Hope The Blog

What is the equivalent to a “Firs World Problem” in soccer? Top of the table problem? Three point problem? I’m sure someone more clever than me can come up with a better name. Whatever it is, FC Cincinnati has one. And if you read top to bottom and left to right, you know what it is, we have a congested lineup.

Remember how FC Cincinnati brought too many USL players up to MLS? Here in Week 4 of 2019, FCC were forced to rely on three of those players in the starting 11, and beat the Revolution

In keeping with the ever present theme of “those who doubt us are left embarrassed”, FC Cincinnati has taken 4 points from 3 of the last 4 MLS Cup finalists.  Nobody predicted this, nobody except Knifey Lion Radio, actually. And after these three matches, we’ve learned a few things about this team.

I'm not exactly sure how serotonin or endorphins work, but by the time Mathieu Deplagne scored Cincinnati's third goal on Sunday night in front of 32,250 fans at sold-out Nippert Stadium, I'd pretty much burned through a lifetime's worth of the happiness hormones in less than an hour.

But you have to admit, FC Cincinnati have been better stewards of the Opening Day optimism than the Reds or Bengals have been.  They’ve been a club willing to dream big dreams. 

Match 2 is in the books and FC Cincinnati wins! Okay, okay, in truth, the Orange and Blue drew 1-1 with Atlanta United on Sunday night, but if you were passing by Molly Malone's in Covington when the score went final, it would have been hard to tell the difference.

Wanna see someone make a fool of themselves? FC Cincinnati is going to get at least a point this Sunday. Boom. That’s right, bold prediction time; timidly calling for at least a draw; claiming two of the three possible outcomes like it takes some courage.

It's happening! It's happening! FC Cincinnati made its Major League Soccer debut last night in Seattle. The outcome was a disappointing and lopsided—if not completely unexpected—loss 4-1 to the Seattle Sounders, the 2018 Western Conference runners-up, who are entering this season healthier and more lethal than ever.

Call me Johnny Come Lately. I am one of the thousands of fresh-faced, new soccer fans riding the clown-car-packed bandwagon straight onto the hallowed grounds of Nippert Stadium in support of Major League Soccer’s latest debutantes, FC Cincinnati.

So let’s set a few attainable goals.  A few things that would define success for the franchise.  Using these measuring sticks, we can track FC Cincinnati’s progress and adjust our outrage accordingly.

Now that FC Cincinnati is in MLS,it’s time to start caring about CONCACAF Champions League. That’s just the cost of getting your team promoted and not having to play away to Louisville anymore. But CCL is here, it can be absolutely hilarious, and this year could be a great one for MLS.

When I attended my first FC Cincinnati game in June of 2018, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I was not a soccer fan growing up, but I have always been incredibly proud of all things Cincinnati - from our sports teams to our chili. I had moved to Dayton, OH* for school and was only somewhat aware of the phenomenon that was FCC. When I was offered cheap tickets over father’s day weekend 2018, I wanted to see what all the buzz was about.