So, obviously, it is pretty early for a thread like this, but when the time comes, we will have a thread to talk about major acquisitions, etc. For now, we can start throwing around some possible names for the team, if there are any.
This is very interesting: No. 20 Overall Pick Ryan Hollingshead Puts Pro Career on Hold Ryan Hollingshead was drafted by FC Dallas in the 2013 MLS Superdraft, but declined the offer to go pro because he wants to return to Sacramento to help establish a church in the area. He says he would love to go pro one day, but for now wants to be with his family and get a church going here in Sacramento.... "To be honest, if the church planted in an MLS city, I would absolutely want to play pro," Hollingshead said. "It has nothing to do with my love for soccer and how much I enjoy the game. It has to do with the fact that I would rather be in Sacramento. They are two of my favorite things, but planting the church is greater in my desire." Might Hollingshead be tempted to keep his skills up by playing on the Sacramento USL Pro team??
Nice find QuietType. And this is exactly the type of player I wanted to see if they existed. Any others?
This is probably hoping for too much, but I would like to see Quincy Amarikwa in a Sac kit in '14. If you count his ever so brief stay with NY Redbull, this is his seventh season in MLS, and he's on his fifth team. He only has 14 starts and needs playing time if he is ever going to develop into anything. I know he gets reserve squad minutes but that is, what, a dozen games a year at the most? Amarikwa has central valley ties, being from Bakersfield and having played at UC Davis. Energetic, speedy player, very good on the ball and is fun to watch. I know he drove some 'Quakes fans crazy while he was in San Jose. Some said all he did was run and never accomplished anything. Harsh, in my opinion, but at the USL level he might be an exciting player that USL may be able to afford. http://www.chicago-fire.com/players/quincy-amarikwa
Technical Director (a former Chesea "exec") has been hired. Here is the text from the press release followed by a link to part one of a Q&A. FORMER CHELSEA EXECUTIVE TO JOIN SACRAMENTO PROFESSIONAL SOCCER New Technical Director Responsible for Soccer Personnel, Policy and Player Developmental Program SACRAMENTO, Calif. (April 30, 2013) – Sacramento Professional Soccer, LLC, (Sac Pro Soccer) today announced hiring the team’s new Technical Director, Graham Smith. Smith will be responsible for appointing all soccer related personnel, monitoring and implementing soccer policy throughout the club, providing opportunities for international exhibition games, among other duties. As technical director, Smith will also create coaching clinics, soccer camps and evaluate potential players for the team. Additionally, he will organize and oversee a system for development of players. This system will be used, in part, for the possible sale and transfer of players in the domestic and international markets. Smith joins Sac Pro Soccer as a seasoned soccer professional with strong relationships in the soccer community worldwide. He brings best-in-class professional soccer managing experience to the organization. Most notably, he previously served on the Board of Directors of Chelsea Football Club of the EPL and as a player, appeared in more than 250 professional matches. He also founded and serves as president of First Wave Sports Marketing, the third largest sports agency in the United States. “I’m very excited about our momentum and the announcement today,” said Warren Smith, president of Sac Pro Soccer. “We are proud to have Graham joining the organization. He is a very experienced soccer professional, well respected in the soccer community and we are confident that he will be an essential asset to our organization moving forward.” “Today is very special to me,” said Graham Smith, technical director of Sac Pro Soccer. “I am thrilled to be joining this organization and know my vast experience will help us take the team to the next level. Sacramento is a great community and the perfect place for a United Soccer League Professional (USL PRO) team. I look forward to working with Warren and everyone else involved to build a great team for Sacramento soccer fans.” Sacramento’s USL PRO franchise plans to host a series of exhibition matches during 2013 involving domestic and international professional soccer teams. In addition, supporter events, soccer clinics and player appearances will be scheduled leading up to the 2014 inaugural season. http://insider.sacprosoccer.com/page/press-release
Part 2 with Graham Smith... Part 2: Q & A with Graham Smith Graham Smith describes the competitive nature of USL PRO and talks about the future of soccer in the U.S. Plus, learn what qualities the Technical Director will be looking for in potential players. You have direct experience with United Soccer Leagues (USL). What’s your view on USL’s place within the American soccer ecosystem? “I think they are vital to the fabric of the game here. Outside of MLS where is there to go for boys that are good players? What about the players from cities where it’s not big enough for a MLS team? USL definitely fulfills a role and over the years has produced an attractive product. You’ve got some great teams in USL PRO like the Charleston Battery and Wilmington Hammerheads – two teams in the Carolinas that are shining beacons. They are both very well run little clubs, and it’s very exciting when you go down to those places. They have their own fan bases as well, and it really is very, very good.” For soccer fans that may not be familiar with USL PRO, what can they expect to see from the league? “Number one it’s a very competitive league. Make no mistake about it. These players are hungry for success because they see it as a stepping stone to MLS or, indeed, outside of the United States. It’s their only chance. That’s the beauty of PDL (Premier Development League) as well. It’s the bridge from college to USL PRO. A good, well-run PDL team will give a USL PRO team a good game, just as a USL PRO team will give MLS teams a good game as well.” Being from the U.K., what do you see for the future of soccer in the U.S.? “Two things really – the credibility of MLS is increasing daily. That is for sure. Look at the number of MLS players that have gone in to Europe for sizeable transfer fees now. Look at the success of Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan and Tim Howard at Everton and Geoff Cameron at Stoke City. Brek Shea went for a bunch of money, and Espinosa went on a free transfer to Wigan. This shows you things are happening here.” “If you look at the way the game is played throughout the world – those common elements are now getting ingrained into the American psyche and the game here. Very exciting things ahead in America.” What attracted you to Sacramento? Why do you think Sac Pro Soccer will be successful? “Number one, if you look at the very fabric of Sacramento, as a city, as an entity, as a soccer proposition, there is no PDL team, something like 93,000 active youth players, proximity to San Jose where there already is a MLS team, a history of good support for sports franchises and a very, very receptive market. My experience, so far, with the people I have met in the organization I have joined has been extremely positive and pleasantly surprising. That goes for everybody – the mixers I’ve been to, the football fraternity, the coaches – right across the board. (Sac Pro Soccer) will be here for mutual benefit.” We’ve had lots of tryout inquiries. Will there be tryouts, and do you have any advice for potential players? “Lots of tryouts, lots of combines. There will be hundreds of guys coming to tryout that’s for sure. I can tell you that right now. Particularly, if we do have the addition of a PDL team, they will have two prongs to attack.” “Show me you that can pass the ball, show me that you can control the ball, show me that you can communicate, and show me what you can do without the ball. Can you shoot? Can you head? Can you tackle? Can you be a team player as well as an individual player when it matters? You look for all of the ingredients that go into making a footballer.”
