As expansion Reno 1868 FC prepares on the pitch for its inaugural USL season, so too is the fandom backing the new club. Preseason forges ahead with the start-up voice for this team, the Battle Born Brigade, serving as the focal point in Section 102 at Greater Nevada Field.

Reno hosts Sacramento Republic FC this Saturday in preseason play, and the two Western Conference sides are approximately 130 miles and two hours and 15 minutes by car between each other, creating the opportunity for a strong regional rivalry.

Sacramento has set a standard in the USL, both in performance and fan support. Led by the Tower Bridge Battalion, the atmosphere at Papa Murphy’s Park (formerly named Bonney Field) is one of the most intense in the league. That said, the Brigade and Reno are hoping to create their own voice separate from Republic FC’s model.

“They have definitely set an example for the league, and while we’re pushing for similar success, we’re moving in our own direction,” Brigade spokesman Matt Rafferty said. “A lot of us have been in supporters’ groups for MLS and we’re bringing in our own flavor and experiences.”

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As the regular season nears, 1868 FC fans have enjoyed a sampling of what the Brigade’s presence will mean to back the expansion club.

“For this last friendly, we had a pregame march from the downtown soccer pub Old Bridge, which is a great distance for doing a march, but it got a lot of attention,” Rafferty said. “It got people whipped up as they were pulling into the stadium and ready to go in as we marched into our section. We’re hoping for that kind of atmosphere to get the energy going. We’ll have smoke that we’ll provide, create imagery and tifos and we’re looking at some new banners.”

The preseason match also is a prelude to a three-game, regular-season series. Reno hosts Sacramento on June 10 (10:30 p.m. ET). Papa Murphy’s Park is the host site for an Aug. 19 rematch (11 p.m. ET). Then 1868 FC and Republic FC cap off their regular season on Oct. 14 at Greater Nevada Field (10 p.m. ET).

Sacramento is more than familiar with Greater Nevada Field. The club played two matches at the venue last year – a 2-2 draw against Liverpool FC’s U21s on May 25 (6,287 attendance) and Republic FC’s 2-1 regular-season victory against Real Monarchs SLC (5,182 attendance). The Sacramento-Liverpool match served as the first stadium foray for the Brigade, and Rafferty was impressed with the buildup.

“We wanted to come out and have a run as to how we would sound and what chants might work,” Rafferty said. “We didn’t have a team then, so we were trying stuff out. I thought it went really well, and a lot of people started to fill into our section. By the second half, our section doubled.”

As for the team itself, the club had a quiet offseason for a stretch. Once signings such as USL all-time goal-scoring leader Dane Kelly and others joined Head Coach Ian Russell’s roster, fans have been optimistic that the team will have an immediate impact.

“It’s looking really good,” Rafferty said. “I’m very impressed with the team that Ian and the rest of the technical staff is putting together. I realize it’s just preseason, but I feel like we’re putting up a lot of goals. You can’t put a lot of weight on it.

“For a large portion of the offseason, we were trying to create a supporters culture when it was a quiet time with no player signings. We were sick of waiting, but from the time that [Kelly] was announced and they made a lot of signings, it grew everyone’s interest.”

The Reno front office has maintained an incredibly open mind with the supporters’ culture. Having worked on the baseball side for the Reno Aces, the soccer side of the business has valued the input of those involved with the Battle Born Brigade as that important element permeates in the USL this year.

“They reached out to us very early on; they were purely baseball when they first started up, and they consulted with us on a lot of stuff and were interested in our opinions,” Rafferty said. “They were very open to our ideas and things to do in the stadium.

“It’s been a great relationship, and we hope it keeps growing and growing.”