Sacramento Republic FC
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| Full name | Sacramento Republic Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | 'Republic FC, SRFC, Sac Republic | ||
| Founded | 2012 | ||
| Stadium | Bonney Field | ||
| Capacity | 11,242 | ||
| Owner |
Sacramento Professional Soccer, LLC (Warren Smith) | ||
| Technical Director | Graham Smith | ||
| Head Coach | Preki [1] | ||
| League | USL | ||
| 2014 |
Regular Season: 2nd Playoffs: Champions | ||
| Website | Club home page | ||
|
| |||
Sacramento Republic FC is an American professional soccer team based in Sacramento, California. Founded in 2012, the team made its debut in the United Soccer League in 2014.
History
On December 3, 2012, USL Pro announced that a Sacramento expansion team would join the league for the 2014 season.[2] On July 15, 2013, Predrag "Preki" Radosavljević was announced as head coach of the new franchise.[3] The official name of the team and team shield were decided by fan vote. On July 18, 2013, the franchise officially announced the team name Sacramento Republic FC during the first annual Sacramento Soccer Day.[4] As of April 2014, the team had sold more than 5,000 season-tickets.[5]
2014: First-Year Championship
The Republic made its home debut on April 26, 2014 at Hughes Stadium, losing 2-1 to the Harrisburg City Islanders, before a sellout crowd of 20,231.[6] This figure nearly doubled the previous USL Pro regular season single game attendance record of 10,697.[7] The following match, a 2-1 win over Orange County Blues FC, drew a slightly smaller crowd of 17,414. Eventually, all their home games were sellouts except this one.[8]
The Republic inaugurated their new 8,000 seat, soccer-specific stadium, Bonney Field at Cal Expo, on June 20, 2014. They defeated the Colorado Rapids Reserve team 4-3. Mike Fucito scored the winning goal in the 84th Minute.[9]
On July 27, 2014 the team broke the USL Pro regular season attendance record of 112,748 previously set by Orlando City SC. Their total attendance was 182,107 (158,107 regular season; 24,000 in the playoffs).[10]
The Republic finished the regular season in 2nd place behind Orlando City SC with a 17 Win, 4 Tie and 7 Loss record. They defeated the Wilmington Hammerheads 4-1 in the Quarterfinals. Rodrigo López scored a hat trick, including the game winner in stoppage time, to defeat LA Galaxy II 3-2 in the Semifinals. Sacramento won the USL Pro Championship by defeating the Harrisburg City Islanders 2-0 on goals from Octavio Guzman and Thomas Stewart. López was named the Championship MVP.[11][12] Preki was named Coach of the Year. Nemanja Vuković was named Defender of the Year. Both López and Vuković were named to the All-League First Team.[13]
Colors and crest
The Republic's colors are old glory red, maple and egg shell. The club crest is a classic shield that honors the Bear Flag, taking several colors from the flag itself. The crest also carries an image of a California grizzly bear, which is found on the state's flag and is California's official state animal, along with a nautical star, which is representative of, and in the same color as, the star on the Bear Flag. Below the bear is the motto of the city of Sacramento, "Urbs Indomita," in Latin meaning "The Indomitable City."[14]
Kit
The club released the design of their inaugural home and away shirts on December 5, 2013. The kit manufacturer is Italian sportswear company Lotto, with UC Davis Children’s Hospital as the shirt sponsor through the 2016 season. The home kit’s dominant color is the club’s signature color “Old Glory Red,” and the away shirt will be primarily white. Both kits feature a diagonal stripe of dark maroon, with the club crest positioned on the left side of the wearer’s chest. The club’s motto, “Urbs Indomita,” is printed on the right sleeve.[15]
Kit manufacturers and shirt partners
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt partner |
|---|---|---|
| 2014-present | Lotto | UC Davis Children’s Hospital |
Supporters
The Republic draws fans from a large region of Northern California, with many fans traveling from the eastern areas of the bay and as far north as Redding to watch matches.
The official supporters' group is called the Tower Bridge Battalion.[16] The group gets their name from the Tower Bridge, a central structure in downtown Sacramento that connects Sacramento proper to West Sacramento. The Tower Bridge Battalion occupies one area of the team's home stadium. Several chants have been coordinated for the Tower Bridge Battalion, which they yell throughout the match. Common instruments used by the Battalion are large drums, megaphones, and other noise making items. The group has several coordinators that help to keep the crowd in unison during the match.[17][18] When a Republic FC player scores, it's customary for the player and his teammates to run towards the Tower Bridge Battalion section and celebrate with them.
