MLS 'audition' on deck for FC Cincinnati

Show Caption Hide Caption FC Cincinnati eyeing three stadium sites FC Cincinnati is looking at three possible sites to build a stadium as part of its bid for Major League Soccer expansion.

The ultimate Major League Soccer dress rehearsal is about to commence for Futbol Club Cincinnati, and it's likely MLS will be watching.

A forthcoming eight-day stretch starting Saturday looks to be an unparalleled period in FC Cincinnati's relatively short history.

During that time, the club will host three high-profile matches highlighted by Wednesday's visit from Columbus Crew SC of MLS for a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup fourth-round match, a coveted and highly-valuable opportunity involving a member of the league FC Cincinnati is pushing hard to join.

Off the field, FC Cincinnati on Monday will host a town hall-style meeting at the Woodward Theater in Over-the-Rhine. The club plans to unveil to season ticket holders preliminary designs for its soccer-specific stadium, introduce the architect involved in the project and invite feedback from those in attendance.

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"I do think it's certainly an audition for our city. I do view it that way," Berding told The Enquirer Wednesday. "You know, we're hosting our first MLS team, and not just any MLS team but a founding member of the league. Someone who has blazed the trail for teams like FC Cincinnati. We're standing on their shoulders because they truly paved the way... We have so much respect for the Crew. We think it's an honor to play them, to host them here at Nippert (Stadium).

"Having said that, it's an audition because we can host an MLS team in our city with what's looking like an extraordinary turnout. We're confident the game atmosphere is going to be terrific... The town hall meeting is an opportunity to share with the public an overview of our expansion bid with a little more detail than we've done in the past and also share for the first time with our season ticket holders our initial stadium design."

FC Cincinnati's no stranger to big occasions, but never has it squeezed so many important dates into such a tight window.

Last summer's friendly against Crystal Palace FC and the visit to Cincinnati from MLS Commissioner Don Garber come to mind as meaningful moments in FC Cincinnati history. Both events required extensive planning and ended up adding to the fast-growing notion of FC Cincinnati as a serious contender for MLS expansion.

By most accounts, the club pulled off both events with flying colors, but the events were also separated by approximately four months.

Garber's November trip to the Queen City to survey FC Cincinnati's expansion efforts occurred deep into the club's offseason. Front office staff had weeks to focus solely on nailing the Garber visit.

MORE: Don Garber on FC Cincy: 'They have done a lot of things really well'

The luxury of time isn't on FC Cincinnati's side this time.

"This certainly would rival it, for sure," Berding said through laughter when asked if the week will be the busiest in club history. "We've sold more tickets this week than in any other week... There's no question we have a lot of really good things going on. Our staff is working really hard to make sure we perform at a high level."

Following Saturday's United Soccer League match against Charlotte Independence, which could draw a crowd of 20,000 to the University of Cincinnati's Nippert Stadium, Berding said, the club will set its sights on the town hall meeting at the venue where it also hosted the public portion of Garber's visit late last year.

The event at the famous Over-the-Rhine theater (1404 Main St.) amounts to the beginning of a vital public discourse regarding FC Cincinnati's long-term stadium solution.

Then comes the match against Crew SC.

Tickets for the match went on sale to the general public Tuesday. Sales immediately surged and eventually produced a club record for single-day ticket sales, Berding told The Enquirer.

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The match already appears likely to set an attendance record for this stage of the U.S. Open Cup. Insiders said they believe match attendance could climb as high as 25,000.

Berding on Wednesday said the only piece of preparation left open for discussion for the Crew SC visit was possibly removing decorative tarps around Nippert to accommodate more spectators.

"We have tiers of stadium staffing as it relates to ushers, ticket takers, levels of police, et cetera," Berding said. "We're approaching (Crew SC) as a 'Tier One' game. We'll be fully staffed up at the highest level for the building."

The Crew SC date is book-ended by the league matches against Charlotte (7 p.m.) and USL Eastern Conference-leading Charleston Battery (June 17, 7 p.m.).

FC Cincinnati (4-5-3) has never beaten Charleston, which opened the 2017 campaign on a blistering pace (7-2-3, third-place overall in USL).

There is no doubt the week ahead is a test for FC Cincinnati – the kind of test MLS might be keeping its eye on.

An MLS spokesman declined The Enquirer's Thursday request for comment. But considering Crew SC investor-operator Anthony Precourt is one of five MLS owners on the league's expansion committee, it seems unlikely that word of FC Cincinnati's various happenings next week wouldn't reach the league's New York City headquarters.

"I think we have good communication with them (MLS)," Berding said, "so I think they're well aware of our efforts here and the strength of the support in Cincinnati."