Over the years, the standard for franchises in Cincinnati has changed. For a while, it was the Cincinnati Reds and their dominance in the 1990’s. Then the Cincinnati Bengals took over as the Reds faltered. The Bengals maintained their position in the Cincinnati sports landscape until the last few years when FC Cincinnati took over. During their years in the United Soccer League (USL), FC Cincinnati was one of the top teams in the league. US Open Cup wins over the Columbus Crew and Chicago Fire set the tone for their jump to Major League Soccer. Sellout crowds of 40,000 plus were the norm and their move to TQL Stadium helped shape the club.

If only the success followed suit.

For the first three seasons of their MLS existence, FC Cincinnati set records for the wrong reasons. The club won the Wooden Spoon, a Supporters trophy for being the worst team in the league. Wooden Spoon winners for three years in a row is a damming indictment for a franchise who once had all of the momentum.

Things changed when the club made the decision to bring on Chris Albright as General Manager and Pat Noonan as the teams new manager. Prior to Albright, Club President Jeff Berding was running the show. Berding had it easier in USL as the club was able to outspend their foes. MLS is much different and the lack of MLS GM experience cost the team early on. Once Albright took control of the player moves, FC Cincinnati were off and running. FC Cincinnati captured the Supporter’s Shield in 2023 as the best team in the league.

Smart roster decisions and player moves have helped keep the club towards the top of the league. Each transfer window, Albright and his staff have done everything they could to build the roster up to maintain their competitiveness. While not every move would be a hit, they would admit their mistake and replace them with another quality player. The club is not afraid to spend the money to put the best product out on the field. When Luciano Acosta, the former MLS MVP, left to head to FC Dallas, Albright made the move for Evander. While Acosta was a huge fan favorite and club legend, his departure meant the had to move fast. Bringing in Evander meant the team was not going to stand pat.

As it stands now, FC Cincinnati currently sit at the top of MLS. The club has aspirations of bringing a MLS Championship to Cincinnati. The other major league teams in Cincinnati should have the same goal. The problem is, the Reds nor the Bengals show that same passion. The Reds have a core of young players who are set to win but the ownership group, led by Bob Castellini seemingly refuse to spend the money to keep this club in contention. They run the Reds like a business, only spending what they bring in and nothing more. The cost of winning is not much and spending the money in the offseason to make the team better would help propel this team towards the playoffs year in and year out.

Teams are not going to win a championship every year and fans understand that. It is the drive and the effort put into trying to win a championship is what fans are wanting. Show them that you care and want to win. The Cincinnati Reds have not done that. Calling up a core of great baseball players and not supplementing them with quality, veteran talent is criminal. The Reds pitching staff is one of the better ones in all of baseball. Losing multiple games while only scoring one or two runs is unacceptable when no effort is put into it. The lack of a veteran presence in this clubhouse might be all the Reds need to make a run, but no effort has been made to make that happen.

The Bengals have been notoriously cheap spenders. That changed years ago, much to the credit of the Brown and Blackburn families. The Bengals lucked into the Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase sweepstakes. A run to the Super Bowl in 2022 and a AFC Championship game appearance in 2023 was enough to keep the fan base at bay for a year or two. The Bengals have spent the money to upgrade the skill positions on offense and on the offensive line. The Bengals had the luxury of Burrow, Chase and Tee Higgins being on their rookie contracts during their Super Bowl run. Now, the team has had to pay big money to those three and the defense has suffered. The Bengals biggest problem might be their approach is negotiating contracts. The Bengals failed to sign Jesse Bates at the first chance, causing a rift between the organization and the player. Bates moved on and continued to be one of the best safeties in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons.

The Bengals next big blunder was the handling of the contracts with Higgins and Chase. The organization cost themselves more money by not signing either one earlier and both went out and had monster seasons. Now, the Bengals are in a dispute with Trey Hendrickson and his contract extension. Couple that with draft picks Shemar Stewart (1st round) and Demetrius Knight Jr. (2nd round) not being signed, it is not a good look for the Bengals. The Bengals have a window to capture a Super Bowl and it is closing each and every season. Yet, the Bengals are in a position where they would rather battle with their players and their agents as opposed to putting the winning first and foremost.

The fandom of Cincinnati sports fans can sometimes be classified as a mental illness but one thing is certain, when a team in this city is winning, there is no better place to be. A few years ago, with the success of all three teams, there was a certain buzz in this city. That buzz needs to come back but it will take the Reds and Bengals to follow suit and join FC Cincinnati in the pursuit of a championship.

Chris Asbrock and Impact Sports Cincinnati can be followed on Twitter   and