FC Cincinnati fires up fan base with big summer

Cincinnati is well known as a city with a long, rich sporting history, and after an exciting summer of soccer, it appears that a new chapter in Cincinnati sports is emerging with FC Cincinnati.

In August 2015, it was announced that there would be a new soccer club in Cincinnati, owned by the Lindner Family, with Jeff Berding as General Manager.

In 2016, the team played their first game as part of the United Soccer League, a professional league below Major League Soccer, and generated lots of excitement around Cincinnati. Playing at Nippert Stadium in Clifton with Alan Koch as Head Coach, FC Cincinnati brought in over 20,000 fans several times en route to a winning season.

While participating in league play, FC Cincinnati also has played in other tournaments, including the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open. The winner of this tournament gets to play in a Champions League against teams from all over North America, making it very competitive and rewarding. During the summer of 2017, FC Cincinnati made a deep run in this tournament, bringing record-breaking crowds into Nippert Stadium.

In the Fourth Round of play on June 14, FC Cincinnati defeated cross-state rival and MLS team Columbus Crew SC 1-0 with over 30,000 people in attendance.

Then, on June 28, FC Cincinnati beat another MLS team, Chicago Fire SC, in penalty kicks in front of over 32,000 people at Nippert Stadium.

With eight teams remaining, FC Cincinnati defeated Miami FC 1-0 on Aug. 2 in Miami to reach the Final Four.

However, despite a 2-0 lead in the second half of their Final Four match, FC Cincinnati’s opponent, the New York Red Bulls, came back to win in extra time on Aug. 15.

Nevertheless, FC Cincinnati made history this summer by going much farther in the tournament than predicted, and they hope to replicate this success in the years to come.