They should call the team the Cincinnati Lammis.

They should call the team the Cincinnati Lammis.

 

The Cincilammis?

Heh.

If anyone is considering becoming a member of Die Innenstadt, now is the time!

 

We are going to give out a pair of tickets to two randomly selected members at 5pm today and Monday. We need to place our scarf order by early next week to get them in in time, so this is a little incentive to do it now, rather than wait so we have a better idea of how many people are going to be members and so we don't under order our scarves and have to buy more.

 

Memberships are $20 and come with the scarf above!

 

www.squareup.com/store/die-innenstadt

Been a while since any update was provided on this. The first match resulted in a 1-0 loss in the 94th minute in Charleston, SC.

 

For a recap on the day, check out this blog post here. For a match recap by the club, check out this post on the FCC site.

 

Die Innenstadt is hosting a watch party for every away match at rhinehaus. Come on out for the next match on Sunday, April 3 at 3pm for the next game against Bethlehem Steel. Check out the Facebook event here.

FC Cincinnati draws huge crowd for home opener

 

 

[move]Note: Page three of the slideshow shows a certain moderator[/move]

 

 

FC Cincinnati’s first-ever home game probably couldn’t have gone much better if it was written as a movie script.

 

Cincinnati’s new professional soccer team drew a United Soccer League season-high 14,658 fans to Nippert Stadium on the University of Cincinnati campus, the team won its home opener 2-1 and Sean Okoli’s first-ever FC Cincinnati goal in a home game ended up on ESPN’s SportsCenter as one of the top 10 plays of the day.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/04/11/can-fc-cincinnati-repeat-its-league-leading-crowd.html

FC Cincinnati set the USL season record attendance for their first home match of the year, then shattered it this past weekend. They had 14,658 against Charlotte, then set the USL's regular season attendance record with 20,497. The Previous record high was 20,231 set by Sacramento in 2014 and then tied again that year (sell out crowds).

 

You can read a recap of the game here, in which FC Cincinnati lost 3-2 to Louisville City.

Traffic was absolutely ridiculous before and after this game.  The crowd was half the size of a typical UC football game, but I didn't see any police directing traffic anywhere and there were no bans on street parking on McMillan, Calhoun, or elsewhere.  They usually set all of the lights on McMillan green from UC over to the I-71 north ramp in Walnut Hills but I got stuck in it with all lanes jammed as far as the eye could see. 

There were cops controlling a lot of the lights after the game on Sat.

There were cops on Jefferson letting us cross before and after the game, but traffic was pretty much at a standstill after, so we could have crossed the street anyway.

I wonder if traffic is worse than after football game because college football games last so long that many people leave before the end of the game, which allows traffic to be spread out a bit more. Because soccer games are pretty much guaranteed to finish in 2 hours, a higher percentage will stay until the end.

^That's possible. Also, despite the larger attendance at UC games, almost all of the students walk to campus or live on campus, so they aren't taking cars. Not a lot of students have been going to the FCC matches despite the $5 entry.

There were absolutely zero police directing traffic on Clifton Ave. or McMillan/Calhoun or from what I could see at Vine & McMillan.  Also there were no streets blocked off -- for example, during UC football games, they block off Scioto, Market, and W. Clifton between Calhoun and McMillan.  I think Ohio stays open but I can't remember for sure. 

The past two weeks there was a Deputy Sheriff controlling the light at McMillan & Vine. However he was obstructing pedestrian traffic...

Traffic woes aside, those are a couple of very good attendances. Long may it continue.  Compares very well to Columbus Crew and MLS as a whole.

I wish Cleveland had a team at that level...

http://www.fccincinnati.com/nippert-stadium-parking-update/

 

In the two home matches that FC Cincinnati has hosted so far, a combined 35,000 turned out to cheer on the Orange & Blue for the first. Obviously, the club is delighted with not only the size of the crowd, but also the way the city has embraced the team. But the size of those crowds definitely exposed some areas that needed additional focus to ensure the thousands of fans that show up to cheer on FCC have a great match day experience.

 

One of those areas that required further attention: parking.

