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WEBVTT SHORT LIST. >> IS A ROOKIE SEASON BUT THEY ARE ALREADY GETTING MAJOR ATTENTION. FC CINCINNATI HAS A WINNING RECORD. THERE IS SOMETHING EVEN BIGGER. THE CROWDS. >> IT HAS BEEN AN IMPRESSIVE SHOWING. NOT JUST ON THE FIELD BUT WHAT IS SURROUNDING THE FIELD. >> OUR TRACK RECORD SHOWS WE HAVE PROVEN IT WORKS HERE IN CINCINNATI. >> ATTENDANCE HAS SET RECORDS. 17,000 AGAIN AND THIS IS JUST THEIR FIRST YEAR. IT PUTS CINCINNATI IN THE CONVERSATION TO GET A MAJOR-LEAGUE SOCCER SPOT. CLICK CINCINNATI IS A CITY ON TE RISE. >> THE TEAM IS POSITION TO MAKE THE JUMP TO MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER. >> TH THIS LEAGUE IS ASPIRATIONAL. REPORTER: THE MLS COMMISSIONER IS PLAYING A VISIT IN NOVEMBER. WE ARE A CITY ON THE MOVE AND WILL POSITION TO BE A GREAT CITY FOR SOCCER. WILL THERE BE ANOTHER ONE? >> MOST STADIUMS ON THE 25,000 RANGE. WE ARE ALREADY DRAWING THAT. >> QUESTIONS FOR THE MLS COMMISSIONER I-TEAM HOPING TO GET OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT. THAT IS BEFORE THEY PLAN TO

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Advertisement Is FC Cincinnati ready for big leagues? MLS commissioner visiting soon MLS Commissioner Don Garber visiting to check out city, team, Nippert Stadium Share Shares Copy Link Copy

As FC Cincinnati players prepare for a play-off game Sunday, team executives are planning for a November date that could be even more important to the club. The commissioner of Major League Soccer is visiting Cincinnati soon. “I think our track record this year shows it works here in Cincinnati,” FC Cincinnati General Manager Jeff Berding said. MLS Commissioner Don Garber is planning a visit to check out the city, the team and Nippert Stadium. Mayor John Cranley said he will give Garber a personal tour. “We are a city that is on the move and well-positioned to be a great addition to Major League Soccer,” Cranley said. Despite being in its rookie season, FC Cincinnati has attracted the attention of MLS after setting United Soccer League attendance records. The team is averaging 17,000 a game, a better draw than some MLS teams. “Cincinnati is a city on the rise, just like soccer is a sport on the rise,” Berding said. The plan has always been to get FC Cincinnati from the USL into the MLS. “This league is an aspirational league,” Berding said, “Our commitment from Carl Lindner through our ownership group is to bring professional soccer at the highest level to Cincinnati.” MLS executives are meeting in November to determine the criteria they’ll use to decide which teams will make the expansion short list. Garber visits Cincinnati less than a month after the meetings. Among the questions in a city all-too-familiar with stadium deals is: Will another deal be required to get a MLS expansion team in Cincinnati? “Most of the stadiums that are being built are in the 20,000-25,000, range and we’re already drawing that as a USL team, so why would we want to build a smaller stadium?” Berding asked. Garber is set to visit Nov. 29.