Sacramento Republic FC was co-founded by Warren Smith and Joe Wagoner in 2012 and began play in 2014. It won the 2014 USL championship and plays in the USL Championship at Heart Health Park.
In 2019 Major League Soccer announced Sacramento as an expansion team; in February 2021 the expansion was placed on indefinite hiatus. The club has been working with the city on a stadium in the Railyards.