Sacramento Republic FC’s expansion to MLS will be completed in 2022. Once the journey is at its end, it will bring many benefits to the city, including improving sports culture and transforming the downtown district.
It was a 100 degree summer night in Sacramento and Papa Murphy’s Park was bustling with the sound of chants and cheers. Sacramento Republic FC were playing the Vancouver Whitecaps 2 in a scrappy USL matchup.
With eight minutes left in the match, a trip by a Whitecaps defender inside the box sent the Republic to the penalty spot. As forward Jeremy Hall slammed the ball into the top right corner, the Republic crowd erupted and the Tower Bridge Battalion sang louder than ever.
This is a regular occurrence at the often sold out Papa Murphy’s Park. With the Sacramento Kings as the only major sports team in the city, it is easy to see why the Republic are so warmly embraced by local fans. The club brings excitement and passion to a city that desperately needs it, and the successful bid for MLS expansion means more to the city of Sacramento than one may think.
Sports culture in Sacramento has been lackluster compared to the other major cities in California. With the Kings providing no championships and very few playoff appearances in the last 20 years, local fans have been deprived of sporting success.
That changed once the Republic came, winning the USL championship in its inaugural season. With the taste of success after just one season, fans were hooked, and supporters started flowing into the stadium. In just five years, the club has already created a culture and atmosphere around the team that Sacramento has been lacking for years.
MLS expansion also has the potential to benefit youth soccer around the city. With the new influx of money that MLS pulls in, the Republic can afford to improve their youth academy teams and build better soccer infrastructure within the city. Sacramento has always had a prominent youth soccer culture and an MLS team in the city could take these youth programs to another level.
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While Sacramento is the capital of California, it doesn’t have the same aura as other major cities in the state. The nightlife is lackluster, the downtown area is small, and besides Kings games, there isn’t much going on in terms of entertainment. However, plans to build a new downtown district on the old Sacramento Railyards, which Sacramento Republic will use as their new stadium in MLS, look promising.
With 244 acres of land, the city will transform the area into a hub of sports, entertainment and employment. The plan will double the size of the existing downtown area, and in conjunction with the Sacramento Kings’ Golden 1 Center, will create a downtown sports atmosphere the city has never seen before. This new downtown facility will put Sacramento on the map as a major sports destination, completely changing public perception of the city.
Republic FC have earned their spot in MLS and will now reap the benefits. Citizens and fans should be proud and excited about what is to come and should enjoy the excitement and drama that expansion has to offer. After all, those stanchions might well be rocking even louder when MLS comes to town.