Fans return and watch a Sacramento Republic FC win. It was very normal — and weird
Fans gathered under the bleachers before the game, just like usual.
The Tower Bridge Battalion, Sacramento Republic FC’s diehard supporter group, thumped their huge drums Wednesday night. The cymbals chimed. Fans stopped under the bleachers, pumping fists in the air.
Lots of things felt familiar as Republic FC’s 3-1 win over Las Vegas.
It also felt very weird.
Is it safe to have fans at games? The coronavirus pandemic is waning in California and sports are reopening. The Bee has been in the thick of it, attending everything from Sacramento Kings games to high school softball games.
After a year on my couch, furiously and frequently pounding out stories for The Bee, this was my first professional event since the pandemic shut everything down in March of last year.
That’s a privileged situation. Lots of people had to go to actual jobs and work construction jobs or take care of sick people throughout the pandemic. People sold groceries and prepared food. Life had to go on.
Things are better now. People are vaccinated. Coronavirus numbers are way down. Teams can have fans again.
At Wednesday night’s Republic FC game, a light breeze wafted through the stadium.
The guy with the tower of cotton candy was out, happy to sell you colored sugar. People mostly wore masks as they walked through the concourse, looking for food, beverages or gear.
In the stands, people sat in groups of two and four, well spread out across the bleachers and seats.
It all felt kind of normal. Fans clanged their feet on the metal stands for a Las Vegas penalty shot in the 50th minute.The crowd rained boos over the official’s questionable call that led to the shot.
“Horrible call. Horrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrible,” one fan yelled.
Welcome back, guys.
Republic FC averaged close to 10,500 fans in 2019. With about a quarter that number Wednesday, Heart Health Park was much quieter than a typical night, except for the PA music before the opening kickoff, blasting a deafening rendition of Motley Crue’s “Kickstart My Heart.”
With the score tied 1-1, Tucker Bone kickstarted the Republic FC offense midway through the second half. Following a broken play, Bone scooped up a loose ball in the 66th minute and blasted a shot into the right side of the net for a 2-1 lead. In the 72nd minute, Dariusz Formella drove through the Las Vegas defense and fed a pass to the Jaime Villareal, who simply tapped the ball into the net for a 3-1 lead.
“I thought he was fantastic,” Republic FC coach Mark Briggs said. “The longer the game went, the better he got. He showed his quality when he drives into the box and he passes to Jaime for an easy goal. … He’s a top-quality player.”
That’s a normal coach quote following a normal victory. And being normal feels weird when you’ve spent the last year intimately learning the nuances of Hulu.
We’re all still getting used to normalcy. It’s easy to forget things like you might need to bring a jacket or sweatshirt to the stadium, even though it’s 90 degrees at gametime, because it’s going to be chilly at the end.
Players seemed to revel in the return of normalcy.
After the victory, Bone led his teammates over to the home goal. They grouped together and pointed at the Tower Bridge Batalion fans. Bone started hopping up and down. His teammates joined in. Briggs, standing just outside the 18-yard box, smiled broadly watching the scene.
“It was something special,” Bone said. “I can’t even imagine what Heart Health is going to look like once we start to get more of our fans back in the stadium. It is really going to give us that edge and you know make the opponents feel under even more pressure. It was really cool. I was definitely enjoying myself after the game, you know, going over the fan section and cheering with them and dancing around and stuff.”
It’s been a long time. The pandemic is easing. That’s reason enough to celebrate. Villareal, who has been with Republic FC since 2018, said the small crowd was raucous enough to rank among the top five he’s seen in Sacramento.
Briggs welcomed the fans back with open arms.
“The fans tonight were electric, to consider there are only 2,300 inside there. It was so loud they were so passionate, it was unbelievable,” Briggs said. “Just excites me to imagine what it will be when there’s a full house there, you know, and that’s something we’ll do at the end of every game: go over and thank the fans and enjoy the wins with them, you know, it’s hard to win a game, and the fans are a part of that win and the team was a part of that win and we celebrated together.”
Is it safe? Is this OK? Fans can enter the stadium and get to their seats without touching anything and without clustering near people. You’re outside. Hopefully you’re vaccinated. This is fine.
It can be strange stepping foot back into normalcy. Whether it’s eating out, going to a movie or attending a game, here’s hoping we all have our moments sooner rather than later.
This story was originally published May 13, 2021 at 6:45 AM.