30 Big, Orange, Foggy Facts About the Golden Gate Bridge!

If you’ve commuted to San Francisco recently for work, driven into the city for dinner and a show on a weekend, or even live in the City by the Bay full time, you’ve probably seen the Golden Gate Bridge hundreds of times, but still it always stands out as a beacon on the skyline. In fact, the Golden Gate Bridge was the preeminent icon of architecture for its time, the defining monument of a city like none other save New York’s Empire State Building, and is just as remarkable today as it was when it opened in 1937. With the bridge’s 70^th birthday just passing in May and its historic 80^th milestone coming up next spring, we thought we’d shed some light on The Bridge that’s inspired poems, songs, basketball team logos (go Warriors!) and stood as a symbol for San Francisco’s progressive spirit.

Here are 15 colossal facts about the Golden Gate Bridge to get started, with 15 more in part two of this blog to get you all the way to the other side!

1. The Golden Gate Bridge is 8,981 feet (1.7 miles) long and 90 feet wide.

2. It weighs 887,000 tons and contains about 88,000 tons of steel, alone.

3. It contains six driving lanes and two sidewalks, and street level is 220 feet above the water below.

4. Two towers connect the two massive steel cables that anchor the Golden Gate Bridge. The cables each contain about 80,000 miles of wire inside.

5. The towers stand 4,200 apart from each other, 726 feet above the water and 500 feet above street level. Each tower contains about 600,000 rivets, which are now replaced with galvanized high-strength bolts when they corrode.

6. Where did the name for the bridge come from? The ocean strait that was the entrance to San Francisco Bay was first named Chrysopylae by U.S. Army Captain John Fremont in 1846, which is Greek for “golden gate.”

7. Even the signature burnt orange color of the Golden Gate Bridge is famous. Called "GGB International Orange," the custom paint is made with the formula: is Cyan: 0 percent, Magenta: 69 percent, Yellow: 100 percent, Black: 6 percent and currently supplied by Sherwin Williams.

8. But making it that color wasn’t ever the plan. In fact, the steel that first arrived to build the bridge happened to be coated in a burnt red and orange primer. When the bridge was near completion and they had to decide what color to paint it, architect Irving Morrow favored the orange primer better than the other paint choices such as carbon black and steel gray. They also found that the orange hue was visible in the fog, so they decided to paint it the same color.

Those won’t the only color options as the U.S. Navy – which, as we’ll find out, was a huge proponent of the bridge’s construction, wanted the Golden Gate to be painted in black and yellow stripes so it would be always visible to passing ships. The Army Corps took the bad design one step further, rallying for loud red and white stripes (like a candy cane!) so it would be visible from the air to passing planes.

9. The idea for the bridge first was proposed in 1872, when railroad executive Charles Crocker introduced a plan to the Marin County Board of Supervisors for a bridge that would cross the Golden Gate Strait.

10. The plan was deemed impossibly far-fetched at the time, since the strait was more than a mile wide at its narrowest point, and the frigid water had rough currents of 4.5 to 7.5 knots.

11. The project was shelved until nearly 50 years later in 1919, when a San Francisco city engineer named Michael O’Shaughnessy conducted a study to determine the realistic potential and cost of the bridge. O’Shaughnessy reported that it could be done, but it would probably cost around $100 million. To put that unheard of sum of $100 million in perspective, that’s worth about ten times as much in today’s dollars.

12. Construction commenced on January 5, 1933 with plenty of pomp and circumstance in front of 100,000 spectators, including a 21 gun salute, a parade at nearby Crissy Field where a message sent by President Herbert Hoover was read, and engineering students revealed their 80-foot long model of the proposed bridge, complete with carrier pigeons who took off to spread the message of the bridge’s commencement all over California. To conclude the ceremony, San Francisco Mayor Angelo Rossi and bridge Board President William P. Filmer broke ground using a golden spade.

13. The Golden Gate Bridge took a little over four years to complete (much more on that massive undertaking later) at a much lower cost than projected of only $35 million.

