Sacramento Republic FC gathers with fans ahead 10th season
SACRAMENTO — Republic FC is getting ready to kick off its tenth season in Sacramento.
They celebrated Tuesday night at a special ceremony with season ticketholders who've been with the team from the beginning. The team also unveiled a new logo and uniforms to mark the occasion.
It was 10 years ago that the Republic first hit the pitch, playing their opening match at Hughes Stadium in front of a sold-out crowd.
"It was just something pretty amazing to see," said season ticketholder Mark Rudkin.
Rudkin was there Tuesday along with more than 20,000 fans.
"To be able to be at that first game is something that I'll always remember," he said.
"The crowds were very loud," said season ticketholder Aminie Elsberry.
Elsberry was there, too, and celebrated when that rookie team went all the way.
"They won the championship the first year," Elsberry said. "It was like an ideal season: new team and we win the championship."
Just one year later, there was already talk of joining the MLS.
"I like the idea of going to MLS," Rudkin said. "I like that prestige."
"It would be great if we were MLS," Elsberry said.
Since then, hopes of a major league team have persisted, as has the construction of a new soccer stadium. It's something club President Todd Dunivant still wants to see.
"We're going to continue to push for the railyards downtown and we know that our fans are going to support us wherever we are, but that's certainly our goal and we think the fans deserve it," Dunivant said.
"We do deserve a stadium," Elsberry said.
The team is now looking to top last year's surprise success.
"We had an incredible season," Dunivant said of the 2022 campaign. "We shocked the world by going to the U.S. Open Cup final."
Fans who celebrated that first-year championship a decade ago are now ready for another trophy.
"We've got a lot of new players and a lot of veterans coming back, so I think we're going to have a great season," Elsberry said.
Sacramento Republic FC is currently playing pre-season matches and the home opener will be on March 18th at Heart Health Park.