MLS commissioner Don Garber has a list for potential expansion cities, and it seems like Cincinnati is a leading candidate.
According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Garber said that FC Cincinnati’s owners are high on the aforementioned expansion list and that MLS will closely monitor the team’s progress.
“They’ve just got to keep doing what they’re doing because they’re doing it really well,” said Garber. “Build their brand. Continue to expand their fan base. Continue to get embedded in their community with the civic leaders and business leaders. They have done a lot of things really well.”
Garber arrived in Cincinnati on Tuesday to inspect the market to see if an expansion team in the city would be an option in the future. The commissioner mentioned that Nippert Stadium, where the USL club currently plays, is not a viable venue for an MLS franchise.
“I think what they’ve been able to do [at Nippert] is spectacular,” Garber said. “but we do believe that our clubs will be more successful in soccer stadiums.”
However, ownership is looking into potential sites for a new stadium. Garber has previously stated that venues should be in urban settings.
FC Cincinnati, which was formed in 2015, set a few attendance records in USL this season and averaged more than 17,000 fans per game.