FC Cincinnati Joins Nashville, Miami As Newest MLS Expansion Cities

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On Tuesday, the news officially came down from the MLS that they would be awarding the 26th MLS franchise to the city of Cincinnati. The new team will be known as FC Cincinnati and will be the third expansion team still in the works, joining Nashville and Miami.

Founded in 2015, FC Cincinnati began play in the 33-team United Soccer League and became the most supported team in the second-tier league’s history. In 2017, they set an USL record for attendance with an average of 21,199 fans per game, per the USL’s official website. In addition, the city of Cincinnati came out in full force for their team’s improbable run to the semifinals of the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S Open Cup. They recorded more than 30,000 fans on three occasions as the team went on to beat several MLS teams during the tournament. Their semifinal match in Cincinnati against the New York Red Bulls was the second-most attended game in the tournament’s history.

They will begin MLS play in their current venue on University of Cincinnati’s campus — Nippert Stadium — until a soccer-specific stadium is finished in 2021.

Per the league’s official press release, commissioner Don Garber cited Cincinnati as a “passionate soccer market” and an “ideal city for our growing league”.

“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 Carl Lindner and his partners, and also the soccer fans of Cincinnati, who have passionately supported FC Cincinnati in the USL.” -MLS commissioner Don Garber

Major League Soccer has seen rapid expansion over the last few years with five different teams joining since 2015: New York City FC and Orlando City FC (2015), Atlanta United FC and Minnesota United FC (2017), and Los Angeles FC (2018).

As it stands now, FC Cincinnati seems to be the first of the three clubs to officially join (2019), with Miami and Nashville hopping in for the 2020 campaign.

Below is a very cool video detailing their run in the 2017 U.S Open Cup.