14. The official opening for the Golden Gate Bridge was on May 27, 1937, kicking off a week of celebrations until June 2. The opening day was called “Pedestrian Day” when people could walk the bridge only, and 15,000 people every hour cross the turnstiles, each paying 25 cents for the privilege to be on the historic bridge. Always creative, the residents of San Francisco and well-wishers crossed the bridge on foot but also on roller skates, stilts, and even unicycles! Vendors sold an estimated 50,000 hot dogs that day.

15. The next day at noon, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt sent a telegraph from the White House announcing the Golden Gate’s opening to the world. At 3 p.m. that day, a Navy fleet of 42 ships sailed under the bridge, and at 10 p.m. that night the day’s festivities concluded with a grand fireworks display shot off the new bridge.

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Look for part two of this blog, when we cover 15 more facts about the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, including earthquakes, the identity of the billionth driver to cross, and it’s haunting record of suicides.

20 Facts about the lovable, sometimes laughable, but always entertaining Oakland Athletics

“Hope springs eternal” are the opening lines to a famous essay by Alexander Pope, but it also could describe the optimism of Oakland A’s fans, who typically enjoy hot starts, stellar play by breakout stars, and even knock on the post season door before ending up cooling off with the fall weather.

Still, there’s no denying that NorCal’s A’s are one of the most entertaining and storied franchises in baseball history, home team to Reggie Jackson, Rollie Fingers, Vida Blue, Dennis Eckersley, Dave Stewart, Mark McGwire, Rickey Henderson, José Canseco, Jason Giambi and others.

Yet, no team in baseball trades away their homegrown young talent like the A’s, and their front office penny-pinching approach has led to some genius innovation that inspired a best-selling book and movie, but World Series glimpses that are few and far between lately. Still, if you grew up in Sacramento or the surrounding area, you might have grown up loving and emulating the A’s, not their cross-Bay Giants, and it’s a love affair that won’t fade soon.

So here are 20 facts about your Oakland A’s as we go through the summer enjoying A’s baseball, with hope that maybe – just maybe – this will be their year!

1.         The A’s are one of few teams in major professional sports that features green as their team color, along with the Celtics and NFL’s Eagles. But Oakland’s squad is definitely the only team in sports to rock green and gold as the official team colors, and in such wild (and often atrocious) combinations that their fashion choice contributed to their nickname, “The Swinging A’s.” Always ready to rock the baseball boat, the A’s are the only team in the Majors to wear their white cleats both at home on the road, a tradition that goes back to owner Charlie Finley’s era.

2.         While many celebrities and prominent Californians regularly jump on the Giants and Dodgers bandwagons, NorCal and Sacramento native Tom Hanks is a lifelong A’s fan, and still periodically attends games or is caught in private moments wearing an A’s baseball cap.

3.         You wouldn’t believe it by watching baseball these days, but for most of the 20th century, baseball players were all clean-shaven and facial-hair free. But that changed dramatically in 1972, when the Oakland A’s played the baseball renegades with a wild array of facial hair and went on to win the World Series.

4.         The A’s won World Series titles nine times throughout their history, including 1989, 1974, 1973, 1972, 1930, 1929, 1913, 1911, and 1910. Those nine World Series rings are the third most of any current team in baseball.

5.         They’ve also won 15 Pennants, 16 West division titles (the latest in 2012 and then again in 2013), and Wild Card births in 2001 and 2014.

6.         The A’s not only changed baseball but also revolutionized front offices across all major sports with their Moneyball approach. The term was coined for the 2003 Michael Lewis book that documented A’s General Manager Billy Beane’s unconventional approach to fielding a competitive team despite having one of the lowest payrolls in baseball. Moneyball is really a testament to advance statistics and analytics, and went on to be a hit movie with Brad Pitt in 2011, complete with a green carpet – not the traditional red carpet – at the premier.

7.         The Oakland A’s came incredibly close to being the New Orleans A’s. In 1978, the New Orleans Superdome wanted the A’s to relocate east to the city of Mardi Gras and jazz, and started negotiations. The A’s were reportedly very interested, and the move could have become official if the A’s weren’t bound by their stadium lease in Oakland, and could find no way out.

