Paul Daugherty

pdaugherty@enquirer.com

Players walked purposefully around the field (OK, the pitch), clapping for the fans who had remained. Ten minutes after Futbol Club Cincinnati finished its last game of its first season, a dozen players circled the horseshoe of Nippert Stadium, faced the stands and applauded.

A few minutes after that, coach John Harkes said this, to the assembled heathen media: “I’d like to thank you personally on behalf of the club.’’

What?

“Thank you for the coverage. It’s been fantastic. We really appreciate the coverage. It’s been excellent.’’

Then, before any of us had time to pick our jaws up off the floor, goalie Mitch Hildebrandt was saying, “You guys have covered this team with class and dignity.’’

Normally, we don’t reserve This Space for discussions on press-team relations. No one cares, except the press. But this was such a spectacular and unusual show of class, indulge me this one mention. Imagine Marvin Lewis saying, “Thank you for covering the Bengals with class and dignity.’’

It’s nice to work with a professional sports organization that not only recognizes free pub when it sees it, but actually is grateful for it. The other two local pro conglomerates take it for granted, at best.

But we digress.

FC Cincinnati lost 2-1 to Charleston Battery on Sunday, before 30,187. The big crowds might be routine by now. That doesn’t mean that routine can’t still amaze. The visitors scored twice thanks to the crowns of their heads, and that was that. A dreamy first season, in the books.

Now what?

Harkes thinks bigger and better. I asked him what his expectations were in February, when he signed on, and when he knew they’d been upgraded. “First home game,’’ he said.

“Freezing cold weather. There’s 14,000 plus in the stands. I turned around to our bench and I said, ‘Where are we’?’ Look around. Look what’s happening here. This is the start of something special.’’

That was April 9. The momentum remained all summer. It became the business of topping itself: Thirty-five thousand for the friendly against Crystal Palace in July and 30,000 Sunday, yet another USL attendance record, this one for a postseason game.

“Not just around the country are people shaking their heads,’’ Harkes said. “All over the world they are.’’

We’ll excuse that bit of hyperbole, because it jibes with the story line. While folks in Munich and Mexico City might not be paralyzed with awe, what FC Cincinnati achieved in its rookie season was beyond anyone’s belief.

Can it last?

There remains a suspicion, expressed mostly by non-soccer enthusiasts, that FC Cincinnati is still more a phenomenon than a fixture. And that their fan base is mostly hardcore, repeat customers, i.e. the Cyclones on steroids. After this first, fairy-tale season, fans will expect more than wholesome entertainment featuring players who wave to them.

Harkes is at the center of all that. He’s a charismatic guy with a highly credible career, who has done a very good job with Carl Lindner III’s start-up team. Given the success Harkes helped create this year (a 17-8-8 record) it’s fair to wonder if he might find greener grass next year, perhaps in the MLS. The USL is a league for strivers and opportunists, coaches included.

“Apparently, yes,’’ Harkes said, when asked if he’d be around to keep the current momentum sprinting. “Unless you know something I don’t know. I signed a three-year deal. My work is not done.’’

He believes the futbol club has room to grow. “I think it’s a permanent thing. If it was a passing thing, you’d have had 4,000 or 5,000 people here,’’ said Harkes. “I don’t think anyone can doubt it now. After the sixth or seventh game at home, there was no doubt for me.’’

On Sunday, they played just well enough to lose. FC Cincinnati took more shots (15-11), had more corner kicks and had the ball in Charleston’s end a majority of the time. But the visitors rallied from 1-0 on two headers. Scoring twice in one game while using your head is not exactly routine. But of course, neither is a minor-league soccer team drawing 30,000 fans.

“A great journey,’’ Harkes called the season. It remains to be seen how the saga plays out. But the first chapter was compelling.