FC Cincinnati: Attendance records prove faith in future
FC Cincinnati are the third-ranked organization for home attendance in MLS this season. Those records prove there is faith in the future.
Even in the USL, FC Cincinnati had matches with attendance in the top ten for soccer games across the Americas. They led in USL attendance in every one of their three years in the league.
This was a key reason why MLS chose FC Cincinnati as an expansion team. There was already a terrific market. And that has not changed.
This season, through 16 home games of the first MLS season, the team has averaged 27,442. That ranks third in MLS, behind only the Seattle Sounders, 39,806, and Atlanta United, 53,003.
And all this is despite being eliminated from the postseason many weeks ago. Supporters have watched with disappointment as the players have produced few highlights to record in the team’s history. They have watched a quick succession of head coaches, three in total if counting interim Yoann Damet, who remains as an assistant.
Head coach Ron Jans now stands to guide the team to formidable MLS competition. He has challenged the players to work out their remaining losing season by showing what they’ve got that fits his future plans. For Jans, the 2020 season started weeks ago.
FC Cincinnati supporters largely have shown that they are on board with Jans’ plan. Even in this disappointing first season, their abundantly faithful support prove that they are on board for the long-term.
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Jans is preparing his final decisions on which players will fit his plan for a hopefully more competitive FC Cincinnati emerging in 2020. What that roster will resemble remains unclear to those outside the inner circle of FCC player personnel, but the support for the team will not waver, no matter the results. Cincinnati won just three home games this season. There is only room for improvement. And yet, the fans never left.
The supporters have also recognized that the FCC front office has rapidly acknowledged problems and refused to wait before working to fix them. In fact, the front office’s response has been radical compared to the slow response of leadership in other professional organizations. FC Cincinnati didn’t stop after making a mid-season change in the head coach. The team also installed a new General Manager this season to direct the team to a competitive renaissance.
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The strong attendance is important to FC Cincinnati as with any team. But their number three ranking in MLS attendance isn’t so much a team strength. Rather, it is an indicator of fan confidence that this expansion team is doing the right thing. And the team is.