Californian football club Sacramento Republic has revealed the first images of a new stadium – which it hopes will pave the way for it to gain a place in the Major Soccer League (MLS).

The Republic, which currently plays in the United Soccer League – the third tier of North American professional football – has appointed architects HNTB to design the 25,000-capacity venue.

The exterior appearance and building structure is based upon Republic FC’s logo – a star – and aims to bring fans as close to the action as possible.

"I'm thrilled to unveil a stadium design worthy of our fans and community," said Kevin Nagle, managing partner of Sac Soccer and Entertainment Holdings – the group which owns the club.

"When we first hired HNTB, we challenged them to design the best home pitch advantage in MLS in a way that would celebrate both Sacramento and the world’s game. Without a doubt, HNTB has delivered."

Nagle added that the stadium will create the most "intense and intimidating" match experience in MLS.

Design features include the steepest rake in MLS – placing spectators close to the field of play – and a closed bowl and continuous roof structure which wraps around all four sides of the pitch to capture and concentrate fan energy towards the pitch.

Scott Capstack, HNTB’s director of design said: "The stadium will set the tone for the next generation of MLS stadiums and celebrate Sacramento’s unique aesthetics, neighbourhoods and landmarks.

"The design harnesses the passion of Sacramento Republic FC fans and draws inspiration from top European and South American soccer stadiums in ways that few, if any, MLS stadiums have ever done before."

The preliminary renderings come after several months of concept design research and development.

In formulating ideas for the stadium, the design team drew input from workshops, focus groups with Sacramento Republic FC fans and corporate partners, and an online survey completed by nearly 3,500 members of the public.

To be located in Sacramento’s Railyards district, the club estimates that the project will cost US$180m and open in time for the 2018 season – though it will only be built if Republic FC does gain entry into MLS.