From indomitable to immortal: Can Sacramento Republic make American soccer history in the US Open Cup final?

The word most often associated with Sacramento Republic, and arguably the city of Sacramento itself, is the word indomitable.

The word pops up on shirts, scarves, and the club crest in its Latin form: Urbs Indomita. The Indomitable City.

The club’s journey has been well-publicized: from lower division darlings to MLS expansion side, only to tumble back down again when funding was pulled. With the club just one step away from history and just one game away from its biggest achievement, there is no other term that feels right. Indomitable.

On Wednesday, Sacramento Republic will face Orlando City in the US Open Cup final, giving the American lower division club a chance at history. They’ve already taken down three MLS opponents, a monumental achievement for an underdog club, but now there’s so much more at stake.

They’re the first lower division team to reach the final since the Charleston Battery in 2008 and only the third since the founding of MLS in 1996. And, if they win? They’d become the second non-MLS team to claim the cup, joining the Rochester Rhinos in 1999.

But that’s not all. A win would see Sacramento become the first lower division side to ever make the CONCACAF Champions League, an absolutely game-changing achievement that, in many ways, shouldn’t be possible.

And so on Wednesday night the indomitable club could become the immortal club if they can pull off one last upset in Orlando.

“Our club, like at the heart of it, the identity of who Sacramento Republic is, is a mentality,” President and General Manager Todd Dunivant tells GOAL. “We use the word indomitable. It’s a city motto, and there’s really no better value for a sports team.

“It’s the idea that no matter what comes your way, what adversity, you’re not going to give up and you’re going to keep going. That’s a very Sacramento thing.”

On the field, that mentality has served them well as they’ve proven the most capable giant killers the tournament has seen for quite some time.

They beat the Portland Timbers U-23 in the second round, and then narrowly edged Central Valley Fuego FC in the third, needing a 95th-minute penalty to survive. A 2-0 win over Phoenix Rising booked their spot in the round of 16, where their gauntlet of MLS clubs began.

Each of their three wins are now famous. First, there was the 2-0 win over the San Jose Earthquakes, a major moment. But then came a 2-1 win over the LA Galaxy, perhaps American soccer’s most famous club. And then the semi-final, a triumph over Sporting KC, a club that has won this tournament four times.

After the win over the Galaxy, club legend Rodrigo Lopez proclaimed that MLS didn’t want them here, that he hoped commissioner Don Garber would be watching.

Well, everyone is watching now, including MLS.

In another timeline, Sacramento wouldn’t be a lower division team on the precipice of history, but rather another MLS team pushing for a chance at glory.

After debuting in 2014 and immediately building itself into a true soccer city, Sacramento submitted an MLS expansion bid in 2017. In 2019, the club had its proposal approved, and they were set to debut as the league’s 29th team in 2022.

But the build towards an expansion season is long over. In February 2021, their move to MLS was put on indefinite hiatus after Ron Burkle, the club’s primary investor, pulled out due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

And, to this day, Sacramento is still in some state of limbo, but the club is determined to push on, MLS or not.

“It hasn’t been boring, that’s for sure,” said Dunivant, who won four MLS Cups and, of course, a US Open Cup as a player with the aforementioned Galaxy. “We have had quite the arc as a club. There’s nothing that we don’t expect. We’re going to roll with it and we’re going to keep going and our fans have shown up more than ever.

“This year, we’re coming off a year where our lead MLS investor stepped away. We’re coming off a year where we didn’t make the playoffs for the first time and yet our fans have come back in a bigger way than ever, reaffirming their love for this club, for the city and ultimately showing why Sacramento was such a great market for soccer.”

Republic FC Chairman and CEO Kevin Nagle has continued to steer the ship, with the club still set to build a brand new stadium downtown. The stadium is set to seat 12,000 people, at least to start, with Dunivant pointing out that it can be built in phases while serving as a home for both soccer, concerts and other events in the city.

“We’ve worked really hard to push the club forward with the new stadium downtown and not wait for anyone to be able to do that for us,” he says. “We’ve pushed forward with the mayor’s office and city officials to be able to do that. It’s exactly what Sacramento needs and, ultimately, what it deserves.”

And, Dunivant adds, the club is continuing to build out its academy, working with head coach Mark Briggs to make sure that the club’s youth setup can someday rival any in American soccer.

That’s all they can do, at least for now: build for the future and keep the on-field project strong in the present.

“Nobody can predict the future,” Dunivant says. “No doubt about that, but we also know that when you set yourself up for success, good things are gonna happen. With our season thus far, getting sellout crowds again, making international news and national news in the Open Cup, we know that good things are going to happen from there and we’re gonna focus on the here and now and let the rest of it take care of itself.”

All that talk is for the future, though. The focus now is on the Open Cup and all that comes with it.

Walking into Orlando and leaving with a trophy won’t be easy, and slaying another MLS giant, in many ways, is implausible. The odds are stacked against Sacramento, a club that operates on a different budget and in a different world than Orlando City.

But, with this club, there’s a chance. There’s hope, belief, that indomitable spirit. History is on the line, as the club looks to survive one last challenge through sheer force of will, much like they have on and off the field for the better part of nine years.

“This year has been transformational for the club,” Dunivant says. “As successful is as it’s been, we know that we have one more to go. We are not satisfied with winning six games. We want to win seven in this tournament. There have been challenges all along the way and our team has stepped up and met those heads on every single time.”

He adds: “We’re rising to the occasion rather than shrinking from it, and I think it’s been very clear that our guys have really been savoring this moment. We’ve had three or four of our biggest games in club history and that’s obviously going to get to happen again in the final.

“Our guys, time and time again, have stepped up and have really embraced the challenge.”

One more challenge, one more moment, one more game for the indomitable club that could.

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