FC Cincinnati‘s move to MLS in 2019 will coincide with a slight rebrand, as the team will officially adopt the Fussball Club Cincinnati identity.
As was announced Tuesday, FC Cincinnati’s expansion bid has been formally approved by MLS. The club will begin MLS competition in 2019, with matches to be played at its current home–Nippert Stadium. It is currently expected that the club will move into a new stadium on the city’s West End in 2021, so Nippert Stadium will serve as the home venue until that facility is completed.
Since it was established in the USL, FC Cincinnati has been officially known as Futbol Club Cincinnati. It is often referred to by the shortened FC Cincinnati name and that will continue to be the case going forward, but the club will swap out the Futbol Spanish spelling in favor of the Fussball German spelling starting next year. The move to Fussball Club, according to the organization, is intended to honor Cincinnati’s German heritage. More from the Cincinnati Enquirer:
On the team website under “MLS FAQs” is further acknowledgement of a name change. The statement says:
“One item that will change – although it will be less noticeable to most – is that we will go from being formally called Futbol Club Cincinnati to Fussball Club Cincinnati in recognition of the city’s German heritage. We will remain FC Cincinnati publicly, however.”
With FC Cincinnati in the fold, MLS is expected to play at 24 clubs next season. The league is fielding 23 teams during the 2018 season, a slate that includes expansion Los Angeles FC, which officially began play this year.
Image courtesy FC Cincinnati.
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