Sharon Coolidge

scoolidge@enquirer.com

Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber will visit Cincinnati at the end of November, a move that has set off speculation that the city's minor league team could become a major league team.

The Enquirer learned about the Nov. 29 visit after seeing mention of it on Mayor John Cranley's upcoming schedule. Cranley is set to give Garber a driving tour of the city from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. that day.

FC General Manager Jeff Berding confirmed the visit. A public event will also be held that day, during which the commissioner will talk about his vision for the MLS. Fans and supporters will be able to ask questions.

"Cincinnati is a city on the rise and so is soccer," Berding said. "We've created an environment for a professional soccer team to be successful."

Berding said he'll seize the opportunity to show Garber "first-hand the great things happening in the city, things that enabled us to have incredible inaugural season."

"FC Cincinnati has done a fantastic job of putting a high-quality product on the field, filling Nippert Stadium with record-setting crowds, and adding to the vibrancy of our city," Cranley said. "We are lucky to have FC Cincinnati and MLS would be lucky to have them too."

Earlier this year, Major League Soccer announced it would add four new teams. A meeting is set for November after which Garber is expected to announce how the league will proceed.

In June, Berding went to San Jose for the 2016 MLS All-Star Game and United Soccer League board meeting, a trip billed as the first steps for making FC Cincinnati MLS ready.

FC Cincinnati launched this year and has exceeded expectations: The team made the playoffs; has had record-breaking attendance drawing more than 300,000 fans across all competitions; a high profile game with England's Crystal Palace and garnered the kind of morning-after-the-game water cooler chatter usually reserved for the Reds and Bengals.

MLS opened the 2016 season with 20 teams but announced this year its intent to eventually expand to 28. The vacancies are already filling up, and have been for some time.

Atlanta United FC and Minnesota United FC are scheduled to enter the league in 2017. Los Angeles FC, the rebirth of the now-defunct Chivas USA organization, is set to come online in 2018. And former international soccer star David Beckham's years-long attempt to bring an MLS franchise to Miami is seeking a stadium solution and remains ongoing. However, many still consider Beckham's team a lock to eventually enter as the 24th MLS franchise.

Cincinnati, then, would be vying for one of the four remaining expansion slots with several current USL organizations and other marketplaces. Insiders and observes alike have come to know Sacramento, Detroit, San Antonio and St. Louis as the front-running cities in the race for expansion.

Reporter Patrick Brennan contributed to this report.

Correction: A previous version of this story indicated Minnesota United FC was scheduled to enter MLS in 2018. In fact, Minnesota United will play in MLS during the 2017 season.