Photo Credit: Chris Asbrock (Impact Sports Cincinnati)

by Chris Asbrock

The intrigue and anxiety are there for FC Cincinnati and their fans, looking to be accepted into Major League Soccer, hoping to receive the positive news within the next month. That hasn’t stopped club President/General Manager Jeff Berding and coach Alan Koch from revamping the roster and reloading for this upcoming season. Revamping and reloading is exactly what they have done. The vision from the club is one that we have not seen from any team in this city. After the club was announced in August of 2015, there was only one direction this club was headed.

This club expects nothing short of perfection and the best, which is a refreshing thought from a city that is used to heartbreak. Berding set the expectation when they announced US soccer legend, John Harkes, as the club’s first year head coach. FC Cincinnati captured the American soccer landscape with their tremendous crowds and on-field success, in only their first year of existence. The club hosted well-known Premier League club, Crystal Palace, in front of a sold out Nippert Stadium. Palace coach Alan Pardew had nothing but praise for FC Cincinnati and their experience at Nippert, during that international friendly match.

The club set multiple league attendance records, breaking each mark that was set. To top the attendance records, the club reached the USL playoffs, finishing in 2nd place in the Eastern Conference. Their 2-1 home playoff defeat, to the Charleston Battery, was the unfortunate end to a great inaugural season. However, breaking records was not just something this club would only achieve in 2016.

FC Cincinnati followed up the success of their first year campaign with another great season. The season didn’t start off as expected with the club parted ways with Harkes, just a day before the club left for Bradenton and their preseason training. Alan Koch was hired on to lead the club into the 2017 season. Under Koch, the boys in orange and blue once again made major waves in American soccer, with their incredible semi-final run in the US Open Cup. FC Cincinnati knocked off two MLS clubs, Columbus Crew and Chicago Fire, in front of a packed house at Nippert Stadium. The two matches with the Crew and Fire drew over 60,000 fans total and provided one of the best atmospheres in American soccer.

The match against the Fire would once again open the eyes of the country, on national television, with their thrilling penalty kick victory. Goalkeeper Mitch Hildebrandt played one of the best games as a goalkeeper, consistently stopping the Fire and their superstar-filled team. The only time Hildebrandt picked the ball out of the net was when German legend, Bastian Schweinsteiger, beat him during the penalty shootout.

Video of the incredible shootout is below:

FC Cincinnati/Chicago Fire PK shootout

Their luck would run out against the New York Red Bulls in a thrilling 3-2 match that once again went into extra time. With the US Open Cup off the table, FC Cincinnati could focus solely on the USL season and the playoffs. FC Cincinnati continued to struggle with consistency but was able to make it into the USL playoffs, after finishing sixth in the Eastern Conference. Their reward was a road game against the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Their playoff run would once again come to an end in the conference quarterfinals, after getting blown out 3-0, in a game they were never really in.

Their approach to this upcoming season is where they differ from any team in this city. It was decided by Koch and Berding that they will do what they can to be the best team in the league. The club has completely revamped this roster and has set themselves up as one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference. While other clubs have gone out and made a move or two, Koch and Berding have raided some of the top talent in the NASL, bringing in players that could propel FC Cincinnati to the championship level. Along with the amount of talent that is on this roster, they have a lot of depth that will help them survive a long season. Names like Israeli National Team player, Dekel Keinan, Argentinian Emmanuel Ledesma and Nazmi Albadawi are a few that have increased the level of talent on this team tremendously. Those are just three of the names that will be featured this year.

The passion of this fan base is another thing that sets this club above everyone else in this city. While the Bengals and Reds are more popular in the city, the passion of the fans isn’t close to what the supporters of FC Cincinnati bring to the table. The mentality of the ownership group, the coaching staff and the supporters make FC Cincinnati the premier franchise in the city. The club is putting up over $200 million to fund a soccer specific stadium while the other teams in the city held the city and county hostage.

FCC supporters

While the club and fans continue to wait for the news of their MLS fate, the expectation of a great season is a reality. Bringing in the top talent, within reason, is something that we have not seen in this city in quite some time. The club continues to blow away the own expectations as they have already sold over 16,000 season tickets this year. If FC Cincinnati gets the good news and gets the MLS invitation, the support will only continue to get bigger and better. If things continue to play out and stay on track, it is a very real possibility that FC Cincinnati will become the most popular team in the city. This is the perfect time to hop on the FC Cincinnati bandwagon as they look to become one of the most supported teams in the country.

FC Cincinnati games are an event and one that can be experienced by anyone, young to old. With that being the case, we encourage you to take someone to a game. If they have never been, they will be sucked in and become fans. It is impossible to go to a game and not enjoy yourself. Between the intimacy of Nippert and the atmosphere from the Bailey, you will leave there in awe. The march to the match, from the many supporters groups is something that you should experience, as you can see from the video above. While we are blessed with two major professional teams, there is something that is different about FC Cincinnati. They run things differently than the other teams and seem to be engaged in the community more than most. This is a very special club and regardless of them getting into MLS, this city is blessed to have a team that is so committed to their cause.

Chris Asbrock is a staff writer and analyst for Impact Sports Cincinnati and can be followed on Twitter Follow @iamchrisasbrock and Follow @StudsUpSoccerSh