‘We couldn’t wait.’ Sellout crowd packs stadium for AC Boise’s home debut
Snuggled up in her dad’s arms, 9-year-old Elena Mandujano quietly chanted along with the rest of the crowd as Athletic Club Boise made its home debut against the Spokane Velocity on Saturday at Expo Idaho.
Idaho’s first professional soccer club had no shortage of support.
AC Boise set a USL League One regular-season attendance record with a sellout crowd of 7,211 in a 1-1 draw with Spokane.
For many of the fans in attendance, the outcome didn’t seem to matter nearly as much as the chance to be a part of history.
“As soon as it was announced that a team was coming to Boise, we were excited about it,” said Elena’s dad, Alex. “We couldn’t wait.”
Months before the debut of professional soccer in Boise, the buzz among fans built quickly. An online discussion about forming an unofficial supporters section brought four guys together for a beer.
And the River Guard was formed.
AC Boise’s independent fan club already has more than 200 members, and many of them showed up at Brown Beard Brewing on Chinden Boulevard in Garden City ahead of Saturday’s match to socialize and prepare for an organized march to the stadium.
“We’ve just got to get a couple of crazy people with a crazy idea, put it together, and then find the rest of the crazies — in a good way,” said Jonathan Canteros, who pounded on the bass drum throughout Saturday’s match. “We’re really all passionate about it, and we want people to see it and feel it.
“We want everybody in the stadium, even the players, to feel the passion.”
About 150 or more River Guard members joined the roughly half-mile walk to the stadium from Brown Beard. As they made their way from the road into the parking lot at Expo Idaho, green smoke flew into the air behind a lead group carrying a banner that read “River Guard.”
With flags, green-and-purple clad outfits and Canteros and his fellow drummers beating in unison, the River Guard kept up its chanting and cheers as they waited in the security line, and the noise continued as they walked to their seats in the south end.
Lauren and Rene Barraza love soccer so much that they made the trek with their 3-month-old daughter, Evelyn, and 2 1/2-year old son, Andre. Lauren, a first-grade teacher, knew the moment was just too special to pass up.
“I just love Boise fans,” Lauren said. “Everyone is always so positive and excited. We’re just all jumping in.”
With food and drink options in abundance, the longest lines of the night were reserved for the merch line.
The David family from Fruitland — consisting of dad Ryan, mom Evelyn and daughters Kairi (15) and Rivkkah (13) — had waited for 20 minutes and were about halfway through the line that snaked from the shop door and trailed back nearly to the entry gate.
But they were nothing but smiles.
“We’re stoked that Boise has something this awesome for us to all go to as a family,” Ryan said.
While fans soaked in the atmosphere of Saturday’s historic night, it was 9-year-old Evelyn who awed in the true purity of soccer.
“I just love that they play as a team,” she said.
This story was originally published April 4, 2026 at 10:01 PM.