8.         While the 1989 World Series winning Bash Brothers of Jose Canseco, a young Mark McGwire, Rickey Henderson, Dave Stewart, Dennis Eckersley, etc. were an incredible team, the best Oakland A’s squad ever assembled was the 1972-1974 team that won three World Series in row with behind Catfish Hunter, Reggie Jackson, ace reliever Rollie Fingers.

9.         The A’s hosted their first game after moving to California on April 17, 1968, losing to the Baltimore Orioles in front of a jubilant crowd of 50,164 fans.

10.      The A’s (at that time the Athletics) started in Philadelphia in 1901 as one of the American Leagues first eight charter teams. They had success in the early decades, winning multiple World Series behind iconic manager Connie Mack. The team relocated to Kansas City in 1955, keeping the Athletics team name, and then to Oakland in 1968.

11.      The A’s mascot is a white elephant, with origins going as far back as the team itself. Although this might be impossible for current A’s fans to believe, back when the team started in Philadelphia they were known for spending big to bring in the best talent. (Yes, the A’s were a big market, free-spending team!) At the time, John McGraw, manager of the New York Giants, told reporters that the rival A’s had “A White elephant on their hands,” a term that meant something looked good but was actually high maintenance. Never to be one-upped, A’s owner and manager Connie Mack embraced the intended-slight by giving McGraw a stuffed white elephant at the start of the 1905 World Series, and by 1909 had white elephants put on the sleeves of the team’s sweaters, and it was an official part of the uniform and the team by 1918.

12.      The A’s mascot elephant has been called Stomper since the 1997, but that wasn’t always the case. In fact, when it was called Harry Elephante in the mid 1980s (worst mascot name ever?). Prior to that, in 1963 when the A’s called Kansas City home, team owner Charlie Finley tried to change the elephant mascot to a Missouri mule! It’s rumored that he wanted to make the change partially because Missouri was such a popularly Democratic state and he wanted to appeal to fans of the donkey, not the traditional Republican elephant.

13.      The team has a long and often confusing history with their name. The “A” in A’s originated from the term “Athletic Club” back in 1860. That first amateur team played with a black “A” on the front of their jerseys. The A’s became the team moniker through the decades and into the next century as a professional team in the major leagues, though it wasn’t always popular, as several owners or staffers tried to expunge the “Athletics” from the A’s official team name, while others wanted to keep it to honor the tradition.

14.      The Oakland A’s have retired six player numbers in their history. However, only five of those players ever suited up for the A’s. Oakland pulled a classy move by retiring Jack Robinson’s number 42 when baseball honored the 50th anniversary of his accomplishment breaking the color barrier.

15.      The Oakland A’s tradition of elite hurlers extends back to their first years in California. Since then, Vida Blue (1971), Catfish Hunter (1974), Bob Welch (1990), Dennis Eckersley (1992), and Barry Zito (2002) have all won Cy Young awards.

16.      They’ve also had a great modern tradition of fielding the top player in the game in certain years, as Vida Blue (1971), Reggie Jackson (1973), José Canseco (1988), Rickey Henderson (1990), Dennis Eckersley (1992), Jason Giambi (2000) and Miguel Tejada (2002) have won Most Valuable Player Awards.

17.      The team also has a well-deserved reputation for developing some of the best homegrown talent in the game (and then trading them away, unfortunately.) The list of Oakland A’s that have won Rookie of the Year winners includes José Canseco (1986), Mark McGwire (1987), Walt Weiss (1988), Ben Grieve (1998), Bobby Crosby (2004), Huston Street (2005) and Andrew Bailey (2009).

