 | ||||
| Full name | Sacramento Republic FC | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Republic, The Quails[1] | |||
| Founded | 2012 | |||
| Stadium | Heart Health Park | |||
| Capacity | 11,569 | |||
| Owners | Wilton Rancheria (majority) Kevin M. Nagle (minority) | |||
| Head coach | Mark Briggs | |||
| League | USL Championship | |||
| 2024 | 1st, Western Conference Playoffs: Conference Final | |||
| Website | sacrepublicfc | |||
|
| ||||
Sacramento Republic FC is an American professional soccer team based in Sacramento, California, that plays in the Western Conference of the USL Championship, the second level in US soccer. Co-founded by Warren Smith and Joe Wagoner in 2012, the team started play in 2014 at the 20,231-seat Hughes Stadium, before moving midseason to their current home at Heart Health Park. Republic FC won the 2014 USL championship and have made the playoffs eight times.
The team submitted an expansion bid for the top level Major League Soccer in January 2017. On May 15, 2017, MLS bid proponent Sac Soccer & Entertainment Holdings, led by Kevin Nagle, officially acquired Sacramento Republic FC from president and co-founder Warren Smith. On October 21, 2019, MLS announced that Sacramento Republic would be the 29th team in MLS, originally slated to start in 2022, and later pushed to 2023.[2] However, on February 26, 2021, the expansion to the MLS was placed on indefinite hiatus.[3] The team is working with the city of Sacramento to build a $226 million stadium in the large Railyards urban infill project.[4] In the interim, St. Louis City SC began play in 2023 and that year, San Diego FC was awarded a franchise to begin play in 2025.
- ^ "The Quail Kit". Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
- ^ Brisendine, Steve. "Sacramento ownership group, Republic FC reach agreement for unified MLS bid". MLS. Major League Soccer. Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- ^ Carlisle, Jeff. "Sacramento MLS team on indefinite hold after investor pulls out of deal". ESPN. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
- ^ Lillis, Ryan; Kaiser, Dale. "Sacramento council OKs preliminary term sheet for soccer stadium". The Sacramento Bee. McClatchy Corp. Archived from the original on September 15, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2017.