FC Cincinnati President/General Manager Jeff Berding spotted at MLS event in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA – Futbol Club Cincinnati doesn't just blend in.

They never have, and that was true again as FC Cincinnati President and General Manager Jeff Berding and club Vice President of Operations Dan McNally attended the United Soccer Coaches Convention and 2018 MLS SuperDraft at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

Berding and McNally walked by the draft media corps and the media interview and break room during the SuperDraft. The draft was ongoing and they couldn't be reached for comment at that time.

An MLS spokesman told The Enquirer no formal meetings were held between FC Cincinnati and the league.

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Of course, the lack of a formal meeting doesn't preclude FC Cincinnati from covering ground and making progress toward its MLS aspirations.

FC Cincinnati has been attending high-profile MLS events since prior to going public in August 2015. Initially, they did so quietly, but have now attended each of the last three MLS All-Star Games and the 2016 MLS Cup in Toronto.

Berding typically makes some form of formal or informal contact with MLS or U.S. Soccer higher-ups when he attends major MLS events.

The timing of Berding's visit to the SuperDraft was also compelling because social media rumors about the possible conclusion of the MLS expansion process involving FC Cincinnati have been surfacing recently.

The league and FC Cincinnati haven't issued any statement on a timeline for resolving the ongoing expansion process that was expected to conclude by the end of 2017.

It's unclear if officials from Sacramento Republic FC and the expansion organization from Detroit – the organizations FC Cincinnati is competing against for the last remaining MLS spot this round – were represented at the SuperDraft on Friday.

MLS made clear it doesn't control attendance for conventioneers. Rather, it issues separate credentials for its draft which is staged in a large hall at the convention.

Some 12,000 patrons, soccer officials and exhibitors are expected to attend the annual convention, which continues through Sunday.

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So, why would FC Cincinnati attend the draft and convention? Plenty of reasons that go beyond discussing expansion.

The draft is relevant to USL clubs because it will affect their rosters. The 2018 draft pool wasn't a particularly deep one and a fair number of the drafted and undrafted players will drop down into USL.

Paying attention to draft picks, and especially those that go undrafted, gives you a lay of the land in terms of personnel across North America.

Of course, you can pay attention to the draft selections from your couch. That brings us to another good reason to attend: The United Soccer Coaches Convention is a great place to be seen, especially if you're a hot commodity like FC Cincinnati.

The list of attendees, exhibitors and speakers read like a VIP guest list of collegiate, professional and international soccer personalities.

Former FC Cincinnati head coach John Harkes attended the convention this week, as will all of the U.S. Soccer Federation presidential candidates.

In the future, FC Cincinnati will likely feature even more prominently at the event.