18.      A’s all-time team hitting records include:

Batting average .356 Al Simmons (1924-44)

Hits 1,882 Bert Campaneris (1964-1976)

Home runs 365 Mark McGwire (1986-1997)

Stolen bases 867 Rickey Henderson (1979-1988 on and off)

19.      A’s team pitching records include:

Wins 284 Eddie Plank (1901-1914)

Win-loss percentage .712 Lefty Grove (1925-1933)

ERA 1.97 Rube Waddell (1902-1907)

Saves 320 Dennis Eckersley (1987-1995)

Strikeouts 1,985 Eddie Plank (1901-1914)

20.      Who holds the A’s all-time record for most home runs in a single season? It’s got to be Mark McGwire, José Canseco, or maybe Reggie Jackson, right? Wrong! In fact, Jimmie Foxx set the A’s single-season homer record when he hit 58 in 1932. (He also set the A’s record with 169 RBIs that year.)

50 Things you probably didn't know about our San Francisco Giants

With Sacramento just a short ride from San Francisco, a good portion of the capital city's residents root, root, root for the baseball Giants as their home team. With three World Series championships in five years, a ballpark that is the toast of Major League Baseball, and a team that endears the fans, it's no wonder why NorCal loves the Giants. To show our support and help kick off the season (which we predict will end with another SF ring because it's an even year!) here are 50 things you probably didn't know about the San Francisco Giants. 

Early history of the Giants:

1. The Giants franchise first came to be in 1883, joining the National League as the New York Gothams. 

2. Playing at the iconic Polo Grounds ballpark in Upper Manhattan, the Gothams (still a cool name!) won their very first game against the Boston Beaneaters.

3. The team changed named to the Giants two years later, in 1885. There is no official account of where the new name came from, but local lore recounts that the team’s player-manager, Jim Mutrie, used to applaud his troops by calling them, "my big fellows, my giants,” and the name stuck.

4. The Giants had plenty of success throughout the decades in New York, winning 5 World Series and faring well against their archrival Brooklyn Dodgers.

Go west, young Giants:

5. The Giants and Dodgers both fled New York City in 1957, relocating to San Francisco and Los Angeles. 

6. That meant New York City went from three times to one team – just the Yankees – and the National League did not have a team in the Big Apple until 1962 when the New York Mets were found.

7. In fact, the Mets' team colors of Dodger-blue and Giant-orange commemorate their predecessors. 

The ballparks:

8. Many people don’t realize that upon arriving in California, the Giants played their first two seasons at Seals Stadium before moving to Candlestick Park in 1960.

9. Venerable and beloved Candlestick was their home for the next four decades, despite being one of the windiest, coldest, and most uncomfortable places to watch a game in the entire major leagues! 

10. Candlestick was also the inauspicious site of the 1989 World Series, remembered not for a Bay Area A’s vs. Giant’s series, but the 6.9 magnitude Loma Prieta earthquake that struck just before the start of Game 3.

11. The earthquake, starting at 5:04 pm before a 5:35 first pitch game time, lasted only 15 seconds but caused major damage in the area.

12. The World Series was suspended 10 days before it resumed, but in retrospect, the earthquake occurring right before the game probably saved hundreds of lives, as most people in the Bay Area were in their homes or in bars watching the series, not out on the roads and highways, which were particularly hit hard.

13. Since 2000, the Giants have played at AT&T Park, a state-of-the-art 12 acre stadium complex built right on the water in downtown San Francisco.

14. One of the best things about the new ballpark is that the right field wall is right in front of the bay, a watery landing spot for home runs that’s often shown on Sportscenter.

15. But in fact, home runs land in the bay pretty infrequently. Since 2000, only 62 homers have hit the water – an average of one every 12 or 13 games – with Barry Bonds claiming 35 of them.

16. With the lessons learned from the 1989 World Series earthquake, AT&T Park was built with earthquake plates so it can withstand a similar disaster and keep everyone safe. 

17. AT&T Park was one of the only baseball stadiums in the Major Leagues not to have netting directly behind home plate, which becomes a danger zone with foul balls – but forces people to pay attention!

18. You might notice a giant sculpture of a baseball glove in left field, yet it has only four fingers.

19. In fact, it was made to replicate a glove in the 1920s, when all gloves had only four fingers. At that time, players would just cram two of their fingers in one glove finger. 

