CINCINNATI -- Saturday at Nippert Stadium, FC Cincinnati held off visiting Nashville SC in an exciting finish. The hometown team outlasted the visitor in penalty kicks, and many fans in the city hope the team will keep that momentum going to the United States Football League Cup.
“We had the game on all the TVs, the audio going,” Madtree Brewing's director of people and social strategy Mike Stuart said. “There was definitely a raucous crowd here, and, when the penalty kick (went in,) everybody was going crazy.”
It's been a year to remember for FC Cincinnati: The local soccer franchise earned entry into Major League Soccer, and now, it's advancing to the second round of the playoffs.
“You can just feel the enthusiasm of the players,” FC Cincinnati season ticket holder Patty Jenkins said. “They love the city. They love the team, and it just makes us love them even more.”
FC Cincinnati gear has been a strong seller at Koch Sporting Goods since the team arrived.
“They've been killing it since day one, you know,” co-owner Erick Koch said. “And we've been very happy that they have been.”
Making the second round of the playoffs means a lot to Cincinnati sports fans. It's been a while since a local team has gotten that far in its league.
“I think Cincinnati has proven itself as a soccer city in the last couple of years,” Stuart said. “You know, really getting behind FC and people coming alive and appreciating the sport and learning more about it.”
Not everyone agrees with that new designation, however.
“You will have the die-hard Reds fans saying this is still a baseball town,” Koch said. “And, you'll have Bengals fans, ‘No, no, no, it’;s our town.’ Yes, the FC fans definitely think they've taken over, and it's hard to argue just looking at the numbers.”
General public tickets go on sale for the Eastern Conference Semifinal Against New York Reds Bulls II Tuesday at 10 a.m.
