Patrick Brennan

pbrennan@enquirer.com

There's much for FC Cincinnati to feel good about after its first-ever preseason game.

Down in Bradenton, Florida at the IMG Academy Suncoast Pro Classic, Cincinnati came back from a 2-0 deficit in the second half to earn a 2-2 tie Saturday against Reykjavik FC, a team from Iceland. Xavier University product Luke Spencer was credited with Cincinnati's first goal in about the 77th minute. Corben Bone cracked a long-distance goal to equalize in the 89th minute.

"We showed character tonight," Cincinnati head coach John Harkes told The Enquirer via phone after the game. "I thought we competed extremely well, and I thought that was nice to see... We deserved this."

Back in the Cincinnati region, the city's first-year USL club enjoyed an outright victory in terms of fan support - perhaps the most important stride the organization made on the night.

Multiple FC Cincinnati supporters groups gathered to watch the game at Molly Malone's Irish Pub and Restaurant at 112 E. Fourth Street in Covington. About 65 fans crowded the bar, prompting a waitress to comment at one point, "this is a free-for-all."

Drinks and food flowed, fans stood shoulder-to-shoulder, and FC Cincinnati's recognizable orange and blue were on display in form of official team jerseys, scarves and other decorative pieces.

It was a moment months in the making for the die-hard supporters that, prior to Saturday, clung to a vague notion of the team they supported.

Payne Rankin, 24, a founder of an FC Cincinnati supporters group called "The Pride," gave a sigh during halftime of Saturday's game. He said he was relieved to finally see his team play a competitive game.

"We've been rooting for an ideology for the longest time. We were rooting for a concept that existed in space, and we never really had a team to care about," said Rankin. "We had players, we had a coach, a general manager an owner – whatever. We didn't have soccer and, for the first time just now, we had 45 minutes of soccer."

FC Cincinnati "watch parties" were also organized at other bars and restaurants across the region. A large turnout was also reported at Rhinehaus, a well-known soccer pub in Over-the-Rhine.

For all the great scenes at bars around Cincinnati, some, like Dane Ritze, 24, still contend there's progress to be made before Cincinnati embarks on regular-season play.

"I don't think anybody knows what this thing is yet. It's still defining itself. There's no chants. It's not what you'd typically find. Everyone's trying to figure it out," said Ritze, whose allegiance to FC Cincinnati was marked with a souvenir jersey.

Most seemed content with relishing in the sights and sounds of Saturday night's 2-2 draw.

"This means more than months worth of tweeting about a concept," said Rankin, "and it's really, really fun to watch."

Fans will again be rewarded for the months-long wait to see their team play Wednesday when Cincinnati plays a high-profile preseason game against New York City FC of Major League Soccer.