The Giant's mascots:

20. The first mascot in the west coast Giant’s history was Crazy Crab, introduced in 1984. 

21. That season was also a comedy of errors for the Giants, who lost 94 games, so Crazy Crab became a popular anti-mascot; a lightning rod for fans and even Giants players, who abused the poor mascot by throwing food, trash, and even resin bags at him.

22. So Crazy Crab was retired after only two miserable seasons.

23. Lou Seal has been the mascot ever since, and has brought nothing but good luck and three World Series championships, so he’s beloved by fans.

24. The Crazy Crab still makes an appearance every once and a while for the Giants, serving as a villain and fan whipping boy. 

25. At one game appearance in 1999, the Crab even grabbed the house microphone and pledged his fealty to the Los Angeles Dodgers! 

Giant's World Series:

26. The Giants won the World Series in 1905, 1921, 1922, 1933, and 1954 in New York, and 2010, 2012, and 2014 in San Francisco.

27. In fact, the pattern of winning a World Series every even numbered year for three year straight has never been done before – and the Giants will look extend that streak to four in 2016!

28. While all of those series were epically entertaining, Giants fans will never forget the 2014 season when Madison Bumgarner turned in one of the greatest postseason pitching performances in the history of the game. 

29. Not only did he win Game 7 on the road, which hadn’t been done since 1979, but he allowed only one earned run in 21 innings pitched in the series, for a record) 0.43 ERA, the best since Sandy Koufax’s 0.38 ERA in 1965.

Giant’s records:

30. Giant’s team batting records

Career batting: .341 Bill Terry 

Hits: 3,187 Willie Mays 

Home runs: 646 Willie Mays 

Runs batted in: 1,860 Mel Ott 

Stolen bases: 428 Mike Tiernan

All-Star games: 23 Willie Mays

31. Giant’s team pitching records

Wins: 372 Christy Mathewson 

ERA: 2.12 Christy Mathewson

Strikeouts: 2,504 Christy Mathewson 

No-hitters: 2 Tim Lincecum, Christy Mathewson

Perfect Games: 1 Matt Cain 

32. Single-season batting records

Batting average: .401 Bill Terry 1930

Home runs: 73 Barry Bonds 2001

Runs batted in: 151 Mel Ott

Hits: 254 Bill Terry 1930

Stolen Bases: 111 John Montgomery Ward 1887

33. Single-season pitching records

Wins: 44 Mickey Welch 191

Strikeouts: 345 Mickey Welch 1884

ERA: 0.90 Ferdie Schupp 1916

Saves: 48 Brian Wilson 2010, Rod Beck 1993

Milestones:

34. The Giants are the sixth-oldest franchise still in operation in the Majors, but still have some notable accomplishments:

35. The Giants have the most Hall of Fame inductees of any major league ball club with 56.

36. Their 10,780 wins are the most of any ball club in major league history!

37. If you add up the World Series rings won by the New York Team (5) and the San Francisco squad (3) the Giants have 8 total championships.

38. That puts them in a tie for third place with Boston, behind only the Cardinals (11) and New York Yankees (27).

Fun and interesting facts about the current team:

39. The Giant’s manager, Bruce Bochy, has the largest head in all of Major League baseball. In fact, Bochy’s hat-size 8 ¼ cranium is so massive, that as a player, he used to carry his own custom batting helmet with him and when he got traded, just had it repainted with his new team’s logo.

40. Tim Lincecum has thrown multiple no-hitters, won multiple Cy Young Awards won, multiple World Series championship titles and multiple All-Star selections. The only other player ever to accomplish that is Sandy Koufax.

41. Hunter Pence, a fan favorite, suffers from Scheuermann's Disease, a spinal disorder that inhibits flexibility, which is the reason for his herky-jerky playing and running style. But the disease hasn’t slowed Pence down at all, as he holds the current active record for consecutive regular season games played with 383.

42. Jake Peavy – a starting pitcher for this season’s team - is legally blind if he doesn’t wear his corrective lenses.

43. When current Giant’s pitcher Mike Leake played for the Reds in 2011, he was arrested for shoplifting six t-shirts at a Macys in Cincinnati. Leake was charged and had to complete 30 hours of community service and counseling, By the way, his player salary was about a million dollars at the time. 

