20,231.
That was the match day attendance on this day in 2014, when Republic FC played its highly anticipated first home contest in club history. With Heart Health Park – then to be named Bonney Field – not set to be opened until June, Republic FC played its first home fixture at historic Hughes Stadium on the campus of Sacramento City College.
The match was a landmark evening in Sacramento sports history, and memories were not at a minimum. Attendance shattered the previous USL regular season record by almost double and proved that Sacramento belonged on the biggest of stages, soccer or otherwise. Tower Bridge Battalion’s eye-catching procession over the nearby Light Rail platform and into the stadium established the club’s supporters as some of the rowdiest in the nation.
Starting XI: Dominik Jakubek, Cristian Gonzalez, Nemanja Vukovic, Harrison Delbridge, Jack Avesyan (Chad Bartlomé 89’), Max Alvarez (Gilberto 69’), Ivan Mirkovic, Chad Bond (George Fochive 62’), Rodrigo Lopez (C), Thomas Stewart, Adam Jahn
Scoring Summary: SRFC – Adam Jahn (Max Alvarez) 32’ HCI – Robbie Derschang (Yann Ekra) 5’, Morgan Langley 52’
Republic FC had to play from behind early on, as the visiting Harrisburg City Islanders netted the opening score just five minutes in. But the Quails quickly showed that the “Urbs Indomita” on their crest wasn’t for naught. The club fought back to equalize in the 32nd when Adam Jahn found the net off a Max Alvarez free kick in the attacking half, sending all in attendance into a frenzy.
While Harrisburg would eventually break the tie with a match winner in the 52nd minute, it didn’t put a damper on the game. The club almost salvaged a point in the final seconds with an equalizing score, but Chad Bartlomé was unable to get a clean look at goal after receiving a Nemaja Vukovic cross in the penalty area. Regardless of the result, the contest gave thousands of fans a memory they’ll remember for a lifetime.
“To get 20,000 people is incredible,” Adam Jahn said of the fans. “It shows the following and it is really exciting going forward.”
“I never imagined in my wildest dreams that we would see over 20,000 people there at that first match,” said Republic FC Chairman and CEO Kevin Nagle in 2018 on the game’s five-year anniversary. “And not only did you have 20,000 people there, but 20,000 fans who were very loud, boisterous, and very Sacramento-fan like.”