 

We’ve heard from fans over the phone, on social media and in the streets that they experienced long lines getting into the garages on campus. In particular, the garages to the South of Nippert Stadium seemed to be where queues formed the fastest.

 

And with University of Cincinnati commencement taking place at Fifth Third Arena prior to Saturday’s kickoff against Wilmington, there could be even more traffic to deal with.

Well we're deep into page 4 of this discussion topic and we have yet to see a player or coach's name mentioned.  That's in line with all of the other online folderol I've been seeing -- a 100% obsession with getting a MLS team.  Seem like people are way more into having cake than eating it. 

^Going to the games has been so much fun so far, that frankly I'd be totally fine staying in the USL forever if we could maintain ~20k average attendance. That's a huge IF (which probably isn't true, because I think you're right that lots of the excitement is around the potential for moving up)... but I care much less about the league than the actual fan experience.

 

I would like to see US Soccer adopt the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Promotion_and_relegation">promotion/relegation system</a> that most other countries use, where teams have the possibility of moving up/down a league, depending on their performance. That makes every game count and you avoid the situation you see in much of American sports where mediocre teams decide to "not contend", accepting an abysmal record with no ramifications (other than declining attendance). Or worse, in leagues like the NBA and NFL where the worst teams get REWARDED with draft picks. That system encourages mediocre teams to compete for last place. In a promotion/relegation system, those teams would move down a league.

 

The quality of play in the USL is definitely not on par with more competitive leagues, but just like college basketball can be more fun to watch than the NBA, it's not all about the absolute talent of the players. Creating a fan experience that fills a stadium is much more important to me.

There's plenty of discussion going on about players, I'm just not personally posting much of anything here. It's not my primary source of communication. Yes, there are people who are more interested in getting to MLS than actually watching this team play, but there's also plenty of discussion about the actual team on the reddit and at games. Just check out any blog www.cincinnatisoccertalk.com www.sixthdaysoccer.com www.scratchingthepitch.com etc. and you will find actual discussion of players. Your friends on Facebook who just found out about the team are going through the steps of becoming more knowledgeable. The first step is realizing where we are in the soccer pyramid (3rd tier) and how that differs from MLS. Then the natural question is could we become an MLS team.

 

After the two record breaking crowds, that was an obvious jump for a lot of people, but if you look at the week since, the most recent reddit post about MLS is the 18th most recent post. People aren't lingering on it and they are actually talking about the team.

 

I respect what Columbo does for the Blue Jackets and Crew discussions with his recaps (and I read them) but I just am not going to be doing that for FC Cincinnati.

I'll admit I more interested in how FC Cincy expands. I'm not jumping on the bandwagon just yet. Seems they want Nippert to be their home long term. MLS doesn't require grass fields? I thought there's been some concern re: health issues with turf that has uses rubber beads.

 

FC Cincy's deal with UC: More Nippert changes

 

"...upcoming renovation calls for expanding the field to 115 yards long and 75 yards wide.

 

...plans to permanently remove a "minimum number of rows and lower level seats"

 

...club's contract calls for it to pay UC $5,000 per game and an additional $20,000 for the season to use the stadium, locker room, weight room and other athletic facilities for practices and game preparation.

 

...previously, there had been buzz about the possibility of FC Cincinnati paying for a new scoreboard and sound system ...not part of the contract."

 

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2016/04/27/fc-cincys-deal-uc-more-nippert-changes/83597078/

^ New England, Seattle, Vancouver, Orlando (temporary), and Portland all have turf fields.

 

Though in perfect world all MLS teams play on grass in a soccer specific stadium, exceptions have and will be made.

Generally, I think the MLS prefers grass... but a few MLS teams play on turf fields, including Vancouver, Seattle and soon Atlanta (all of these cities use large stadiums that are also used for football).

Nippert is so much nicer than almost any of the MLS stadiums in terms of stadium design, amenities, and location. I understand why the MLS has their policy of wanting dedicated stadiums (empty stadiums feel underwhelming, owners/cities have less skin if they don't have to build a facility), but if FC Cincinnati can keep Nippert as full as it has been (filling lower level with overflow onto upper level as needed), then the MLS would be insane to force them to build some less nice stadium in some worse location. The owners could use that saved money to invest more in better players and better marketing, which would do more to benefit the league as a whole than another stadium.