44. Giants closer Santiago Casilla joined the Oakland A’s in 2000 with false documents that showed him to be three years younger – and going by the name Jairo Garcia!

Who is the most beloved Giant of all time?

45. There is no debate that Barry Bonds was statistically was one of the best baseball players of all time, including his historic campaign to hit 73 home runs in one season.

46. But he’s also the poster boy for steroid abuse and cheating in the Major Leagues, and his records frequently appear with an asterisk.

47. Even the Giants organization is unsure how to handle Bonds, who was also aloof and arrogant to teammates and the organization during his playing days.

48. In fact, the AT&T gift shop sells only a few items with Bonds name on them, and a guided tour of the ballpark reveals a few small plaques of his accomplishments but no big memorials.

49. However, the Giants organization, former players and their fans LOVE Willie Mays!

50. Mays' statue adorns the front of the ballpark outside and May’s number 24 is prominent; ballpark’s address is 24 Willie Mays Plaza, there are 24 palm trees lined up at the front gates, and the right field wall is 24 feet tall!

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Do you have fun or interesting facts about the San Francisco Giants? Email them to us!

And don't worry, Oakland fans because we'll write up a profile on the Athletics soon, too! 

Get your kicks this summer with our exciting Sacramento Republic Football Club.

Athletic entertainment is in no shortage during the Nor Cal summers, with the River Cats in full swing, the nearby A’s and Giant’s vying for a playoff berth, and even the Golden State Warriors cruising toward championship contention. But the sporting event that’s growing leaps and bounds in popularity is actually much closer to home, the exciting and fan-friendly Sacramento Republic FC soccer franchise. Republic FC is a recent addition to our professional sports landscape, playing their inaugural season in 2014 to the tune of a United Soccer League championship. This year, they’re already off to a fast start, packing the bleachers with excited fans at Cal Expo’s Bonnie Field as they look to bring the trophy home once again.

Here is everything you need to know about Sacramento Republic FC. Now let’s get out there and cheer them on!

Team name:

The official name of the team is Sacramento Republic FC, or Football Club.  The team name was first announced on July 18, 2013, during the first annual Sacramento Soccer Day, but it was not unfamiliar. Fans were given the opportunity to vote for their favorite name in prior polls, with Sacramento Republic FC coming out the resounding winner.

Team logo:

Fans also voted for the team logo, a shield with a ribbon going through it. The shield displays the team’s colors, old glory red, maple, and eggshell. The shield, or crest, is a representation of the bear and also the nautical star from the California state flag. “Sacramento” is written at the top of the shield and the ribbon below lists the team name, “Republic FC.” At the very bottom lies the motto of city of Sacramento, “Urbs Indomita,” which means “The Indomitable City” in Latin. 

The Republic FC kit:

Soccer teams all around the world are celebrated for their “kits,” or colorful and innovatively patterned uniforms. And it’s apparent that a lot of thought went into the kits for Republic FC, too, as they had them designed by Italian sportswear company Lotto. The team released the images of their first home and away kits back on December 5, 2013, with badging by primary sponsor UC Davis Children’s Hospital prominent. The home kits are mostly old glory red and the away uniforms, white. The team’s motto, “Urbs Indomita,” is written on the right sleeve of both uniforms.

The United Soccer League:

Sacramento Republic FC plays in the United Soccer League, or USL. The USL, formerly called the USL Professional Division or USL Pro, started in 2011 and has steadily added teams since then. It’s now sanctioned as a feeder league for the United States Soccer Federation and Major League Soccer (MLS,) similar to how minor league baseball clubs feed talent to major league teams.

