(FOX40.COM) — The Sacramento Republic FC will celebrate its 10th anniversary as a team with a home match at the venue hosting their first matches: Hughes Stadium at Sacramento City College.
The Indomitable Club will take on Orange County SC in a matchup with USL playoff implications, and the team says it is ready for an “unforgettable night.”
Republic FC is currently atop the Western Conference standings with a 13-3-9 record and Orange County has the fourth-best record in the West at 12-9-4.
Here are five things to know about the 10th-anniversary match, which will be live-streamed on FOX40.com and on the FOX40 News app.
A return to where it all started
In its 95 years, Charles C. Hughes Stadium has hosted events ranging from car races to concerts to some of the early games of a then-young National Football League, and a decade ago, the first four matches of the new Republic FC.
The stadium has a capacity of around 20,000 spectators, and Republic FC fans filled the stands in those four matches, surprising team administrators and the city as a whole.
Saturday’s 10th-anniversary match is expected to reach or get close to maximum capacity.
Pregame destination at nearby brewery
The team has partnered with Track 7 Brewing Co. to host a pregame celebration ahead of the match.
The brewery will start the festivities at 5 p.m. and is a short walk southeast of the stadium (more on this short walk below).
Fans who arrive wearing Republic FC gear will get a dollar discount on some of Track 7’s beers.
Former Republic FC players will also be at the brewery, including Mickey Daly (2014-15), Ivan Mirkovic (2014-15), Max Alvarez (2014-16) and Cameron Iwasa (2015-16, 2018-21).
Pregame march to Hughes Stadium
One of the memorable fan experiences from the first match was the march across the bridge from the Sacramento Regional Transit light rail station and into the stadium, a moment that will be replicated this Saturday, albeit on a different bridge.
After the celebration at Track 7, the Tower Bridge Battalion, the fan group of the team, will lead a half-mile march to the stadium starting at 6:30 p.m.
A current Republic FC player who was there at the start
Rodrigo ‘RoRo’ Lopez was the Republic FC’s first player to be signed back in 2013 and played with them through the 2015 season, including at the team’s first match at Hughes Stadium.
After several years away, he returned to the team in 2020 only to leave after one season, and made a second return to the Republic FC in 2022, where he has been ever since.
Republic FC looks to extend unbeaten streak
Since July 26, the Republic FC has not lost a match, with four wins and a draw in that timespan, all on the road.
The Republic FC will welcome an Orange County club that has won nine of its last 10 matches, with the Southern California side in the top four of the Western Conference.
Sacramento has mostly stayed at the top of the standings despite several star players being sidelined with injuries this season.
The Republic FC currently leads the west with 48 points, one point ahead of second-place San Antonio FC, who Sacramento beat in June. The Sacramento club will receive three points if it captures a win on Saturday.