 

If you look at the "purpose built" stadiums for the MLS (Denver, Columbus, Kansas City, Chicago, etc), many of them feel like they were built cheaply because they were! It would be far better for the MLS to push more investment in improving the rosters and marketing of the league.

^Going to the games has been so much fun so far, that frankly I'd be totally fine staying in the USL forever if we could maintain ~20k average attendance. That's a huge IF (which probably isn't true, because I think you're right that lots of the excitement is around the potential for moving up)... but I care much less about the league than the actual fan experience.

 

Seeing the upper tier teams play the lower tier teams is one of the coolest aspects of pro soccer. I love seeing teams like Ft. Lauderdale Strikers, Charleston Battey and the Rochester Rhinos hold their own against MLS in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

 

http://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2016/02/05/15/43/160205-usoc-2016-competition-format-and-schedule-revealed

 

Also, one interesting aspect of lower division soccer is that the NASL has no salary cap. So there is a chance that a team like the New York Cosmos could theoretically become a ridiculous group of all stars surpassing the MLS teams in talent. Could you imagine if some billionaire owner tried the same thing in pro football or basketball? Very interesting to consider. 

Nippert is so much nicer than almost any of the MLS stadiums in terms of stadium design, amenities, and location. I understand why the MLS has their policy of wanting dedicated stadiums (empty stadiums feel underwhelming, owners/cities have less skin if they don't have to build a facility), but if FC Cincinnati can keep Nippert as full as it has been (filling lower level with overflow onto upper level as needed), then the MLS would be insane to force them to build some less nice stadium in some worse location. The owners could use that saved money to invest more in better players and better marketing, which would do more to benefit the league as a whole than another stadium.

 

If you look at the "purpose built" stadiums for the MLS (Denver, Columbus, Kansas City, Chicago, etc), many of them feel like they were built cheaply because they were! It would be far better for the MLS to push more investment in improving the rosters and marketing of the league.

 

Nippert is a great place to see a game and has the location advantages of being in the middle of town, but I still think some other amenities (bathrooms, concessions) are not quite where you would want them in an ideal setting.  Not a knock on Nippert--they have added a significant amount as a result of the renovation, but without really blowing out some of the buildings immediately around, it's always going to face some limitations in that regard, just because it wasn't built with that in mind.  The tradeoffs of having a cool old venue with great sight lines are that you can't squeeze in the same number of concessions or bathrooms per capita that you see at a stadium like GABP. 

 

Also, I am not a huge fan of bleacher-style seats, but I think that they are working okay so far. 

With the latest proposed changes to Nippert which will extend the field and "center" it more, it seems like it might shift the field further to the south, away from The Bailey. That seems like it might allow for the stands in The Bailey to be extended (moving down and closer to the field). Anybody know if that'd be feasible? Might not be worth it just to gain a few more rows, but I think it's really important for The Bailey to be as close as possible to field.

The Bailey could stand to be a few feet further away from the end line, because from certain parts of The Bailey you can't see the corners. It's not a big deal, but it would be nice to be able to see the entire field from every spot in that section. So moving the field slightly south without touching The Bailey would be good.

ryanlammi[/member] - good point.

 

This is why I asked about turf fields. 11,000 Sat., thanks to the cold and rain.

 

 

Artificial turf and cancer: ESPN digs into crumb rubber risks

 

...following in the footsteps of an NBC News investigation last year, “The Turf War” explores the anecdotal evidence that soccer players – especially young ones – are at risk due to the toxic cocktail of chemicals found in crumb rubber, the tiny bits of recycled auto tires used as infill in most modern turf surfaces..."

 

http://www.soccerwire.com/news/clubs/youth-boys/artificial-turf-and-cancer-espn-digs-into-crumb-rubber-risks-with-troubling-e60-report-by-julie-foudy/

Well we're deep into page 4 of this discussion topic and we have yet to see a player or coach's name mentioned.  That's in line with all of the other online folderol I've been seeing -- a 100% obsession with getting a MLS team.  Seem like people are way more into having cake than eating it. 