I wonder if there is a drinking game associated with saying USL PRO and/or how many times it can be capitalized?
Ryan Hollingshead will be playing on the Sacramento "All Stars" squad - may be a positive sign he could play for the USL Pro team next year?
Last year USL had the league combine shortly after Sac was awarded the franchise. I don't remember if the combine was December or Jan. Haven't heard about the tryouts. I think Sacramento Gold has its tryouts in January. I would think tryouts would be soon after additional coaching staff hires are announced.
Interesting quote from Graham's interview: “Lots of tryouts, lots of combines. There will be hundreds of guys coming to tryout that’s for sure. I can tell you that right now. Particularly, if we do have the addition of a PDL team, they will have two prongs to attack.” Some type of partnership with the Sacramento Gold NPSL team?? Doesn't look like they have to neccesarily affiliate with a PDL team (based on the lawsuit in OKC between the PDL and USL PRO groups). In my hypothetical world, WHEN Sac goes MLS, the ownership should buy a stake in the Fresno Fuegos and upgrade them to USL Pro, and run a PDL/NPSL team out of our backyard. This type of a successive development/ support network would totally help secure the viability and sustainability of the lower soccer divisions, IMO. Just me brainstorming
Another player source....Orlando FC. If they move up to the MLS in 2015, their current roster won't be going with them. Something to consider.....
Orlando City SC actually and they won't join MLS until 2015 at the earliest. So probably not a great place to look just now. But their former stomping grounds of Austin TX and their championship PDL team probably is a good idea.
I don't remember how Seattle and Portland did it...do they play USL the season before, or do they take a season off to gear up for the jump to MLS?
I forgot all about this. It seems pretty darn logical given that he wants to be in Sac and I would think still wants to play, there is a decent chance he might play here.
Couldn't agree more with this. Played for the fuego myself some years ago. The Fuego organization is solid and has a ton of talent in the valley just needs to see the light at the end of the tunnel to get even better. I'll keep my fingers crossed.
They played right up until they joined MLS, so did Vancouver and Montreal. In fact Philly is the only "from scratch" MLS team recently (post 2009). NYCFC will also be "brand new", but likely candidate Orlando City will be "self-promoted" like Portland, Seattle, Whitecaps and Montreal.
He was on the announced roster of the Sac All Star team that played on Sac Soccer Day last month when the Republic name/crest were unveiled, and I believe he appeared in the game for the All-Stars. Don't know if he intends to undertake to play for the Republic, but seems like it would make sense if he desires to play professionally in the near term, given that he elected to return to Sacramento rather than pursue an MLS career after being drafted by FC Dallas. That said, he may elect not to play and to continue with his other endeavors in Sac...will just have to wait and see.
He was subbed into the game early in the second half. He played centrally in the mid-field and although he still had a feel for the game, it seemed that he has not had a ball at his feet much lately. Some of his touches were very unfortunate, and most of his passes were, well, unfortunate. That being said, I would love to see him suit up for Republic FC.
News10 has published the following on their website: SACRAMENTO - Now that Sacramento's professional soccer team has an official name, logo and home field, what's left? According to Sacramento Republic F.C. director Graham Smith, there are a number of important steps planned between now and April 2014 when the team begins play in their inaugural season in the Pro division of the United Soccer League (USL). Following is a timeline of key events for the Republic and their fans through April 2014, according to Smith: AUGUST 2013 Season tickets go on sale for 2014 season Initial analysis of potential players from U.S. and abroad begins OCTOBER 2013 First of three tryouts to take place NOVEMBER 2013 Second of three tryouts to take place DECEMBER 2013 Third and final round of tryouts to take place JANUARY 2014 Complete coaching staff to be in place Training camp begins for 2014 season APRIL 2014 Start of USL Pro 2014 season http://www.news10.net/sports/article/254281/3/Timeline-Whats-ahead-for-Sacramento-Republic-FC
Sacramento Republic FC's first tryout dates and pre-registration signups for same have been announced: October 5th and 6th; and October 19th and 20th. http://sacrepublicfc.com/football-club/player-tryouts/#.UhaAmD9oamU
Wow, registration for the 2 day tryouts are $200. I imagine the fee is to ensure only people who are serious about trying out or who really think they have what it takes to make the squad try out.