Players say they love playing in front of the battalion, which is named for a vertical lift bridge across the Sacramento River. When Sac Republic scores, players rush to the corner of the stadium where the booster club sits, pump their fists and dance to one of the brigade’s standards, “Glory, Glory, Sacramento.”

Members of the Tower Bridge Battalion never sit down during a Sacramento Republic FC match at Sacramento City College stadium. (Joe Rubin/KQED)

The team’s goalie, Dominik Jakubek, says the Tower Bridge Battalion gives the team energy late in games. “All that screaming and yelling sends adrenaline, fire through your body.”

Sac Republic has aspirations of jumping leagues and becoming an MLS expansion team. Since they are outdrawing most MLS teams this early on, that would seem a good bet. But Brian Trainer, one of the founders of the battalion, says, “It's more about the community and the camaraderie of Sacramento getting together and having a great time, versus building a top-notch championship professional team. Obviously, that is what we want, but it’s not the only goal."

The team’s owner, Warren Smith, says the secret to the team’s early success at the box office is soccer's popularity in Sacramento. Youth soccer leagues in Sacramento are so popular they are practically a rite of passage for both boys and girls. “The average high school graduate has played seven years of organized soccer,” says Smith. “They’re familiar with it. And that is one of the first indicators that they will buy a ticket."

Many in the battalion are avid players too, like Ana Garza, who says, “I grew up watching soccer. I grew up listening to soccer, I grew up with a soccer ball in my crib.”

Crowds at Sac Republic games are actually about to get dramatically lower in Sacramento. But that’s not because demand is easing. The field that the team’s been playing on is built for football. Last week they moved into a new, much smaller, 8,000-seat stadium — built especially for soccer. Good luck getting a ticket: The remainder of the season is mostly sold out.

Sacramento Republic FC fans prepare to march to Sacramento City College stadium before the match. (Joe Rubin/KQED)

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