UPDATE: June 10, 2020 - Major League Soccer announced it will restart the 2020 season with all 26 MLS clubs competing in the MLS is Back Tournament at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida beginning July 8. Upon completion of the tournament, MLS plans to continue its regular season with a revised schedule in home markets. The revised schedule may see certain matches from the original 2020 MLS regular season schedule being cancelled or rescheduled. The final number of matches and the schedule for the remainder of the 2020 MLS regular season and related ticket policies will be announced in the coming weeks.

FC Cincinnati was named an expansion franchise by Major League Soccer in May 2018. Club owner Carl Lindner III pursued a move from the United Soccer League to MLS starting in 2016. The club was selected from a list of 10 potential expansion locations for four new spots in the league.

Cincinnati’s MLS club has roots in a USL club that existed from 2016 to 2018. FC Cincinnati broke attendance records several times during its USL years including 31,478 in attendance for a September 2018 match against Indy Eleven. The club reached the USL playoffs in all three seasons but did not advance past the conference finals. Cincinnati’s best season was the 2018 regular season when the club won the regular season championship. Koch was named the USL Coach of the Year and Emmanuel Ledesma was named USL MVP in 2018.

The USL club’s run in the 2017 U.S. Open Cup brought national attention to the potential expansion club. FC Cincinnati dispensed with AFC Cleveland and Louisville City FC before meeting MLS competition. The team defeated in-state rival Columbus Crew SC 1-0 and bested a surging Chicago Fire team in penalties. Cincinnati defeated North American Soccer League side Miami FC 1-0 to reach the semifinals. Corben Bone and Austin Berry gave Cincinnati a 2-0 lead against New York Red Bulls before the MLS side scored three late goals. The club drew more than 30,000 fans each for games against Columbus, Chicago, and New York.

MLS veterans Fanendo Adi and Fatai Alashe were added during the club’s final USL season in anticipation of the 2019 MLS season. The club used the 2018 expansion draft to add forward Darren Mattocks from D.C. United, midfielder Roland Lamah from FC Dallas, midfielder Eric Alexander from Houston Dynamo, and defender Hassan Ndam from New York Red Bulls. FC Cincinnati also made waves by acquiring all five of Philadelphia’s MLS Draft picks, bringing their pick total to 10. The club picked UCLA midfielder Frankie Amaya as the first overall pick in the 2019 MLS Draft.