Reno 1868 FC is a professional soccer team based in Reno, Nevada. Founded in 2015, the team made its debut in the USL Championship in March 2017. The Battle Born Brigade is an independent supporters group of the top professional soccer club in Nevada.
2017
On February 18th, 2017, I recorded some video footage of a soccer game between San Jose and Reno. The footage was mainly of the Battle Born Brigade. On February 21st, 2017, I published a video on YouTube about the game. This video is called All For Our City-Reno vs San Jose (Feb. 18, 2017)
After the positive feedback of the first video I continued to do them.
Notable season one games and videos
March 11, Our first game against the Sacramento Republic. This game would cement our rivalry with Sacramento. This game also helped to define the structure of the all for our city videos.
May 31, this was the first game we traveled to Sacramento. There’s nothing really notable about the game itself. What is notable is that this was the first time the Battle Born Brigade would travel to an away game.
June 10, Another game against Sacramento. The importance of this game was that it was the first time Reno had beaten Sacramento.
July 3, We played LA Galaxy 2. This game is legendary. It’s legendary for 2 reasons, first the blowout. By halftime, Reno was leading 4-0. The final would be 9-0 Reno which was a league record at the time. The second reason this game is legendary is because it’s the first game I can remember where the goalie showed visible anger towards the fans.
July 8, This was our first game vs a Mexican league team. Atlas had come to Reno to play. The most notable thing about this is how it has started a tradition of bringing in Mexican the to play in Reno.
August 19, We traveled back to Sacramento. This time would not be like the last. This is possibly our biggest away trip to date. We were seated closer to the Sacramento supporters than last time. Not by choice. The stadium was falling apart underneath our feet. We would win the game. However, after the game was the most intense part. We had gone down to the sideline to meet up with the team and congratulate them. After that one of the Sacramento supporters threw a smoke bomb at us. He then ran by us being followed by the police. We were then escorted by police out of the stadium.
This game added fuel to this rivalry that nothing else at that point had come close too. This led to both sides escalating their emotional intensity towards the rivalry.
October 14, I released my first pump up video for the Donner Pass Derby (our rivalry with Sacramento).
October 14, Reno played Sacramento for the last time in 2017. Because of the events of the previous game, both teams and fan bases brought everything they had. Prior to the start of the match, Reno supporters blocked Sacramento supporters from getting into the ballpark. The ballpark had to open up a side entrance not normally used to let them in. Once in, Reno fans still had blocked Sacramento supporters from getting to their seats. Security had to move Reno supporters so Sacramento fans could get to their seats. The Sacramento fans decided to get in the faces of Reno fans instead of directly going to their seats. Both fan bases were drumming and chanting as loud as they could while trying to get as close as they could to each other. This has become a tradition at Greater Nevada Field during games against Sacramento.
The game was played with just as much intensity. It was tied at the half and would remain that way by the end of the game. This meant that Reno had won the derby that year. Although promised by Sacramento, Reno has not received a trophy for this derby.
Overall, I think this game helped this rivalry get to the next level.
October 18, I released my first playoff pump up video for the USL playoffs round one.
October 21, This game lives in infamy. Firstly, we hit a milestone by getting to the playoffs. Secondly, officiating was seen as poor by the Reno fans. The supporter section was not the only one booing when the final whistle blew. It’s important to remember that Reno lost 0-1. The game was over, the season that felt endless was over, and the fans felt robbed. One of the players from Oklahoma City went to celebrate with his team by the net in front of the supporter section. The rest of his team was moving away. He had decided to stay inside of the net and to taunt the supporters. This led to a fan (I don’t know who) throwing a souvenir glass at the player. The glass went through the net and cut the player.
The Oklahoma City player turned around and played the next week. This didn’t matter. The backlash was felt immediately. It was almost unanimously decided by the league fan base that Reno would be the bad guy. Although we are confident that no one in the Battle Born Brigade threw it, the Brigade was put on probation by the league. The Brigade ended up raising money for a charity for in Oklahoma City. The effects of this were felt going into the teams second season.
November 10-21, Following soccer season, the Brigade was invited to Nevada basketball games. During this time, I Decided to continue making videos about the brigade’s adventures at sports events.
*(roughly) April to August was a period of time where the brigade was banned for using smoke by the fire marshal.
2018
2018 started off with a bang. I launched my new YouTube channel on Jan 1st. I did this primarily because the all for our city video series.
Notable 2018 videos and games
January 4, This video was my first video on this new channel. The video was the Brigade at Wolf Pack.
January 17-Febuary 25, I continued the Brigade at Wolf Pack video series.
February 27, I released this channels first channel trailer.
March 3, First all for our city season two video. This was our first snow game. The Battle Born Brigade was still on probation for the events that occurred after our round one playoff game against Oklahoma City.
March 7, I released a Nevada Wolf Pack March Madness pump up.
March 23, I released a Brigade at Wolf Pack top fan moments compilation.
March 24, Our first game in the Silver State Cup (our rivalry with Las Vegas). This would also be the first time the Battle Born Brigade would travel to Las Vegas. Unlike our experience with Sacramento fans, our experience with Las Vegas fans was positive.
April 14, I launched my Live Postgame video series.
May 2, I launched the original run of my Go Pro Soccer series.
