If there ever was a team and a fanbase that earned the collective chip on their shoulder, it would be Sacramento Republic FC.
This was supposed to be the Republic’s expansion MLS season. Three years ago, there was an official event with commissioner Don Garber, city luminaries and thousands of fans celebrating Sacramento’s official arrival in MLS.
And then it was all taken away.
Still reeling from the setback, Sacramento has embarked on a U.S. Open Cup run this year that has seen the club’s name in the headlines, finally, for positive reasons. But that lingering sting from the biggest disappointment in club history hasn’t gone away.
“The deck has been stacked against us in a lot of ways,” Todd Dunivant, a former LA Galaxy mainstay who is now the Republic’s president and general manager, told Pro Soccer Wire. “But it’s sort of a story of Sacramento, it’s the story of our club. We keep going and we don’t take no for an answer.”
The Republic will host Sporting Kansas City in the Open Cup semifinal on Wednesday, marking just the second time since 2011 that a non-MLS team has reached the final four. The run through America’s oldest soccer competition has been a badly needed elixir for a fanbase that has been through more ups and downs in a decade than many experience in a lifetime.
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The Republic have only been around since 2014, and their consistently impressive fan support and strong lobbying for an MLS franchise paid off when billionaire Ron Burkle stepped in as a lead investor in 2019.
With that major hurdle cleared and a brand-new 20,100-seat stadium in the works, MLS officially rolled out the red carpet for Sacramento in October 2019.
“Sacramento will join MLS with a world-class soccer stadium that will transform the sport in California’s capital,” Garber said.
Thanks to the passionate @SacRepublicFC soccer fans, dedicated community leaders and a determined ownership group, Major League Soccer is coming to Sacramento. We are thrilled to welcome this vibrant, soccer-savvy city to @MLS! pic.twitter.com/rX4Y9bYBy9
— Don Garber (@thesoccerdon) October 21, 2019
As plans for a 2022 kickoff ramped up, the pandemic hit. First the team’s inaugural season was pushed back one year, and then, catastrophe: Burkle, citing rising costs, backed out of the project entirely.
In an instant, the Republic went from a future MLS team to a franchise many thought could be eliminated completely.
“There were questions that people were asking and rumors being whispered about the club going under,” Dunivant said. “And that was never going to happen. Kevin Nagle, our owner, was never going to let that happen.”
In an email interview with Pro Soccer Wire, Nagle said that while losing out on an MLS spot was undeniably painful, the Republic had no choice but to keep going.
“Like anything else in life, you deal with the reality, pick the pieces back up and move forward,” Nagle said. “We have not given up on MLS.”
The plans for a new stadium continue apace. Only now, the planned capacity is a more modest 12,000 to 15,000. But with an optimistic eye on a future MLS spot, the club said it could be scaled up closer to its original capacity.
“We’re working on a new downtown stadium with or without MLS,” Dunivant said. “And that’s because of Kevin’s commitment to this club and to this city.”
As Nagle puts it: “We will build a stadium one way or another.”
“We want to build a world-class soccer stadium in The Railyards, and to begin the next decade of Republic FC." 🏟️
The club prepares a new vision for downtown stadium to ignite a new era of development in Sacramento.
🔗 https://t.co/vO0pdYzKCo pic.twitter.com/HUiipFYsx6
— Republic FC (@SacRepublicFC) April 1, 2022
The path to MLS looks difficult for Sacramento at present. Garber has said the league plans to expand to 30 teams and then take a pause. With 29 of the 30 teams already spoken for, Garber has said Las Vegas is the frontrunner for team 30, followed by San Diego and Phoenix.
But Garber, of course, has expanded beyond previous targets in the past. Even if it takes more time than expected, the Republic are holding on to some optimism because the Sacramento market has already been explored, vetted, and approved by MLS.
“We would love to be an MLS team,” Nagle said. “We want to be the best that we can whether it’s as an MLS team or USL. We earned the right once and it can happen again.”
For now, Sacramento is staring down one of the biggest games in club history as Sporting KC comes to town. After beating in-state MLS teams San Jose and the LA Galaxy in the previous two rounds, the Republic come into Wednesday’s game full of confidence.
But even though they’ve already got past two MLS teams and Sporting KC is struggling in the league at present, Dunivant says Sacramento views its next game as the team’s biggest test yet.
“We see this game as by far our biggest challenge yet, funny enough,” Dunivant said. “Sporting Kansas City values this tournament, they’ve won it many, many times. [Head coach] Peter Vermes puts a lot of emphasis on it. They’re going to want to win and they’re going to do everything they can to win.”
Regardless of what happens Wednesday, the Republic’s run has displayed the kind of resilience the club needs after the biggest disappointment in its history. Sacramento will play the role of underdog against another MLS team.
It’s a position that seems to suit them.
“We weren’t supposed to beat the Earthquakes, we weren’t supposed to beat the Galaxy, yet here we are,” Dunivant said. “We’re not supposed to beat Kansas City. And I think Sacramento thrives in that underdog role as a city.
“This happens once or twice a decade. And here we are. So it’s been a lot of fun. And we’re looking forward to the next challenge.”
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