There are currently 24 teams divided into eastern and western conferences:

Eastern Conference         

Rochester Rhinos  

Richmond Kickers 

Charleston Battery 

Louisville City FC    

Pittsburgh Riverhounds    

New York Red Bulls II        

Harrisburg City Islanders 

Saint Louis FC        

Charlotte Independence   

Wilmington Hammerheads FC   

Toronto FC II

FC Montreal

Western Conference        

Seattle Sounders FC 2      

Orange County Blues FC  

Sacramento Republic FC 

Austin Aztex  

LA Galaxy II  

Portland Timbers

Arizona United SC  

Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC        

OKC Energy FC      

Real Monarchs SLC          

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Tulsa Roughnecks FC

Attendance records:

Sacramento Republic FC’s inaugural season enjoyed an unprecedented level of support from fans. The first game in team history, a 2-1 loss to the Harrisburg City Islanders, was watched by a record 20,231 fans, almost doubling the previous USL attendance record of 10,697. Since then, almost every game has been a sell out. In fact, Republic broke the broke the USL regular season attendance record of 112,748 in July of 2014, packing the bleachers to the tune of 182,107 total fans (158,107 regular season; 24,000 in the playoffs.)

A first-year championship!

The first regular season in team history was a smashing success for Republic, who won 17 games against 7 losses and 4 ties, finishing second only to Orlando City Sc. But the playoffs is where they really made their impact, beating the Wilmington Hammerheads 4-1 in the quarterfinals, the LA Galaxy in the semifinals, and downing Harrisburg City 2-0 in the finals to bring home the championship.

Notable players and coaches:

Rodrigo López was Republic’s postseason her, scoring a hat trick against Wilmington and going on to earn the Championship MVP award and All-League First Team honors. He picked up where he left off this season, winning the April USL Goal of the Month on a made-for-SportsCenter 60 footer.

Nemanja Vuković was named Defender of the Year in the USL and also an All-League First Teamer.

Coaches include head man Predrag "Preki" Radosavljević, who won Coach of the Year, and assistant coach and native son, Christopher Maraña Malenab.

 Justin Braun is the team captain of Sacramento Republic FC.

Bonney Field:

The Republic played part of their first season at Hughes Stadium at Sacramento City College. But a state of the art facility was built at Cal Expo. Bonney Stadium, named after local company Bonney Plumbing, Heating, Air and Rooter Service, is a soccer-specific outdoor stadium holds 8,000 fans, first opening its gates on June 20, 2014.

Ticket information and prices:

The 2015 season is off to a great start, with regular season games well into September, when the playoffs start.

There are plenty of options for great seating at affordable prices, including $13 single game tickets, family plans, and season ticket packages. Parking is easy at Cal Expo and you can eat dinner, drink a beer, or buy some great Republic merchandise to support the team.

http://www.sacrepublicfc.com/tickets/

The Tower Bridge Battalion:

Republic even has a band of fervent and vocal official supporters, the Tower Bridge Battalion. The “Battalion” got their name from the Tower Bridge that connects Sacramento to West Sacramento and is a city landmark. This fan group sits in one designated area at all home games and spices up the athletic event with chants, drums, face painting, megaphones, and other endearing rituals. When a Republic player scores a goal, it’s become a tradition for players to run over to the Tower Bridge Battalion section and celebrate together. 

The Battalion also has a big role off the field, attending outreach, charitable, and community events. On September 9, 2014, the Battalion led a march of thousands of fans and supporters through Sacramento, a demonstration in support of Major League Soccer adding the Republic as an expansion team.

Future expansion to MLS:

Sacramento Republic FC had record success as a first year franchise, but their sites are set on a much larger stage. The ultimate goal is to get approved as a Major League Soccer franchise, and the wheels are already in motion to make that happen in due time. Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson and executives from Republic FC, including President Warren Smith, just officially launched “Operation Turnkey,” their plan for MLS approval. For that to happen, the MLS needs to say a major-league caliber stadium built, which ties into local development plans in the Railyards already underway.  

It may take a couple years for Sacramento to get approval and Sacramento Republic FC to become a MLS franchise, as the league just awarded teams to Miami and Minneapolis, bringing the league total to a nice, round 24. But if there’s one thing we’ve learned from Republic FC’s initial success, it’s that they always fight hard and usually come out victorious!