in 2016:

“It’s not a matter of ‘if’, but ‘when’”.

With a decrease in fan support and very little hope on the outside, the front office and ownership group quietly continued to work tirelessly with the MLS to make the goal become a reality. As the months went by, the price to enter MLS continued to grown by tens of millions and the search for a Billionaire investor, or in other words, a whale, was on. The city’s excitement would return in January 2019 as NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins owner, Ron Burkle, joined the investment team. Later in the year, another city, Saint Louis, would leap-frog Sacramento, but the Republic’s group would not waver on its fight.

Over the span of three months, whispers and breadcrumbs would spread throughout the city of an agreement being reached. With a premature announcement by the Sacramento Bee being published in September this year, the city held its excitement like a child’s anticipation the night before going to Disneyland for the first time. With hope rising and the goal forming into a reality, the Farm-to-Fork Capitol of the United States exploded in excitement as the Sacramento Bee officially published an article stating, “Sacramento expected to be announced as 29th Major League Soccer team Monday.”

The day that Sacramento has been waiting for has finally arrived. Although the Republic had reached the postseason for its sixth consecutive season, all eyes were on today’s press conference located at The Bank in Downtown Sacramento.

As the press conference approached, The Bank was buzzing with enthusiasm as all walks of life — from city government officials and lead executives — to the average fan stuffed the interior of the newly renovated structure. Chants and drums sounded throughout the giant hall from supporters, with years of frustration finally lifted. They cheered their homegrown hearts out with repetitive shouts consisting of “Sacramento.” Media members and VIP attendees exchanged words, hugs, and handshakes to one another with exaggerated smiles on their faces as their hard work and contributions had finally paid off.

When it was time for the conference to start, everyone hushed and waiting in anticipation as if they were attending a concert and were waiting for Beyonce to walk on stage. Soon enough Stu Holden, Fox Sports 1 personality, walked up on stage and announced California Governor Gavin Newsom, Mayor Darrell Steinberg, MLS Commissioner Don Garber, and lead ownership group Matt Alvarez, Ron Burkle, and Kevin Nagle. The fans roared and the audience below clapped in celebration and excitement. As Commissioner Garber took stage, a vision that had begun over seven years ago had finally come a reality.

“It was over four years ago when I told Marcos Brenton of the Sacramento Bee that it was less about if and more about when Sacramento was going to meet Major League Soccer,” said Commissioner Garber. “Well Folks, the when is today. Your win has arrived,” which was followed by an annoyed but overjoyed cheer from the fans who stood from above. “There is no doubt that Sacramento is a city on the rise. It’s young, it’s diverse, and there is an urban energy and a renaissance that fits so well with everything that our league stands for. It’s the perfect city for our growing league — a league that boasts the youngest and most diverse fan base in all of professional sports. Major League Soccer continues to grow throughout North America and we are so proud to welcome Sacramento as our newest team.”

Located up in the loft with the fan base stood Stu Holden who encouraged the fan base to profess their most prideful chant, “This is our home, SAC-RA-MENT-O, S-R-F-C, the club for me!...” As the fans jumped up and down in jovial manner, there stood a couple fans who beat down on a rubber trash can instead of a drum. I couldn't help but feel like this was a small representation of the city as a whole during this process. Somehow, someway Sacramento finds a way to get its message across and its goals done.

“When we first invested in the club, we wanted to show from day one that we operated like a top tier franchise”, said Republic FC co-owner Kevin Nagle. “That has carried us to this day and will carry us well into the future, and we’ve all undeniably been top tier in one major aspect since the very beginning, and that is out amazing fan base. Earning an MLS franchise was personal to me because I wanted to see the world see everything that I love and value about Sacramento. At our core, we’re a local community. We take pride in being an underdog and proving the doubters wrong. But let me tell you something, those who doubt Sacramento, simply don’t know Sacramento.”

Mayor Steinberg would then take the stage with a half-moon smile on his face. “I know that being humble is important, but this morning I texted Mayor’s Sam Liccardo in San Jose and Eric Garcetti in Los Angeles and expressing my condolences for them on becoming the second best teams in California”, said Steinberg. “Game on! The rivalry begins; the rivalries begin.”

“Darrell talked about spirit, he talked about pride,” said California Governor Newsom with a politician’s poise. “Darrell talked about the world we’re living in and we’re so focused on what divides us, our differences. It is a wonderful thing to walk in a room like this with a great sense of pride and spirit where people of every conceivable walk of life are coming together.”

Today, Sacramento has officially been introduced as the 29th team to join the MLS and will officially move forward with the construction of an innovative outdoor soccer stadium in the Downtown Sacramento Railyards along with additional building that will consist of retail and housing spaces.

MLS Sacramento is officially underway and its inaugural season will take place in 2022. With the morale boost within the fan base, Wednesday’s playoff match between Sacramento and New Mexico should consist of new life in the stands. Life that had not existed in recent years.

Congratulations, people of Sacramento! MLS has finally arrived!