The juxtaposition of the Eastern and Western Conference sides as the two best-attended clubs in the USL a season ago – with two of the most passionate fan bases as well – has added weight to the preseason contest.

“I think anytime the supporters get behind games like this it makes it exciting,” said Delbridge. “Obviously the support we have in Cincinnati is unbelievable so they’re going to support us wherever we go, but when you play a club like Sacramento I think the supporters especially have a mutual respect for each other.

“It’s a team we don’t get to see that often because they’re in a different conference, so I would say the sort of respect the supporters have shown each other in the competitive banter back and forth, it’s cool to see, and it makes it fun for us as players to go in and add a little factor in the game.”

Winning a championship in Republic FC’s inaugural season still holds resonance with Delbridge, who greatly enjoyed his time in Northern California. With the acceleration the side produced over the course of the season to finish second in the league standings at 14-3-2, the feeling of Sacramento being a team destined for a title was palpable to those within the club at the time.

“The way the boys came together and the sort of coaching we had, it felt like we got into a rhythm and everything just sort of fell into place, which is something that doesn’t always happen when you’re a start-up club,” said Delbridge. “It was a pretty special year for me personally and especially for my career. I learned a lot while I was there from the coaching staff and from the players we had there. We had a very talented group of players there, so it was a great year for me and it’s going to be fun to go back and bring up some of those memories again.”