Evaluating FC Cincinnati's MLS Bid

On December 6, FC Cincinnati made their pitch to Major League Soccer as to why they should be chosen to be awarded an MLS expansion bid. Ever since the team was founded in the summer of 2015, it made no secret that its true goal was to join the ranks of the best American soccer teams in MLS. After a successful first season in 2016 that saw FC Cincinnati knocking on the door of MLS, the franchise seemingly kicked the door off its hinges in 2017. Their incredible Open Cup run during the summer of 2017 garnered unprecedented media coverage for a USL team from news outlets all around the world and many people tagged FCC as a favorite to win an MLS expansion bid. They appear to have all the boxes checked for Don Garber and MLS to award Cincinnati an expansion bid, but when compared to other candidates, there are some categories where it seems FCC falls short. In this post, I will discuss some of the factors that could hurt FCC’s expansion bid that as well as some of the factors that could bolster it.

Let’s start with some of the factors against FCC’s MLS bid. Unlike Sacramento and Nashville, FCC’s stadium situation is still murky. A lengthy debate between the franchise, the city, and the county as to who will pay for the stadium was finally settled on November 29. The team announced they will privately pay for the entire stadium and was seeking about $75 million for the infrastructure. The city agreed to pay $37 million with the county agreeing to pay $15 million for a parking garage. That leaves a gap of about $23 million between what is available and FCC’s initial estimate. Also, Oakley is a few minutes north of downtown Cincinnati. I am not sure if that is considered to be close enough to an “urban core” as MLS would have liked. Personally, I thought that Newport was the best option for a stadium as it would have been just across from Great American Ball Park and the revitalized banks area, which sit on the opposite side of the Ohio River. According to FCC general manager Jeff Berding, Oakley may not even be the final location for the stadium and it may move if FCC is awarded the bid. This uncertain stadium plan definitely plays against FC Cincinnati and could really prove to be detrimental should MLS choose another city. Another factor against the bid is the relatively small media market. Cincinnati is one of the smaller media markets in the country and that could influence the decision of MLS as a smaller media market usually means less eyes are watching.

There are also many reasons that as to why FCC should be promoted to MLS. The passion that the city has for this team is second to none in the USL and will only grow if FCC is promoted to MLS. They obliterated attendance records and were on par with attendance numbers of MLS teams. They even outdrew the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball. Fans packed Nippert Stadium for matches in 2016 and attracted national attention for the record setting numbers that were set during the team’s incredible Open Cup run that saw both Don Garber and Sunil Gulati in attendance for the team’s semifinal match against the New York Red Bulls. The fact that those two attended the match is also a huge boost to FCC’s MLS asperations because they are arguably the two most powerful men in American soccer. Garber is the MLS commissioner and Gulati is the president of the United States Soccer Federation. They both witnessed in person the passion that Cincinnati has for FCC and that unquestionably left an impact on them. Other people associated with MLS have even stated that FC Cincinnati would be a great expansion team such as ESPN commentator Taylor Twellman and New York Red Bulls coach Jesse Marsch. Aside from the passionate fans and the well earned national attention, FC Cincinnati has a dedicated ownership group that is putting up to $350 million dollars to pay the expansion fee and build a soccer specific stadium. That is one of the greatest stadium deals of all time and a clear indicator that team owner Carl Linder III is fully committed to the franchise. FCC has also secured a 10 year MLS jersey sponsorship deal with Mercy Health that is worth about $5 million a year. Another noteworthy factor is the future of Columbus Crew SC. Should the Crew leave Ohio for Texas, there will be no MLS team in the buckeye state. That void could be filled by FC Cincinnati. If the Crew winds up staying in Ohio, then the already fiery “Hell is Real” rivalry between the Crew and FCC could be taken to a new level if both teams are in MLS and play on a regular basis.

In conclusion, there are many factors that hurt and boost FCC’s chances of obtaining an MLS expansion bid. Clearly there are more beneficial aspects of FCC’s expansion bid, and I feel like they the perfect team to join the highest league of professional soccer in the country. The only things that could hold them back are the small market size and the relatively shaky stadium deal. However, market size should not play that big of a role as fans will most likely continue to show up to matches and watch on television. The stadium plan, while not finalized, can be perfected. There is some public funding in place for the infrastructure should the team decide to break ground in Oakley, and Newport is still available should FCC decide to move the stadium closer to downtown Cincinnati. The good does outweigh the bad though as the passionate fan support, dedication displayed by the owner, and the national attention have helped make FCC the biggest Cincinnati sports story of 2017. FC Cincinnati captured lightening in a bottle and Major League Soccer should capitalize on that by granting the franchise and the city of Cincinnati an expansion bid.

MLS to Cincy!