May 12, This game is legendary. Off the pitch it was just another away game in Sacramento. For this game, the traveling supporters were put as far away from the Sacramento supporters as possible and security were watching the away supporters section more closely. All was fine in the stands. On the pitch, the team was down 0-2 at the half. Reno played harder in the second half. They were able to score three goals in five minutes around 60’ and held on to their lead to win the match. Three goals in five minutes is rare to say the least and that is why this game is legendary.
May 16, The US Open Cup had come to Greater Nevada Field. Reno was scheduled to play Portland Timbers U23. Majority of our normal starters did not play in this match. The stadium was mostly empty. At halftime, it looked like a normal game as Portland was leading 2-1. However, by the end of the match Reno had netted 7 goals to win 7-3. The goalie even had a meltdown in front of the supporter’s section by the end of the game.
May 23, Another US Open Cup match. This time we played Sacramento. Once again, the stadium was mostly empty. This could have made that game special. Bringing the biggest rivalry in the league to a mostly empty stadium except for each team’s supporters could have escalated to the point where both groups during the game were competing to be the loudest in the stadium. Unfortunately, this did not happen. Sacramento only had brought a handful of supporters and no real noise makers. On top of that they sat for most of the match. I do still think this game was an important chapter in our rivalry for those who came out. This is because the Battle Born Brigade were dominated supporters at the match. This match showed that if there is matches with lower attendance between Reno and Sacramento, Sacramento will end up having no support from the stands.
June 9, Our first match against Fresno.
July 14, Another Mexican league team came to Reno for a friendly match. This time it was Morelia. The game sold out. The atmosphere going into this was amazing. Reno fans were a minority at the game. 2’ into the game there was a lightning delay. The delay only added to the atmosphere of the game. Roughly three hours later the game would resume. The game was a lot closer than I thought it would be too as Morelia only won 4-2. This game is somewhat of a legend because it’s one of those games that isn’t talked about too much but everyone who was there is glad they went and experienced it.
July 25, Was the end of the original run of my Go Pro Soccer series.
July 28, This game was our first game against Saint Louis. The reason that this game is special is because it could be the last time Saint Louis ever plays at Greater Nevada Field. They moved to the western conference for the 2018 season and have since moved back to the eastern conference for 2019. Them moving back to the west is not likely at this time.
August 17, I released my 2018 pump up video for the Donner Pass Derby (our rivalry with Sacramento).
August 25, The Donner Pass Derby took on a new tone. We still got in each other’s faces before the game to drum and chant but it was less emotional than in past games. This essentially set the tone for the game to be less intense off the pitch than in previous matches. The intensity on the pitch, however, was as intense as it has always been.
August 28, Reno played Las Vegas in the most epic game of the rivalry so far. Reno won by scoring a goal in extra time. I recorded everything, however due to a technical error I was unable to release a video.
September 1, The Battle Born Brigade traveled to Fresno. The experience we had was a lot like the one we had in Las Vegas. Fresno fans welcomed us and we had some fun before and after he match.
September 13, I continued my Brigade at Wolf Pack series. This time at a soccer game.
September 18, I released my first pump up video for the Silver State Cup (our rivalry with Las Vegas)
September 22, We played Las Vegas For the first time at home. Very few Las Vegas fans showed up which was disappointing. The match would end in a draw but we still won the Cup. Unlike our rivalry with Sacramento this one actually has a trophy.
October 19, I released my 2018 playoff pump up video for the USL playoffs round one.
October 20, Reno’s first playoff game was in Salt Lake City. A group of people from the Battle Born Brigade decided to travel to Salt Lake for the game. Reno scored in extra time to win the game.
October 26, I released my 2018 playoff pump up video for the USL playoffs round two.
November 16, I released my first thank you fans video commemorating the season.
* 2018 also saw the introduction of a new supporters group. The second street firm. This group was started at the end of 2017 by fans who were upset that the Battle Born Brigade apologized for the events that occurred after the Oklahoma City match. To start off they were a small group, they ended up having little to no presence at games in 2018. They mainly just talk trash on the internet about other teams and the Battle Born Brigade.
*Prior to the September 22 match there was a twitter war between Reno fans and a new Las Vegas supporters group. Things were said by both groups That should not have been said. One person from Reno was deemed racist by the Las Vegas fans. This caused a lot of hate from the entire league as well as affiliated organizations. The Reno fan was kicked out of the Battle Born Brigade. This upset some people within the group. The person who was kicked out started their own supporter group with some of the people who were upset at them being banned. PVA Reno who up to this point sat with the Battle Born Brigade were upset as well. In protest, there was at least one game they didn’t show up. PVA Reno no longer wanted to be associated with the Battle Born Brigade.
Starting in 2019 there will be up to four supporter’s groups at any game. The Douglas Alley Renegades were the first group to have active members of the Battle Born Brigade to create another group. They came up with their name after the season ended. At the end of the 2018 season they were located opposite of the Battle Born Brigade in the stadium. Similar to Second Street Firm they are an unofficial group. It is unclear at this time if they want to become an officially recognized group.
PVA Reno started the process of separating from the Battle Born Brigade prior to the end of the 2018 season. It is unclear to me as to what is actually going to happen at this point. Right now, all I know is that they changed their name and are getting their own section away from the Battle Born Brigade. Their new name is Los Unikos Del 68. I can only speculate as to why they changed their name. I think it is because PVA is the supporters group for the Mexico national team and they didn’t want to are not allowed use the name for groups that support club teams. The other reason could be because PVA could have tried to control their actions regarding their situation which could have been contradicted what PVA Reno wanted.
Zac Electrifly 