CINCINNATI — This Sunday will mark the very first home playoff game for FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium.
The Orange and Blue have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and secured hosting priority for the 2023 MLS Cup after securing the Supporters' Shield for the first time this season.
"So happy for our fans. I'm happy for Cincinnati," team majority owner Carl Lindner III said. "It's this is probably the first major league trophy (for a Cincinnati team) since 1990."
Lindner is correct. The last time any of Cincinnati's professional teams won a major league trophy was the Reds in 1990. The Bengals won the AFC Championship in 2021, but not the Super Bowl.
Winning the Shield wasn't really in the plan. Lindner said the goal for the team in 2023 was to be in the "top four" teams in the league by the end of the season. Instead, they were the clear winners before Decision Day.
"It's amazing," Lindner said. "And it feels great. I'm just thankful to God, to begin with. It's when you look at the trajectory of FC Cincinnati right from the beginning to now it's miraculous."
Two years ago, FC Cincinnati was nowhere near the top. Instead, the team ended the season dead last.
"I can tell you, after starting off being in last place, it sure is a lot more fun being in first place," Lindner said.
Last place was not a location FC Cincinnati and its fans were accustomed to. Since its formation, the team had shown incredible success in the USL and had a meteoric rise to join the MLS. Much of that, Lindner said, is thanks to co-CEO Jeff Berding and the incredible fan support the team has.
"I think we kind of were a sleeping giant as far as soccer fans," Lindner said. "And I'm proud to say that I think FC Cincinnati definitely was the spark that needed to happen here in the community."
Lindner took a gamble and, so far, has won. He recalls that his family wasn't entirely thrilled by soccer before FC Cincinnati came into existence. Now, he says his wife Martha is the team's biggest fan. He showed off a poster-sized picture he intends to hang in his suite at TQL Stadium featuring Lindner, his wife and their grandson David posting in front of a giant poster of FC star midfielder Luciano Acosta.
"This is one of our favorites," Lindner said. "We all took the Lucho pose here."
Now, on the eve of what Lindner hopes will be a long playoff run, he's telling Cincinnati fans to get ready to get loud at the team's games.
"We have ... a fortress," says Lindner. "You know, we don't lose too many games there with great fans. And they are loud."
He's talking, in part, about the aluminum stands in the section known as "The Bailey."
"We wanted it to be aluminum," Lindner said. "Because we wanted them to be loud."
He's hoping that for as loud as the stadium can get during a regular season game this Sunday's playoff game against the New York Red Bulls will be "off the charts — which would be a lot of fun."
The team must win two out of three games against the Red Bulls before entering the single elimination portion of the MLS playoffs.