 

The MLS talk really picked up after the first two home games. I think at first it was largely ignored, because what new team wouldn't say things like "we want to be the best." However, the attendance really got people thinking about the idea and to be fair - FCC's attendance so far is incredible for the USL. Even with 11,000 or so in the rain, they were still at the top of the league.

 

I'll admit, I'm very intrigued by the idea of an MLS team in Cincinnati. It makes for a good story. NHL and NBA aren't coming, but MLS could. Should it? Will they let it? There's tons of angles and it'll be interesting to follow as it develops. Having said that, I loved what was happening in Louisville in 2015/how fans connect with soccer teams in general. I'll support this club whether it makes the MLS jump or stays in the USL. Also, every time I've been to a bar to watch an away game or attend any Die Innenstadt events, MLS discussion rarely comes up. It's always about the team, how they're developing, the players, coach Harkes, Etc. 

 

In short: there's an allure of MLS, but that's not the only thing getting people excited. It's just what the media bites at.

It's interesting to watch the FC Cincinnati brand evolve so quickly. I wasn't thrilled with the look/brand initially, but I'm liking the direction they are headed. Already, in their merchandise (<a href="https://www.fccincinnati.com/shop-online/">online store</a>), you can see how the crest is being diminished and the Lion is taking on more importance. The crest is the main shortcoming of their look because it makes "FC" too big, "Cincinnati" isn't legible, and the Lion is invisible. And when the crest appears on a blue background, the whole thing fades away because there isn't enough contrast.

 

If you just look at how the hat evolved from the first version (<a href="https://www.fccincinnati.com/shop-online/#!/FCC-Blue-Adjustable-Hat/p/65679621/category=16709076">crest on blue</a>) to the new version (<a href="https://www.fccincinnati.com/shop-online/#!/Nike-White-FCC-Hat/p/60272337/category=16709076">Lion on white</a>), you can see how much better things are looking already. Part of that is just that the quality of production has improved (compare the embroidery on the two hats), but their design/marketing team seems to recognize how to improve the look of the team.

 

Very excited for this Saturday's game against Pittsburgh. Hope we can hit the 25k goal!

"FC Cincinnati home average attendance is a tremendous accomplishment and speaks to absolute lack of anything else fun to do in Cincinnati."

 

On Saturday @fccincinnati drew more spectators than five USL teams drew in their entire 2015 season

FCC had over 23k in attendance for the match against Pittsburgh on Saturday.

 

On Wednesday, they picked up their first US Open Cup win - against the NPSL side of Indy Eleven.

 

On June 1 we play the Tampa Bay Roudies, an NASL team (second division) with some huge stars on the team.

 

If we win on June 1, we play against the Columbus Crew on June 15! It's unlcear if it's in Columbus or in Cincinnati. But either way, I imagine a sell out crowd if we advance. This is one of the most exciting matchups announced in the US Open Cup.

 

Also, it was announced today that FC Cincinnati will play Crystal Palace at Nippert Stadium on July 16 for a friendly!

^FC Cincinnati is coming out of the gate strong with these attendance numbers and some great matchups.  I'm thinking it's high time for Cleveland or Akron to make a push for a USL team.

PG Sittenfeld's latest podcast episode hosted Jeff Berding and Austin Berry. Interesting discussion, including some thoughts from Berding about why FC Cincinnati has seen so much support. One of the points he makes is that Nippert Stadium, both as a facility and in terms of its location, has contributed significantly to what makes it such a fun atmosphere before, during, and after the games. Also interesting to hear Berding compare the Bengals stadium experience (everything in stadium is "scripted") to the soccer community, where the fans resist anything that feels "corporate" or from the management. 

 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/keepin-it-pg/id1111790895

PG Sittenfeld's latest podcast episode hosted Jeff Berding and Austin Berry. Interesting discussion, including some thoughts from Berding about why FC Cincinnati has seen so much support. One of the points he makes is that Nippert Stadium, both as a facility and in terms of its location, has contributed significantly to what makes it such a fun atmosphere before, during, and after the games. Also interesting to hear Berding compare the Bengals stadium experience (everything in stadium is "scripted") to the soccer community, where the fans resist anything that feels "corporate" or from the management. 

