Patrick Brennan

pbrennan@enquirer.com

As Cincinnati submits its bid to lure a major league franchise to town, backers have been mum on exactly where Futbol Club Cincinnati would play in the long-term.

They could stay in Nippert Stadium, but some soccer fans expect they’ll want to build their own home.

Mayor John Cranley said either way, he doesn’t foresee public money being used to build a stadium should one be needed later as part of the second-year club's pitch for Major League Soccer expansion.

During a Monday interview with The Enquirer, Cranley said he hasn't discussed with anyone the possibility of public funds going toward a would-be stadium, adding he's keeping an open mind about the club's MLS expansion application.

Asked specifically about the possible use of taxpayer money for a stadium project, Cranley said, "No one has talked to us about taxpayer money for a stadium in any manner whatsoever. I don’t envision that.”

He didn’t mention it, but everyone involved is likely cautious on the matter, not forgetting the unpopular sales tax used to build Cincinnati’s two professional sports stadiums. On the football side, the deal is often called the worst in the league for taxpayers.

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Cranley declined to comment on specifics when asked about his knowledge of any stadium plans put forth by FC Cincinnati to MLS as part of its expansion bid, which was submitted last week.

FC Cincinnati President and General Manager Jeff Berding has long maintained there is no imminent plan to veer away from the University of Cincinnati's Nippert Stadium as its home, and that the club would also be responsive to MLS should it request more information on future stadium sites.

In a statement provided to The Enquirer Monday, Berding confirmed the club has partnered with MEIS Architects as they continue to explore stadium options. According to a Sports Illustrated report, the club has identified and detailed for MLS two possible stadium sites located in the city's urban core.

"Regarding a site, we agree with MLS that soccer is a sport that best fits the urban core of a franchise," Berding said Monday in the statement. "So whether a stadium is in Clifton or thereabouts, or down through the core to areas in close proximity to the riverfront, we are open to the best sites should we have a need and opportunity to develop a soccer-specific stadium.

"If the best location presents an opportunity to build in NKY, a key part of the Greater Cincinnati region, FCC would be certainly open to that outcome... The MLS application required that we submit our initial thoughts on a soccer-specific stadium, and we did so. You never want to fail a test because you left a section blank. Having said that, we would have a long ways to go before we need to put a plan to action."

Berding declined to identify the two sites submitted to MLS in FC Cincinnati's application.

Details on FC Cincy's changes to Nippert

Cranley said he wants to keep any possible future stadium within city limits and that helping the club reach MLS is vital to the city's future.

“I think it’s critical to attract the jobs and people to our city and to our region. I think it’s the wave of the future, and it’s a big part of winning businesses and jobs and quality of life. It’s taken the city by storm," Cranley said. "Like everything in life, we want everything to be in the city. So, of course we want the stadium to be in the city and we will do everything in our power to make sure the city has competitive options for FC Cincinnati when it comes to that time, but having said that, you know, most importantly is helping FC Cincinnati become a Major League Soccer team."

While its unclear if Cranley's office was involved in the expansion application, it's clear FC Cincinnati generally has Cranley's full support.

Cranley's been involved in the pitch at several points along the way, including during MLS Commissioner Don Garber's November visit to the Queen City.

“FC Cincinnati’s one of the greatest cultural phenomena’s to hit Cincinnati,“ Cranley said. "I keep asking them how I can help them get Major League Soccer distinction."

Where could FC Cincinnati build a new stadium?

Citizens in St. Louis and Charlotte have had robust debates about public money being put toward the respective MLS expansion bids in those cities.

Should any aspect of FC Cincinnati's long-term stadium plan come up for discussion in the public sphere, that would seem likely to occur this year.

During a Wednesday conference call, MLS president and deputy commissioner Mark Abbott said the league would make a decision about the first two selections for MLS expansion by the end of the year.

Assurances about future stadium solutions would be required, Abbott said.

“Three things go into that. Having the site under control, obtaining the relevant government approvals and having financing secured," Abbott said during the conference call. "When you have those, beyond an act of God, the stadium is going to get built.”

MLS is expanding from 20 to 28 teams in the coming years. The league is set to jump to 23 teams for the start of the 2018 season.

Twelve groups successfully submitted their bids for MLS expansion last week.

New franchises in Atlanta and Minnesota are coming online for their first season of MLS play this spring while a third club – Los Angeles Football Club – will begin play in 2018.

Former international soccer star David Beckham's effort to bring a team to Miami is still considered the most likely candidate for team No. 24, although the drawn out process to build a team in that market could be cut off by the league.

In theory, that turn of events would open up a fifth expansion spot for current applicants. For now, four remaining spots are definitely vacant. Of those, two are expected to be awarded later this year.

Enquirer reporter Sharon Coolidge contributed.