Advertisement LouCity vs. FC Cincinnati: MLS dreams Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Could a rival soccer club steal Louisville's Major League Soccer dreams?A record crowd is expected to see LouCity battle FC Cincinnati on the field Saturday, but off the field, there are worries the Queen City may beat the River City to the big leagues.Louisville’s mayor and LouCity's minority owner have spoken out about joining the MLS more than once.MLS officials and soccer analysts aren't talking about Louisville and MLS. First year USL rival FC Cincinnati has stolen those headlines.With thousands of screaming fans and a successful team, talk of MLS in Louisville started quickly.“It's a fantastic atmosphere,” said Ken Luther of the Louisville Coopers.Then FC Cincinnati happened.“Cincinnati came out of nowhere,” LouCity supporter Joseph Cecil said. “Dropping 20,000 a game in attendance.”Louisville City won its first match against the new club, but fans traveled back down Interstate 71 knowing Cincy may be behind in the standings, but ahead on the push for an MLS franchise.Cecil's fears for the future were realized.“For someone who already had a negative opinion on MLS changes, it really took a beating this year,” he said.“They're definitely in front of us in line. They have the things that the MLS are looking for. They're a huge metropolitan market almost twice the size of ours,” Luther said.Cincinnati is a bigger television market. Attendance is double to triple that of Louisville City.Nearly 30 corporations sponsor FC Cincinnati“Well, I think there are challenges they have just as there are challenges we have,” club president Amanda Duffy said.Duffy said sponsorship dollars are on the rise and Mayor Greg Fischer commissioned a stadium feasibility study that is near completion, which would be appealing to MLS.Meanwhile, Cincinnati has no plans to leave its college football stadium.“Tomorrow night is going to be special,” Duffy said.Duffy's only concerned about beating Cincinnati on the pitch.“We have to control what we can control here in Louisville. We have an exciting product, a very good product on the field and off the field and this city has really shown the loyalty that we need to have to prove it's a professional sports market,” Duffy said.Louisville City fans said the MLS talk has added fuel to the fiery rivalry.Kickoff for Saturday night’s game is 7:50 p.m. and can be seen on MeTV Louisville, channel 32.2 over the air or 188 on TWC.