 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/keepin-it-pg/id1111790895

 

I would hope mls would let fc Cincinnati stay at Nippert and not force them to build a soccer only stadium. Nippert is such a great venue.

If you watched the USMNT friendly last night against Ecuador, they played in Frisco, TX in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Stadium_(Texas)">Toyota Stadium</a> (home of Dallas FC) which is a "purpose built" stadium... and it's just sad how bad that stadium is in comparison to Nippert. It's in the middle of nowhere. That's part of the downside to the MLS insisting on new, dedicated stadiums: they end up on cheap land with cheap construction.

 

They only had 9,000 fans show up to that game, which is pitiful for our national team and I blame - in significant part - the location of the stadium.

 

In the podcast with PG, Berding talked about how he expects to "sell out Nippert" for the Crystal Palace friendly this summer. He didn't clarify if he meant the upper decks or just the lower level, but either way, it shows how Berding recognizes Nippert can be a premiere soccer venue.

^Maybe FC Cincinnati can get a variance, if it comes to that, but that's a long way off.  The Sounders, one of the most popular MLS teams, share a stadium with the Seahawks so there is precedent.  Yes, the Sounders and the Seahawks share an owner, but something could be worked out.

WCPO has a nice story (behind paywall) about the attention FC Cincy has gotten including international news sites. Found these bits interesting:

 

"...And while plans for an academy system are on the horizon and a 15-year lease at Nippert Stadium might cast doubts on short-term MLS viability, no one can rain on FC Cincinnati’s parade.

 

http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2016/05/13/another-orlando-inside-charts-exciting-rise-fc-cincinnati

 

 

"...Bjorn, Chip and 150 others are marching just under a mile from Mecklenburg Gardens, a quaint corner bar, toward Nippert Stadium — the home to what’s quickly becoming America’s most fascinating new club."

 

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/may/16/fc-cincinnati-usl-record-attendances-soccer

 

 

"...We also have a give-back programme, in which we give back some of the money we get from local clubs as a charitable donation. When parents buy tickets online they can indicate which club they're from and at the end of the season we will tally it up and give some money back.

 

"While the $100 million-plus expansion fee will not be a problem for the FC Cincinnati ownership group"

 

"Some of the new stadiums that are being built are in the 25,000-seat range. But we can draw possibly 35,000 at Nippert, right in the heart of a college campus. We've designed the stadium as a soccer pitch, there are no football lines. We have locker rooms fully decked out for soccer. We have sufficient control over the schedule."

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/04/19/fc-cincinnati-show-strength-in-numbers-for-mls-push/

Given the discussion around the need for a soccer-specific stadium to join MLS, I thought I might take a page out of thebillshark's "Cincinnati Ideas" playbook and propose the IRS building site in Covington as the Cincinnati FC stadium site:

 

This stadium site is about the same size as Portland's Providence Park, which holds about 21,000 and is also bounded by a street grid. While this proposed stadium fits comfortably on the Covington site (bounded by 4th Street, Johnson St, and Rivercenter Blvd), a smaller stadiumfootprint would be doable. San Jose's new Avaya Stadium (capacity ~18,000) is a smaller site, and could also be a good fit.

 

Benefits:

• On PG Sittenfeld's podcast, Jeff Berding made it pretty clear that he believes having Nippert as the home field has played a huge role in the team's early attendance success. He may have meant that the stadium is newly renovated and a regional landmark, but I think it is critical that the stadium be located in the urban core in a built neighborhood. The IRS building is within a ten minute walk of three Covington business districts, and is about a 20 minute walk from the Banks/southernmost Cincinnati Streetcar stop. People make the walk from Covington/Newport for Reds games all the time, so it's not unreasonable that fans would make the reverse trek for FC Cincinnati.
  
• While Covington's urban core is starting to build some momentum, the city is vastly oversupplied with potential lots for redevelopment, even with the IRS building site currently occupied. There's been talk of consolidating the IRS facility into a tower, and while this would be a huge win for urban Covington, it'd probably be thirty years before the plan came together to develop everything between the Clay Wade Bailey bridge and Madison Avenue. The stadium would speed things up considerably in this part of the city, and would benefit development in the other nearby business districts.
  The stadium plan still allows the city to expand the convention center to the south.
  