The Tower Bridge Battalion have been central in organizing fan support of an MLS expansion team in Sacramento. On September 19, 2014 the Battalion led a crowd of thousands through the streets in downtown Sacramento designed to showcase the areas fanbase for MLS officials.[19][20]
Stadium
When the club was originally proposed, officials had planned on using Hughes Stadium, a 20,311 seater, open, multi-purpose stadium at Sacramento City College.[21] On November 14, 2013, however, it was announced that Republic FC planned to play in a new 8,000 seat soccer-specific stadium being built on the grounds of Cal Expo.[22] The proposed stadium would be funded and owned by Ovations Food Service and, if approved, was expected to be completed in time for the first match of the 2014 USL season.[23] Because the new stadium at Cal Expo was not completed in time for the start of 2014 season matches, the club played its initial 2014 matches at Hughes Stadium.[21] The new stadium was named Bonney Field, following a sponsorship deal for naming rights with Bonney Plumbing, Heating, Air and Rooter Service.
On June 20, 2014, the club played its inaugural match at the completed Bonney Field against the Colorado Rapids Reserves, winning the match 4-3. The game drew a sellout crowd of 8,000, significantly lower than the regular crowds at Hughes Stadium due to the smaller size of Bonney, but this number still remains very high for regular season USL Pro matches.
Eventually, Republic FC President Warren Smith hopes to build an 18,000-seat, soccer-specific stadium in Downtown Sacramento, as part of his stated ambition for the club to join Major League Soccer as an expansion team in 2016.[24]
Year-by-year
| Year | Division | League | Regular Season | Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup | Avg. Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 3 | USL Pro | 2nd | Champions | Fourth Round | 11,293 (USL Pro Record) |
| 2015 | 3 | USL Pro | TBD | TBD | TBD | 10,906 |
First team roster
As of March 20, 2015.[25]
Technical Staff
As of July 6, 2014.
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Technical Director |  Graham Smith |
| Head Coach |   Preki |
| Assistant Coach | Rod Underwood |
| Assistant Coach | Chris Malenab |
| Assistant Coach | Antonio Sutton |
| Assistant Coach/Goalkeepers | Simon Sheppard |
| Assistant Coach/Goalkeepers | Gene DuChateau |
| Strength & Conditioning Coach | Luke Rayfield |
| Team Administrator |  Jason Corbally |
References
- ↑ Rivera, Kristopher (19 July 2013). "A Great Show of Support". Sacramento Bee.
- ↑ "Sacramento lands minor league soccer franchise". Sacramento Bee. December 3, 2012. Retrieved December 4, 2012.
- ↑ "Preki resurfaces as the man to help lead Sacramento toward MLS". Major League Soccer. July 15, 2013.
- ↑ "New soccer franchise to be called Sacramento Republic FC". Sacramento Bee. July 18, 2013.
- ↑ Building the Soccer Pyramid: Cash is king for aspiring USL PRO squads, MLSsoccer.com, April 4, 2014.
- ↑ "Republic FC loses home opener before sellout crowd at Hughes Stadium", Sacramento Bee, April 27, 2014.
- ↑ "Sacramento Republic FC opener sells out, sets league record", Sacramento Bee, April 25, 2014.
- ↑ "Sacramento pleases large crowd with win ", Sacramento Bee, May 3, 2014.
- ↑ "Republic FC thrills sell-out crowd at new Bonney Field", Soccer America, June 21, 2014.
- ↑ "Sacramento Republic FC sets USL Pro attendance record", Sacramento Bee, July 28, 2014.
- ↑ "Championship might indicate MLS readiness for Republic FC". Sacramento Bee. September 27, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
- ↑ "Republic FC Claims USL PRO Championship". United Soccer Leagues (USL). September 27, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
- ↑ "USL PRO Awards Winners Announced". United Soccer Leagues (USL). September 26, 2014. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
- ↑ "Know Your Crest". Sacramento Republic FC. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
- ↑ "Republic FC Unveils Inaugural Season Kit with UC Davis Children’s Hospital". Sacramento Republic FC. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
- ↑ http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/23/6344863/tower-bridge-battalion-ready-for.html
- ↑ http://www.marketplace.org/topics/world/millennials-kick-soccers-popularity
- ↑ https://sports.vice.com/article/sacramento-is-already-an-mls-city
- ↑ http://latestnewsfootball.com/sacramento-republic-fc-fans-turnout-for-mls/
- ↑ http://www.kcra.com/news/sacramento-republic-fc-fans-turnout-for-mls/28146058
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 "Play and Practice Location". Sacramento Republic FC. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
- ↑ "New 8,000-seat soccer stadium at Cal Expo planned to open by March". Sacramento Bee. November 14, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
- ↑ "Cal Expo, Ovations Fanfare and Sacramento Republic FC Jointly Announce Request to Extend Negotiations on Proposed Multi-use Facility". CalExpo. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
- ↑ "Sacramento soccer franchise has ambitious goal". Sacramento Bee. November 28, 2013. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
- ↑ "2015 Roster". Sacramento Republic FC. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
External links
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