Cincinnati a no-brainer for MLS expansion

CINCINNATI, OH - MAY 29: FC Cincinnati president and general manager Jeff Berding, MLS commissioner Don Garber, FC Cincinnati principal owner Carl Lindner III and Cincinnati mayor John Cranley (from left) look on after the club was awarded an MLS expansion franchise at Rhinegeist Brewery on May 29, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

MLS has announced an expansion team in Cincinnati for 2019, but is the market ready for the big time?

MLS wants to get to 28 teams, and Nashville and Miami were awarded expansion franchises to get the league to 25. On Tuesday, MLS commissioner Don Garber announced FC Cincinnati will join the league as an expansion team in 2019.

FC Cincinnati have been playing in the lower-level USL since 2016. Since they can continue to play at the University of Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium while their own venue is being built, they’ll leapfrog Nashville and Miami to start play in MLS a year earlier.

MLS added teams in Atlanta and Minnesota in 2017, and two more expansion teams seem likely to come from the other nine cities that submitted bids for a franchise. Detroit was the fourth finalist this time around, so Motor City seems to be next in line for an MLS expansion team.

FC Cincinnati have tapped into what might not be considered a thriving local market for soccer fans. They’ve averaged more than 21,000 fans in 16 home games this season, and they beat two MLS clubs in the U.S. Open Cup in front of 30,000 fans. On April 7 this year, they set a USL attendance record as 25,667 fans filled Nippert for the home opener against defending league champion Louisville City.

As expected under the circumstances, Garber cited Cincinnati as a thriving soccer market during his announcement.

“The rise of Cincinnati as a passionate soccer market in recent years, coinciding with the city’s growing economy and reputation as a top destination for young professionals makes it an ideal city for our growing league.

“We congratulate [FC Cincinnati managing owner and CEO] Carl Lindner and his partners, and also the soccer fans of Cincinnati, who have passionately supported FC Cincinnati in the USL.”

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As the Reds continue to go through a seemingly endless rebuild, Cincinnati sports fans have flocked to soccer as a summer option. Time will tell if those same fans will follow the franchise to MLS in the same droves, but any doubts about Cincinnati as a good soccer market can be dismissed at this point.

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