The Geckos had great success in their debut, winning the USL D-3 Pro League championship in 1997 before moving up to the Tier 2 A-League in 1998.

The team had instant success with a 15-3 (W-L) record, winning the league championship in its first year.

Following this success, the team jumped up to tier 2 in the American soccer pyramid, joining the USL A-League in 1998.

The club failed to produce similar results and, burdened with financial problems, was sold to a new ownership group in Sacramento, California.

[1] Doomed from the outset, the Sacramento Geckos struggled with the existing club debt and further poor results on the field, setting an all-time league record for losing all 28 games and being outscored 91-16 for the year,[2] lasting only half a season before the United Soccer Leagues were forced to buy the team, renaming them Team Sacramento.