 

Potential drawbacks:

• Well, it's not Cincinnati. There is precedent with the NY Red Bulls, NY Giants and NY Jets playing in NJ, as well as the Cincinnati airport being in NKY, but I could still see this being a roadblock.
  
• Building an urban neighborhood around stadiums has worked fairly well for the Banks, but the success of the Banks isn't necessarily tied to the stadiums. While it was hard to predict twenty years ago, you could argue that the land occupying Paul Brown Stadium would now be better served with additional residential/commercial development, given that PBS hosts only a few events per year outside of eight Bengals home games. FC Cincinnati would be full more often that PBS, but it's still a lot of potentially highly productive land to dedicate to a low productivity activity.
  

 

It does seem like the soccer-specific stadiums in the MLS are usually located on cheap land away from the urban core, probably due to paltry box office revenues and a lack of multiple revenue-generating uses. While Berding's comments in the podcast do make me a little more optimistic, the fact that the Lindners own the team means that a Dallas FC-style stadium in Mason is probably a likely scenario:

I could honestly see a Stadium being built in Mason or West Chester...and what's sad is that I think the attendace will soar even more so.

 

You have SOOOO many youth soccer leagues, and obssessed soccer suburban parents in that area. Build it close enough to these neighborhoods, and I think you will see incredibly well off attendace.

 

That's why, I think even as good as the attendance is currently, you still have hoards of people who won't want to trek downtown because of how "scary" it is.

I think MLS is wary of suburban soccer stadiums. Chicago and DC have suburban stadiums currently, and their attendance is pitiful. I don't know if I would call Mapfre Stadium "suburban" but the immediate surroundings are and attendance has been pretty lackluster this year to say the least.

 

MLS doesn't want a suburban Miami field, and Sacramento's new stadium is going to be just outside of downtown. I think MLS wants urban parks. I also don't think attendance would soar with a stadium in Mason. No one from Kentucky, Indiana, downtown, or Clermont County are driving to Mason for a game.

 

People blow the "downtown is scary I won't go there even for a sporting event" demographic way out of proportion. There may be thousands of them in the metro, but it isn't a significant number that should influence the team to move up to the northern suburbs. I doubt the Reds would draw better in the suburbs, and I don't think FCC would either. The Bengals might just because there are only 8 home games [that matter].

 

Also, you can't build a team entirely on youth attendance. It just doesn't work. A lot of people I go to games with would stop buying season tickets if they moved to the suburbs. They also need the beer $ and families with kids notoriously don't buy much beer. Youth attendance is important for long term success, and they definitely fuel merchandise sales, but they can't support a team.

If the MLS did expand to Cincinnati I think it would be a major mistake to move the team from Nippert if it can be helped.  It's a historic, intimate stadium in a great location and it's the perfect size.  Nippert has huge potential for soccer use in my opinion and I would hate to see Cincinnati FC move to a stale suburban park.  I don't think the MLS will come to Cincinnati anytime soon, but if they do they would be smart to make another exception to the soccer specific stadium rule.

If anyone is thinking of going to the game in Louisville, Rhinehaus and Die Innenstadt have a bus that will take you there 3 hours before the game and bring you home that night! Check out the details at the event link below

 

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fc-cincinnati-louisville-city-fc-rhinehaus-bus-trip-tickets-25842145553

Very cool! Will drinking on the buses be allowed?

^We're not going to ask  :wink:

^Thumbs up!

FC Cincinnati hits attendance milestone for Crystal Palace match

 

+ + E

 

FC Cincinnati has cracked the 30,000 tickets sold barrier for Saturday’s international friendly soccer match versus English Premier League club Crystal Palace.

 

FC Cincinnati announced Thursday morning it broke the 30,000 mark. That puts it close to the sellout that FC Cincinnati has been targeting for the past month. Nippert Stadium on the University of Cincinnati campus has a capacity of 35,000 for soccer.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/07/14/fc-cincinnati-hits-attendance-milestone-for.html

^ I see what you did there.